Red Velvet Biscuits (Gluten Free & Organic Veg Colouring)

14th February, Valentine’s Day. Who doesn’t love a bit of attention from their loved one on this day. Although it is said with Red Roses, Champagne and Chocolates. Home made Red Velvet Biscuits can be enjoyed not just 2 people but with the whole family.
These biscuits are gluten free; and free of any artificial colouring. Unlike the Red Velvet Cake, which is sandwiched together and frosted with cream cheese, these biscuits are half coated with white Chocolate with a sugar sprinkle as a finishing touch.

To make these biscuits gluten free, I made my own Oats Flour. There is always Rolled porridge Oats in the Kitchen cupboard; simply whizzed small amounts up in a coffee grinder. This flour will not be as smooth as the everyday Plain Flour, but is workable with.

For the colouring, I have beetroots from last year’s allotment harvest, in my Fridge veg drawer. For this recipe I trialled both cooked and raw. Best to use raw Beetroots to extract the juice, simply peel, finely grate and squeeze juice through a muslin cloth. I found the  juice is much more concentrated and deeper in colour than the juice from the cooked Beetroots.

Beating in room temperature Butter, adding Sugar and 2 to 3 tablespoons of Beetroot juice with 1 tablespoon of Vanilla and beating again,  will help with distributing the colour evenly when the Oats and Corn Flour is folded in. Once the dough ball has been formed, place in the fridge for no more than 30 minutes, this will help firm up the dough and easier to roll out.

Roll out the dough on a previously floured board to a thickness of 0.5cm; cut out with heart shape and  bake at 170˙C for 15 to 20 minutes. The lower oven temperature will bake the biscuits and help keep the colour. Do not allow to them to catch colour and become golden brown.

Remove the biscuits carefully and place on a cooling rack and allow to cool down completely before dipping into the melted white Chocolate and sprinkle with red sparkle dust. Allow the chocolate to set completely before lifting biscuits of the parchment paper and storing them in an air tight container. Will keep for up to 5 days in a cool dark cupboard.

As an alternative to Vanilla Extract, why not try Strawberry or Raspberry flavourings.

Hope you enjoy these biscuits just as much as I have enjoyed experimenting and making them.

Enjoy x

[recipe title=”Red Velvet Biscuits” servings=”24-26 biscuits” time=”2hr” difficulty=”easy” image= “https://rekhagardenkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/fullsizeoutput_5475.jpeg” description=”A biscuit not only easy to make but gluten free and using only freshly squeezed organic Beetroot juice to give a natural food colouring.”][recipe-ingredients]
– 150g Rolled Oats Flour
– 50g Corn Flour
– 100g Butter (room temperature)
– 100g Icing Sugar
– 3-4tbsp Fresh Beetroot Juice
– 1tbsp Vanilla Extract
– 150g White Chocolate (for dipping)
– a little red sparkle dust (optional)
[/recipe-ingredients] [recipe-directions]
1. Beat in Butter adding sugar, Beetroot juice and Vanilla Extract; beating until mixture is evenly distributed.
2. Sift in Rolled Oats flour and Corn Flour, and fold in until a soft dough is formed.
3. Wrap the dough with Kitchen film and chill dough for no more than 30 minutes.
4. Remove and roll out dough on a floured board to 0.5cm thickness, cutting out heart shapes and placing them carefully on a pre-lined baking tray.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 170˙C.
DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO TURN GOLDEN BROWN.
6. Remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
7. Place the pieces of white chocolate in a bowl, over a pan of simmering water. Melt the chocolate until smooth.
8. Dip each biscuit half way, before placing them on clean parchment paper. Sprinkle red sparkle as you go along.
9. Allow to set completely before removing and storing in an air tight container.

[/recipe-directions]
[/recipe]