Gluten-Free Ginger and Pistachio Crunch

A Kiwi classic, with a modern upgrade to suit the more health-conscious ginger crunch fans! I’ve been making ginger crunch from the Edmonds Cookbook since I was a little girl in my Nanna’s kitchen. Over the years, I’ve tweaked and modified the recipe and versions thereof, to come up with something with a little more protein, a lot more texture, and a much better-suited rendition for those who are gluten-intolerant or just prefer to stay away from gluten for other health reasons. This slightly warming slice (thanks to the ginger) pairs perfectly in Autumn with a fresh lemon tea (or your classic Gumboot if you are keeping things traditional!), any time of day. Enjoy!

#GF

Base Ingredients:

¾ cup of coconut sugar

1.5 cups of Edmonds Gluten free flour mix

3/4 cup of desiccated coconut

¼ cup very finely chopped pistachio nuts

½ cup of ground almonds

1 tsp of baking powder

1 heaped tablespoon of ginger powder

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

150g butter

Icing Ingredients: 

100 g butter

⅓ cup of maple syrup

2.5 cups of icing sugar

1 tablespoon of ground ginger

½ cup of roughly chopped pistachio nuts

½ cup of roughly chopped crystallised ginger

Sprinkle of flaky sea salt (optional)

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C and line a shallow baking tin (approx. 23 cm x 33 cm) with baking paper
2. Place coconut sugar, gluten free flour blend, coconut, almond meal, baking powder, and ginger in to a mixing bowl. Stri together until just combined. 
3. 3 Place the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan and heat over a low heat until fully melted (be careful not to burn the mixture – turn it off as soon as it is melted!)
4. Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 
5. Press the mixture evenly into the base of the tin. 
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 17 minutes, until golden brown
7. While the base is baking, you can make the icing by melting the butter and maps syrup in a saucepan over low heat. 
8. Add the icing sugar and ground ginger and mix well with a wooden spoon. 
9. When the base is out of the oven, let it cool before pouring over the icing evenly. Then, sprinkle over the chopped pistachio nuts and ginger pieces + flaky sea salt (optional). Let to set/cool before slicing into pieces. 
10. Enjoy!

Health Bite: Pistachio nuts are a great source of vitamins and minerals, including; Manganese, phosphorous, potassium, copper and Vitamin B6. They are a good source of protein and although high in fat like many nuts, they mostly contain monounsaturated fats (the heart-healthy kind). We heart pistachios!