The point is, I knew that at some point I was going to have to find a way to have my slice and eat it too. I know there are gluten-free milk biscuit alternatives out there but they are seriously expensive and so I had to wait for a special occasion to splurge on my experiment.
Bunch of friends coming over for afternoon tea? Perfect victims for my experiment!
Origins
The foundational recipe I used for these slices came from the Women's Weekly 'How to cook absolutely everything' which I had picked up for a song (well not really, I paid in cash) at an Aldi's store earlier this year. I of course made changes to the recipe and not just the biscuits.
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| A much better price - Leda Arrowroot |
Gluten-free slice base
250g plain gluten-free sweet biscuits (I used Leda Arrowroot GF biscuits which I found at Woolworths)
100g coconut oil
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Base additive for lemon slice
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
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| Chia seeds |
Base additive for chocolate slice
2 x 35g nestle peppermint crisp bar smashed into bits
(note that peppermint crisp does contain small amounts of wheat)
Method
- Put all the base ingredients in a bowl (leaving out the oil, condensed milk and lemon juice) and crush them all together. Some people use a food processor for this but I like my slices to be a little more rustic.
- In a saucepan, melt together the coconut oil, condensed milk and if relevant the lemon juice.
- Pour the liquid into the crushed biscuit and mix together
- Press the mixture into a slice pan lined with baking paper
- Place in the fridge to 'set' for about half an hour
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| My two preferred coconut oils Loving Earth or Dr Bronner's |
Lemon icing ingredients and method
- Stir together 1 1/4 cups icing sugar with 10g coconut oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
- Spread over the top of the lemon slice base
- Put back in the fridge to 'set' for 10 minutes
Chocolate icing ingredients and method
- Melt 200g Lindt dark peppermint chocolate with 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Pour over the chocolate slice base
- Put back in the fridge to 'set' for another 20 minutes
It was a bit of a winner. The lemon slice did look like it had poppy seeds throughout since I used the only chia seed I had which were black. The lemon slice was a little mooshy so when I do it again I might add more dry ingredients - perhaps some rice protein powder which seems to be a good filler. The chocolate one was spectacular with the quality chocolate. I think though in future I'd like to investigate making it without Nestle's peppermint crisp.
Quick note on chia seeds
Why include chia seeds? Well, I had some in the cupboard which is usually a good enough reason but chia seeds are also very good for you. One of the highest known plant source for omega 3, packed with vitamins such a A and B12 and C and a few other goodies like iron, folate, antioxidants and is a complete protein which is rare in plant foods. Oh, and it's good for keeping you regular, if you know what I mean.
Be aware: If you are allergic to mustard seed or sesame seed then there is a possibility you will be allergic to chia seeds. There are also other information to suggest that taking Chia daily for some people may not be good. Information is power so do your research.
Quick note on coconut oil
I used coconut oil because I had some in my cupboard. There is a lot of information out there that suggests the coconut oil is a super food. I'm not suggesting it isn't but though work with my naturopath it has been suggested that coconut is not the superfood for me - just like gogi berries are not a superfood for me. That doesn't mean I can't have coconut oil but my genetic makeup doesn't work particularly well with any saturated fat, including from the coconut. But that's another post.
If you want to learn more about coconut oil and its benefits you need only google it.
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