Middle Eastern tahini and almond biscuits

Delightful little biscuits full of exotic flavours, which are vegan and glutenfree! You can find brown rice flour at health stores and some supermarkets; if you are not glutensensitive you can use plain flour instead.

Makes 2025

Small biscuits

Dairyfree, glutenfree and vegan

Biscuits

1 cup (45g) pistachios, lightly toasted 13⁄4 cups (175g) ground almonds 3 Tbsp brown rice flour

1⁄2 cup (80g) soft brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1⁄2 tsp fennel seeds zest of 1 lemon or lime plus 3 Tbsp of fresh lemon or lime juice

1⁄2 cup (125ml) olive oil

2 Tbsp tahini seeds of 1⁄2 a vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon and fennel icing

1 cup (150g) icing sugar

2 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

1⁄4 tsp fennel seeds

Method

Heat oven to 180degC. Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper. Lightly grind or finely chop 1⁄4 cup (35g) of the pistachios. Save the remaining pistachios for decorating the tops of the biscuits. In a mixing bowl combine the ground almonds, pistachios, rice flour, brown sugar, baking powder and fennel seeds. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix for a few minutes until very well combined. Roll the mixture into small walnut sized balls and place on the prepared baking tray. Press a pistachio on to the top of each ball. Place in the oven to bake for 1012 minutes or until the cookies are firm to the touch but still soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. To prepare the lemon and fennel icing: mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. When the biscuits have cooled, dip one side of the biscuits into the icing or drizzle some over the top of each biscuit.