Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Brownies & GF Baking Secrets

I've slowly been adapting my Gran's recipes into gluten free for myself and my family, some have gone horribly wrong and others have needed tweaking. So here's one that was one of my fav's as a kid and has become the most asked "bring to parties" dessert that I've converted.

I have perfected the gluten free brownie!
It took me 10 different times to make this work but this one is a winner. I like to make them in the small muffin tin (without the paper lining) and they come out moist and chewy. Please let me know how they turn out for you.

Chewy, moist and chocolatey, but not exactly
low in calories so indulge in moderation

Gluten Free Chocolate
Chip Brownies

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 squares Bakers semi-sweetened
chocolate, melted
- 1/2 C butter, unsalted†
- 1/2 C cocoa
- 1 C Gluten Free All Purpose Flour*
- 1/4 C oat bran
- 1/2 C almonds, ground (optional)
- 1/4 C flax seed, ground
- 1/2 C white sugar  (you can sub white sugar with Agave nectar)
- 1/2 C brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1 C water (1/2C at a time)
- 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

METHOD:
Melt the butter (and optional coconut oil) and chocolate squares in a bowl over hot water (bain marie), cool a bit before adding to wet ingredients. Preheat oven to 350º F.

Sift the flour, coca into a large bowl and add the remaining dry ingredients, mix together with a whisk. In a separate bowl add lightly beaten eggs, 1/2C of the water and the cooled melted chocolate/butter, mix until incorporated. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, and 1/2 C the water, mix together and let the badder sit for 10-15 minutes. Mix in the other 1/2 C of water and fold in the chocolate chips.

Place the mixture 3/4 high into bite sizes muffin tins and bake for 15-20minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Place on a rack and cool for 20 minutes, serve with vanilla ice cream.

SERVINGS: 24

Gluten Free Baking Secrets
Gluten free can be very dry and very dense when you first start baking with it. It's the nature of the grains used, it doesn't have the gluten in it to help it rise and make it light and flaky. So here's a few tricks I've learned on the way to help with that fact.

So here's a few secrets to baking with gluten free flour:
- Let the final mixture soak in the 1/2 the water for about 10-15 minutes, you'll notice it soaks up the water and becomes stiff and sticky. Then add the second half of the water, mix and put them into the muffin tin or baking dish to bake.
- Sifting the flour not only takes out lumps it also adds air to the mix, making baked goods lighter

- When baking flaky pie crusts or scones use cold butter and cold water and let the dough rest in the fridge (as you would regular dough) to keep the butter cold. When it bakes the butter melts and releases steam that makes the pockets of air in the scone or pie crust, making it flaky.
- Try not to overwork badder or dough, mix minimally just to incorporate the ingredients and pat the dough down instead of rolling it out.

- Beating the egg whites and folding them in will also make your baked goods lighter. Great for GF cakes and cupcakes.

† Or you could use a combination of 1/4 C butter and 1/4 C coconut oil. For those that are lactose intolerant and cannot use the butter use a combination of beneficial oils: 1/4 C coconut oil and 1/4C grapeseed oil. NO MARGARINE!! (see my previous post on butter vs margarine)

* I used Bob's Red Mill- Gluten Free All Purpose Flour but if you want to use a combination of gluten free flours: sift together 1/2C brown rice flour, 1/2C sorghum flour will make a nice brownie.

Yours in good health,
Jocelyn McTavish RHN DSHM