Vegan Rainier Cherry Cobbler with Hazelnut Biscuits

For the biscuits, I actually use my scone dough, but enhanced with nut flour to make it more rich and delicious.  These are not your typical biscuits, they are flaky, delicate and better than any other ones I have tried.  I used hazelnut flour in them this time along with the gluten free AP flour and they had a nice nutty flavor.  Once they were added to the cobblers and all baked up and beautiful, I could not wait to try them!  They were super delicious served warm with coconut milk ice cream.  If you have cherries on hand, definitely give these a try!  This is sweet Summer comfort food at its best.

• 3 cups organic rainier cherries, pitted
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

biscuit topping:

• 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free baking purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill hazelnut meal or home made*
• 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup,  lemon juice and zest, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, hazelnut meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not over-mix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and...enjoy!

*raw hazelnuts ground to a flour consistency in a food processor