These gluten-free and dairy-free Easter biscuits are nicer than many I have eaten made in the conventional way. Light and crisp with a lovely lemony tang, they are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea in spring.
Makes about 20
50g cornflour
75g gram (chickpea) flour
75g sugar
75g dairy-free margarine (eg Pure)
zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
¼tsp baking powder (make sure it doesn't contain wheat flour)
¼tsp cinnamon
1tbsp water
25g currants
Sunflower oil
Oven at 160C. Mix the cornflour, gram flour, sugar, margarine, lemon zest, baking powder and cinnamon in a food processor until you get a mixture with a consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the water and knead to a dough. You may need a little more water/cornflour to get the right consistency, which should be soft without being sticky. Add the currants and knead into the dough. Leave for half an hour to let the lemon flavour develop before rolling out to a 2mm-thick sheet.
When it comes to choosing cutters, because of the currants, a not-too-detailed shape is best. The rabbits worked OK, but the ducks and lambs I tried were a bit of a disaster (their legs fell off). Use the sunflower oil to grease the baking tray and then bake for 20 mins until just starting to turn golden. Remove from the tray as soon as you take the biscuits out of the oven (or they will weld themselves to it – pop the tray back in the oven for a few moments if this starts to happen) and cool on a wire rack. Best eaten fresh, but will keep in an airtight tin.