Herb Garden Biscuits with Spelt flour {vegan, light and fluffy!}

In 2013, I had the opportunity to design and publish Shanti Retreat’s first cookbook. I selected all the recipes, wrote the forward, came up with the design and assisted in all steps of production until it came to realization.

Shanti at Home is a collection of the retreat’s favourite recipes from the past and present. The recipes are vegetarian and focus on cooking at home with whole foods which are local and seasonal. The photography is absolutely incredible, as is the page design, thanks to Anne and Alex who volunteered their time and skills.

I love how light and fluffy this biscuit is, even though it is made with spelt. The recipe contains high quality coconut oil, is dairy free and sweetened with maple syrup. You can also prepare this with buckwheat flour but they do tend to fall apart more easily than when prepared with spelt. Spelt is an ancient grain which is easier to digest compared to wheat, and also contains a higher amount of protein.

What I love is how versatile they are too. I like to leave out the herbs and add a bit more maple syrup and orange zest for a breakfast biscuit or cake for strawberry shortcake with coconut whipped cream!

photo by http://www.lesbonheurs.fr

Herb Garden Biscuits

2 cups light spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
½ cup fresh herbs or ½ cup dry (We like to use parsley, rosemary, basil, oregano and sometimes use even up to 1 cup of fresh herbs)
½ cup coconut oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¾ cup of almond or soy milk
1 tsp maple syrup

photo by http://www.lesbonheurs.fr

Preheat oven to 450 °F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the herbs and whisk again. Cut in the oil using a pastry cutter until a coarse meal is formed. In a small bowl, add the apple cider vinegar to the almond milk. Add maple syrup and then combine with dry ingredients.

The mixture will resemble a muffin batter; add more almond milk if necessary.

For the next step, we use a large trigger ice cream scoop and scoop the batter onto the parchment paper. Place in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes.
Makes 10-12 biscuits

Please visit Shanti Retreat’s homepage to order your copy of Shanti at Home.