Chickpea and almond biscuits - naturally gluten free

I have come to the conclusion that gluten free biscuits and cookies are pretty easy and I really can't see any reason to buy the overpriced ones you see in stores. This recipe uses besan flour or chickpea flour (garbanzo to our American friends) as its base combined with ground almonds, the resultant biscuit is deliciously crunchy with a slight nutty flavour, you can add spice or flavourings to your delicious biscuit.

Besan flour is available in the ethnic area of the supermarket or at specialist stores, just watch out for added ingredients if you need it gluten free. Chickpea flour is one of the cheaper naturally gluten free flours and is used frequently in Asian cuisine.

What you need

• 1 cup of ground almonds
• 1 cup of chickpea flour (besan)
• 3/4 cup soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (or if diary free coconut oil)
• 1 egg yolk (large egg)
• 1 1/2 tsp of your chosen spice ( cinnamon is nice)

What you do 

• Preheat the oven to 180c
• Line 2 baking trays with a silicone sheet or baking parchment.
• Mix all the ingredients except the egg in a mixing bowl until the fat is rubbed in.
• Add the egg yolk and combine.
• Form ball of the mixture using your hands and press down on the prepared baking sheet
• Bake for approx 15 minutes until golden and starting to firm
• Cool initially on the baking sheet and then fully cool on a wire rack, the biscuits will firm up on cooling.