Free-from biscuits & free-ranging stories

I have made biscuits. 

Actually, I have made biscuits and scones, but one recipe per blog, I think. Besides, the gluten-free scones weren’t quite right, so further research may be needed on those.

I have also cleaned the house, scrubbed the balcony, investigated my baking supplies (in need of restocking); checked my spices (definitely no need of restocking, may need either intensive cooking or extra drawer space); bought a new kettle (the nearly-new one leaked sporadically and mysteriously); sorted out the tea cupboard (I have a lot of tea varieties for someone who basically drinks Yorkshire Tea and nothing else); organised the under-sink cupboard; scrubbed the tea stains off the teaspoons; and relieved the fridge of some mysterious lifeforms, mostly based around a forgotten tub of chilli olives and a lost pot of crème fraîche. 

One might wonder why the writer is suddenly so interested in cleaning the kitchen, unless one has read the many memes online about procrastination and/or writer’s block. Ahem.

Look, it’s not so bad. I haven’t started on the bathroom yet, and the chest of drawers that comprises my office is still the same wilderness of files and adaptors and pens and post-its and unidentified charging cables as it has been since I moved in.

As for my wardrobe, well. Things would have to get a lot worse.

So I’ve not going into full work avoidance mode. But there has been some, and I decided last week it was time to accept that, unless I really did want to tackle my clothing storage, I needed to step back from the current WIP. Things are not working. 

How dare you?? (Art by the wonderful Sarah Andersen)

Or … they’re working alright. The story is alright. The character interactions are full of life, the silliness and asides are there, the setting and description feel, to me, just as they should. But the story itself will neither bend to the shape I give it, nor reveal its own shape to me (which, to be honest, is how most of my writing goes. I’m less architect than explorer, mapping the contours of a new land). 

Which is … frustrating. But also not unheard of, and some stories need longer to coalesce. It’s less a block, or procrastination, than it is simply a matter of patience, something I have a lot of for others, but little of for myself. And it’s also true that these particular stories – the Beaufort stories – have been going for a long time now. Each one is trickier than the last, takes longer and more rewrites and more patience and more digging than the previous.

So one would think I’d have realised that I need to give myself plenty of time for them, to approach them a little more obliquely, but when all my other writing tends to be a case of falling into the story and making sure my arms and legs are inside the vehicle (well, barrel) as I get swept away, I forget. I do not give myself the time.

I especially do not give myself the time, it would appear, when I’ve started the year by saying, ‘this year is going to be quieter!’ then promptly deciding to do four books and an event in another country …

Anyhow, unrealistic authors aside (and honestly, where would we be if authors were realistic? Un-realism is our stock in trade! Or mine, anyway), I really don’t want to organise the wardrobe. It never lasts, anyway. Give it three days and it looks like small animals are nesting in the shelves again (maybe I should check for those. It would explain a lot). 

So I made biscuits. And I have a recipe for you. And then I shall write a short story, then go and work on the next DI Adams, and leave Beaufort to his own devices for a little longer, until I can come back and take another look with fresh energy and a new dose of enthusiasm.

Which does mean that the next Beaufort is going to be delayed, and I’m truly sorry about that, lovely people. I am. I was really trying to avoid this, but even unrealistic authors need to know when to stop poking a story and let it be. Especially unrealistic authors, maybe.

But rather a late story than an alright story. I’m not so interested in alright when it comes to stories. Not at all, in fact. You deserve so much better than alright, in stories and in life, lovely people. And since the only thing I can provide you with is stories, I shall do my absolute best to make sure they’re always better than alright, in my eyes at least.

Oh, and biscuits. I can provide biscuits. Or a recipe. And these biscuits are better than alright. They’re downright tasty, and are both gluten-free and vegan. So that’s alright, then. ;) 

This is adapted from Freya Cox’s Coffee Kisses recipe in Simply Vegan Baking.

Vegan gluten-free coffee kisses

For the biscuits:

• 150g / a bit under 1¼ cup gluten-free self-raising flour
• 75g / ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
• 75g / 5¼ Tbsp vegan butter, chopped into small chunks
• 50ml (1¾fl oz) plant milk
• Splash vanilla
• Pinch salt

For the icing (or use your preferred recipe):

• 30g / 2-ish Tbsp vegan butter, softened
• 1-2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 75g / ⅔-ish cup icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F fan. Line two baking trays with baking parchment. 

Chuck the flour, sugar, coffee powder and salt in a large bowl and give it a good mix. Add the vegan butter and rub it into the dry ingredients until it’s got a breadcrumb-y look. Add the milk and vanilla, then mix juuust until it forms a smooth dough.

Pop small spoonfuls (around a heaped teaspoon) of the mix onto the prepared baking sheets, with plenty of room to spread. The original recipe said to form balls, but my mix was very soft, so I just went for dollops of around the right size, and I got 24 out of it. If your mix is also very soft, throw the tins in the fridge to firm up for 15 minutes or so (this will likely depend on your vegan butter. Mine is very soft at room temperature).

When you’re ready, bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges, then leave to cool on the trays.

For the icing, feel free to use your favourite go-to – I made a very simple icing, heavy on the butter so it’d set up and sandwich well. To use mine, simply combine the espresso and the icing sugar, then mix in the butter until everything’s squidged in well together. Add a splash of boiling water, mix to combine. Keep adding water little by little until you have a stiff, spreadable consistency.

Once the biscuits are cool, sandwich them with the icing to create 12 lovely little coffee kisses. Done!

Notes:

• As always, make sure your icing sugar is gluten-free if this is a concern.
• You could also do this with cocoa powder instead of coffee to make chocolate kisses.
• The original recipe called for regular self-raising flour, so if you’re not catering for gluten-free you can just use that.
• I used Dove’s gluten-free self-raising flour, which is a mix of GF flours along with some xanthan gum already added in. Your options may be different, and so give slightly different results.
• As mentioned above, your mix may be more or less soft depending on the vegan butter used. Try to get one that’s as firm as possible (or use regular butter if you’re not vegan/dairy-free).
• If you don’t have self-raising flour, simply add 1 tsp of baking powder to regular flour/GF flour.
• The biscuits will still be soft to the touch when they’re taken out of the oven – they’ll firm up as they cool. Try not to overbake them, as they’ll dry out easily.
• I can confirm these are still excellent the next day!

Now over to you, lovely people. Is there anything you’re struggling with at the moment? Anything you’d like cheerleading for, or simply to have a little rant about? The comments are open! (And they’re open, too, for any reports of small creatures in wardrobes. I’m certain I’m not that untidy. Almost, anyway …)

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