These super simple biscuits are perfect with a cuppa on Christmas Eve, or crushed over fruit and whipped cream for a quick and festive Christmas Day dessert.

This recipe makes approximately 18 biscuits (we used a 7cm star cutter) 

90g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp dextrose
Pinch bicarbonate soda
Small pinch sea salt
25g coconut oil
50g rice malt syrup
15mL milk

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. In a separate microwave safe bowl combine the coconut oil and rice malt syrup.
3. Heat the coconut oil mixture in the microwave for 10-30 seconds until the coconut oil has melted (time taken will vary depending on your microwave).
4. Remove the coconut oil mixture from the microwave and leave to cool for a few minutes before stirring in the milk.
5. Add the coconut oil mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine; if the dough seems too sticky add a little more flour.
6. Shape into a flatish rectangle, wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. While the dough is chilling pre-heat your oven to 150°C (fan-forced).
8. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place between two sheets of baking paper.
9. Roll the dough out until it is about 2mm thick and use any shaped cookie cutter to cut out your biscuits.
10. Collect the scraps, working quickly so as not to overheat the dough, roll out again until 2mm thick and cut out more biscuits.
11. Place your biscuits on a lined baking tray and then bake in the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes until golden on top.

50g oats
60g plain flour
35g coconut (shredded or desiccated)
65g dextrose
½ tsp bicarb soda
55g butter, melted
1 ½ tbsp rice malt syrup
1 tbsp boiling water

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Melt the butter in a separate bowl, then stir in the rice malt syrup and water.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir the butter mixture into the dry ingredients – at this point the dough will be quite crumbly.
4. Use your hands to bring the dough together and shape tablespoon-sized amounts into balls, flattening them slightly.
5. Place the dough balls onto a lined baking / biscuit tray, leaving plenty of room between each one as the dough will spread.
6. Place the tray of dough balls into the refrigerator for around 10-15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
8. Remove the tray from the refrigerator and place into the pre-heated oven.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes*, until golden brown.

* Note:  dextrose can burn quickly.  If you need to cook the biscuits a little longer, keep a close eye on them – they can go from undercooked to burnt in a matter of minutes.

Unexpected guests?  These bite-sized pastry treats can be whipped up in under 30 minutes.  For a savoury version, substitute finely grated parmesan for the dextrose and salt.
Makes approximately 15.

1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
2 generous tbsp dextrose
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 230ºC.
2. While the pastry is defrosting, mix the dextrose and salt together.
3. Spread about ½ of the dextrose mixture on a clean workbench and place the pastry on top.
4. Gently press down on the pastry so that the dextrose starts to stick.
5. Turn the pastry over and sprinkle almost all of the remaining dextrose mixture on top, spreading it as evenly as possible.
6. Tightly roll one end of the pastry into the middle, then roll the other side in.
7. Slice the pastry roll into 1cm slices and arrange on a lined baking tray.
8. Sprinkle any remaining dextrose mixture on to each slice.
9. Bake the palmiers for 5-6 minutes, then use a spatula to turn them over and bake for another 3-4 minutes until lightly golden.
10. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

Not everyone owns an ice cream machine, and with this recipe you don’t need one.  This method delivers a velvety smooth and oh-so creamy result.  Made from a custard base, you can stop after step 5 and enjoy the custard as is, poured over stewed fruit, or made into a trifle!  The below quantity fits comfortably into 2 standard ice cube trays.  (If you have an ice cream machine, instructions are at the end of the recipe).

8 large egg yolks
140g dextrose
2 tsp imitation vanilla essence
¼ tsp salt
375mL evaporated milk
500mL thick cream (separated into 2 x 250mL quantities)

1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks, dextrose, vanilla, and salt for about 5 minutes until thickened and pale yellow in colour.  The mixture should fall off the whisk in thick ribbons.
2. Meanwhile, heat the evaporated milk in a medium saucepan until it comes to a simmer then remove from the heat.
3. Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly until fully incorporated.
4. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and heat gently, whisking constantly, until it reaches 80°C (it should become quite thick). Do not overheat it or the eggs will scramble.
5. Strain the custard through a sieve to remove any lumps.
6. Transfer the custard to a suitable container and place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, or until thoroughly chilled.
7. Whip 250mL cream until doubled in volume.
8. Add the whipped cream to the custard and gently fold in with a whisk until no lumps remain.
9. Pour the mixture into the ice cube trays and freeze for about 4 hours, or until solid.
10. Use a spoon or a dull knife to remove the frozen ice cream from the tray.
11. Combine the ice cream cubes with remaining 250mL cream in a food processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
12. Scrape down sides of bowl and break up any lumps and process for another 30 seconds.
13. Transfer the ice cream to a suitable container, and freeze for at least 4 hours.  Remove from the freezer about 5 minutes before serving to allow the ice cream to soften enough to scoop.

If you have an ice cream machine you can still use this recipe.  At step 7, whip the entire 500mL of cream until doubled in volume then add the custard and whisk for another 1-2 minutes until fully combined.  Follow the manufacturers instructions for your particular ice cream maker.

This moist and delicious cake contains no flour and no dairy.  Served warm or at room temperature, this cake is perfect as-is or with some cream poured over the top.  Makes 1 small (20cm x 2cm) cake.

1 whole orange
3 eggs
½ cup rice malt syrup
¼ tsp imitation vanilla essence
125g almond meal
½ tsp baking powder (gluten free)
Coconut oil or olive oil for greasing

1. Wash the orange and submerge in a saucepan of water.
2. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 hours to soften the skin.  Top up with water as needed to keep the orange submerged.
3. Remove the orange from the saucepan and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes.  Cut the orange into small pieces, including the skin.
4. Puree the orange pieces.  Using a sieve, allow some of the juice to drain from the puree for 3-5 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan-forced).
6. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin.  Line with baking paper and set aside.
7. Whisk the eggs and rice malt syrup in a medium bowl.
8. Stir in the orange puree, vanilla essence and almond meal.
9. Gently fold in the baking powder until just combined.
10. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 1 hour.
11. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a cooling rack.

3 eggs
2 tbsp dextrose
125mL milk
50g plain flour, sifted
Pinch salt
½ tsp imitation vanilla essence
2 tbsp extra light olive oil or vegetable oil
2-3 drops yellow food colouring (optional)
150mL thickened cream
2 tbsp dextrose, extra
1-2 ripe mangoes, thinly sliced

1. Whisk together the eggs and 2 tbsp of dextrose, then add the milk.
2. Slowly add the sifted flour and salt, whisking constantly.
3. Add the imitation vanilla essence, oil and food colouring and gently whisk to combine.
4. Push the batter through a sieve to remove any lumps; the batter should be quite runny.
5. Cover the batter and leave it to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
6. After resting the batter, heat a medium frypan over a low heat (depending on the pan, a very thin coating of oil may be necessary, however the oil in the batter should be enough to stop the pancakes sticking).
7. Pour a small amount of batter into the frypan and tilt the pan to distribute the batter, creating a thin pancake (we used a ¼ cup measuring cup, not quite filled).
8. Cover the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the pancake is cooked.  Do not flip or overcook the pancake; it should be smooth and shiny on top.
9. Transfer to a plate or cooling rack while cooking the remaining pancakes.  Place in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes (to stop the pancakes sticking to each other, place a piece of baking paper between each one).
10. Meanwhile, whip the cream and extra 2 tbsp of dextrose until firm.
11. To assemble, spoon a little cream onto the bottom/fried side of the pancake, top with a couple of slices of mango and a little more cream.
12. Fold the sides in, then roll up and place seam-side down.
13. Place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before serving.

100g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp dextrose
Pinch of salt
170mL buttermilk
1 small egg, beaten lightly
2 tsp butter, melted
1 ripe banana, mashed
Butter &/or olive oil for frying

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, dextrose and salt into a bowl.
2. Combine the buttermilk, egg and melted butter, and add to the dry ingredients.
3. Whisk until the batter is smooth.
4. Stir in the mashed banana, and set aside for 5 minutes.
5. Lightly grease a frying pan with butter &/or olive oil and place over a medium heat.
6. Using a 1/4 cup or large ladle, spoon dollops of the batter into the fry pan and cook until bubbles appear on the top.
7. Gently flip and cook the other side.
8. Keep the pikelets warm while cooking the remaining batter.

So quick and simple to make, they are best eaten straight from the fridge as coconut oil is liquid at room temperature.  You can use cocoa butter in its place, if you would prefer.  Be sure to check the ingredients on your puffed rice as some do contain sugar – we used Abundant Earth Puffed Rice, which is 100% brown rice and available from the health food section of Coles supermarkets.

32g (about 2 cups) puffed rice
50g dextrose
50g desiccated coconut
4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
130g coconut oil

1. Place puffed rice, dextrose, coconut and cocoa powder in a bowl.
2. Place coconut oil in a small saucepan and heat gently over a low heat until clear.
3. Pour coconut oil over dry ingredients and mix well to combine, working quickly so that the coconut oil doesn’t set.
4. Spoon mixture into patty cases, pressing ingredients together.
5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until set.

For the buns
350g plain flour
40g dextrose
1 tsp or 1 sachet (7g) dried yeast
1 tsp allspice
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
40g sultanas, diced into smaller pieces
160 ml milk
50g butter at room temperature, coarsely chopped
1 egg

For the crosses
40g plain flour
3 tbsp water

For the glaze
25g dextrose
½ tsp mixed spice
2 tbsp water

To make the buns

1. Sift flour, dextrose, yeast, spices and salt into a mixing bowl.  Add sultanas.
2. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan and gently warm over a low heat until butter melts and mixture is just warm.  You don’t want the milk mixture to be too hot, as this will kill the yeast and your buns won’t rise.
3. Add the egg to the milk mixture and whisk.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, then add the milk mixture.
5. If using a mixer: With dough hook attached, mix on low-medium speed for about 6 minutes.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 2 minutes until smooth.
6. If kneading by hand: Mix ingredients with a spoon to combine, then turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth.
7. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
8. Line a 28cm x 18cm brownie tray, or similar, with baking paper and then lightly grease.
9. Knock back dough to release the air and divide into 8 equal pieces.
10. Knead each piece in your hand for a few seconds, then shape into a ball.
11. Place dough balls, slightly apart, in the tray and cover with a damp tea towel.
12. Stand tray in a warm place for 40 minutes or until buns have doubled in size.
13. Preheat oven to 210°C.

To make the crosses

1. Combine flour and water in a small bowl and stir to a smooth paste.
2. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle. If you don’t have a piping bag you can use a small sandwich bag.  Spoon the paste into the bag, pushing it down to one corner.  Cut a small section of the corner off and you have an instant piping bag.
3. Pipe lines down each row to form crosses.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 190°C and bake for another 5-7 minutes* or until golden (if the buns sound hollow when tapped then they are ready).
5. Remove the buns from the oven.

To make the glaze

1. Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Stir over medium heat until dextrose dissolves.
3. Bring mixture to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute.  You may need to place a splatter guard over the pan, as the mixture does spit a bit.
4. Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the hot buns.
5. Transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool.

* Note:  dextrose can burn quickly.  If you need to cook the buns a little longer, keep a close eye on them – they can go from undercooked to burnt in a matter of minutes.

This granola is slightly unusual because instead of using rolled outs, lentils are the main ingredient.  It is delicious on its own as a type of trail mix, or serve with plain yoghurt for a high-protein breakfast.  If you would prefer the more traditional granola, you can replace the lentils with oats – just use 250g of oats and skip steps 2 & 3.  The quantity below yields about 2 cups.

125g red lentils
4 tsp rice malt syrup
1 tsp imitation vanilla essence
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp light olive oil or macadamia oil
30g mixed nuts (such as cashews, almonds & Brazil nuts)
30g pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
30g sunflower seeds
25g shaved or shredded coconut

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C.
2. Cook the lentils in a pot of boiling water until just tender (about 5 minutes).
3. Drain the lentils and spread them out on a tray to dry and cool.
4. In a medium pot combine the rice malt syrup, vanilla essence, cinnamon and oil.  Gently heat for about 30 seconds.
5. Remove from the heat, add the lentils, seeds and nuts, and stir to combine.
6. Line a cookie sheet or similar with baking paper and spread the mixture out evenly.
7. Bake for around 50 minutes or so, stirring every 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on it, as at this point the mixture should be almost dry and starting to turn golden.
8. Add the coconut and bake for another 10 minutes.
9. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the mixture to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.