By Claire Davies

GINGER is a much-loved flavour in our home and shortbread is the perfect treat to whip up in a hurry when unexpected guests call by. The combination of ginger with white pepper and mace is inspired by the gingerbread of Tudor England – a time when spices where a showy extravagance and gingerbread was a fine delicacy for the higher classes.

Christmas should be a time when everyone can enjoy the food on offer so I always try to make sure that there is plenty of choice for my friends with food allergies. As it happens, the fine texture of gluten-free flour works particularly well for shortbread. No one will guess that these biscuits are both gluten free and vegan.

Ingredients

For the spice mix

1 teaspoon of ground white pepper

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons of ground ginger

½ teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg

¼ teaspoon of ground cloves

For the biscuit dough

250g of plain gluten-free flour

1 tablespoon of spice mix

65g of icing sugar

175g of dairy free baking spread

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 160ºC, Gas Mark 3.

Make up your spice mix. You will only need a tablespoon for this recipe but it stores well if kept somewhere cool and dark.

Sieve the flour and the spice mix into a large baking bowl, followed by the icing sugar. Stir well to combine.

Rub in the spread and knead to form a smooth dough. Don’t overwork it.

Roll your biscuit dough to about a centimetre thick. Cut into shapes and place on a greased baking tray.

Bake for around 30 minutes or until cooked through and golden on top. Leave to cool before stashing in an airtight container.