Gluten Free: Cheesy Biscuits

You can divide most people into two groups; starter and a main; or main course and dessert. Given that most dessert options in restaurants are heavy on the gluten, I'm a starter and main course kind of girl. More often than not, I'll take a savoury option over a sweet one; somehow, savoury food is more satisfying than sweet.

This leaves me with a problem. What's a woman with a drawer full of cookie cutters meant to do what she doesn't fancy cookies? I could adorn my steak pie with frolicking pastry unicorns or cut my toast into butterfly/heart/Christmas tree shapes. And I have, more than once. But here is another option: savoury biscuits!

Cheesy Biscuits (makes 12-15 biscuits)
Preparation time: 15 minutes (plus 30 minutes resting and 30 minutes chilling time)
Cooking time: 12 minutes
You'll need:

• 50g chilled salted butter, cut into cubes
• 100g gluten free plain flour mix
• 50g cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
• 10g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• about 2 tbsp milk

Make it!

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
2. Put the butter and flour mix into a bowl and rub together with your fingertips. You want them to be the same texture as breadcrumbs.
3. Add the cheese and mix well. 
4. Test the dough by squeezing some in your palm. If it holds together without crumbling then you don't need any milk. 
5. If the mixture is too dry, add the milk a teaspoon at a time until the dough holds its shape when you squeeze some.
6. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave to rest in a cool place for 30 minutes. (Avoid putting it in the fridge, unless you want to keep the dough overnight, or the dough will be too hard to roll out.)
7. After the dough has rested, roll it out between two sheets of baking paper until it's 3-4mm thick.
8. Cut out shapes, aim for a cutter that's 6 or 7cm across, otherwise you'll need to adjust the cooking time.
9. Transfer the shapes (carefully!) to a non-stick baking sheet and pop into the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
10. Once the biscuits are firm, put in the oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until the biscuits are crisp and golden.

Yes, I made a cheesy unicorn...

If you fancy a change from cheddar, this recipe works with any cheese that's grate-able or crumbly. Stilton works well, as does Wensleydale. Serve with red onion chutney if you need to class them up a bit.