Spring Gorse Vegan Biscuits

The sweet coconut smell from the gorse has started wafting in the fresh morning air and in spring this ‘weed’ becomes a bright yellow feast for the eyes and also for the kitchen.

It is time to explore what I can cook with this abundant FREE FOOD.

The gorse flowers and buds are edible and packed with protein, so as I was running in the morning and smelling the sweet (almost) tropical smell, the idea popped in to my head to make some tasty sweet coconut VEGAN biscuits.

The gorse requires wearing gloves for picking off the flowers, unless your braver than myself.  The gorse bush is home to a lot of spiders, so gloves was a definite for me and also takes half the time.  (Although when you have the sun shining down on you, what’s the rush?)

The petals need to be throughly washed and from experience, the use of a salad spinner allows you to drench the petals and dry them off easily.

My partners Mum had kindly given us some preserved plums from her garden last summer, which would be perfect to use for the biscuits, also it was about time I used these delicious plums.

 Using oats, a small amount of flour, maple syrup, coconut milk, coconut sugar and egg replacement (apple sauce) I decided to bash all the ingredients together and place on some baking paper and then place in a preheated oven.

After just a short time in the oven the biscuits were ready, once cooled on a rack, I had a taste test and being nicely surprised at the sweet and fragrant flavour,  I ate three in a row … they were nae bad!

Luckily this April there won’t be a shortage of gorse petals in Scotland, so Im free to forage this fragrant food often and the good news is the flowers can be eaten raw.  Although a wee note of warning, these flowers when consumed in large quantities can be slightly toxic as they contain toxic alkaloids.

So I will avoid grazing on them like a goat in the field but use them to brighten up my spring salads, yes please!