Cheesy Zeera Biscuits (Gluten-free)

A few weeks ago, I was grocery shopping when I chanced upon a new product on the shelf. It was a branded gluten-free flour blend. With great excitement, I bought it and used it to make these biscuits. They baked up very well, but to my disappointment, the dough had a gummy mouthfeel I did not particularly care for. My wait for a readymade, measure-for-measure equivalent of all-purpose/whole wheat flour is far from over. I think a homemade mix of oat, buckwheat and almond flours would have worked better than the store-bought one I used. In the past, I have tried this recipe with all-purpose flour and it has yielded excellent results. These cumin flavored cookies are short, savory and very moreish, especially with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

---

Recipe

Cheesy Zeera Biscuits

(Makes 16 biscuits)

Ingredients

100 gms salted butter, at room temperature 
4 tsp powdered coconut sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used a store-bought gluten-free flour blend)
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp red chilli powder 
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese 

Method

Using a wooden spoon, whisk the butter and powdered sugar together until they turn pale and creamy.

Add in the flour, spices, salt and cheese. Using your fingers lightly, bring everything together to form a soft dough. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours. 

Once chilled, take small portions of the dough and roll them out to 1/4” thickness. Use a 2” round cookie cutter to cut out a biscuit and place it on a parchment-lined plate. Proceed to do this until all the dough is used up. Sprinkle the biscuits with some cumin seeds if you like.

Place the plate in the freezer for about 20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 180°C. Once your oven is hot, remove the plate from the freezer and using a flat metal spatula gently transfer the biscuits onto a Silpat/parchment-lined baking tray. 

Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown, rotating the tray midway through baking. Once the biscuits are done, remove the tray from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking tray for a couple of minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature and consume within 4-5 days.