Chocolate Brownies

Gluten Free and Dairy Free

What can I say about the brownie. It is by far my favourite treat, it's rich, it's chocolate and it is addictive. It was the first gluten free thing I ever made.

I have gone through so many variations and experimentations of this recipe and made them so many times I've lost count. The brownie page of my hand written recipe book is covered in chocolate stains. I don't think I could live without them. I make them every week and my friends are constantly asking for them, so I always make them in large batches of about 20. Somehow I still manage to limit myself to one per day.

This recipe makes about 9 brownies

INGREDIENTS:

150g dark chocolate

50g dairy free margarine

2 eggs

170g soft light brown sugar

50ml oil 

50g ground almonds

40g rice flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD:

1) Preheat oven to Gas Mark 3.5 / 170C / 335F

2) Line a square baking tray (roughly 9x9 inch)

3) Melt chocolate over a double boiler.

4) Take off the heat and stir in margarine until melted, then set aside to cool slightly.

5) In a bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (don't over do it, it should look frothy)

6) Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

7) Add the oil and beat again to combine.

8) Add the chocolate in small amounts and mix gently after each addition. Then beat well for about a minute.

9) In a separate bowl, mix the almond, flour, salt and baking soda.

10) Add the flour mix to the chocolate mix and beat for a minute or so.

11) Add the vanilla and beat a final time for 30 to 40 seconds.

12) Feel free to add chocolate chips at this point, or chopped nuts if you so desire.

13) Spread batter into tray.

14) Bake in centre of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes (It varies from oven to oven). 

(The brownies will rise in the centre when baking, you will know they are done when this has fallen and gone flat again. You don't want them  to bake too long after this.)

15) Leave them to cool in the tray, then remove and cut. Eat and drool.

Almond Bars

Gluten Free and Vegan

I was absolutely amazed by this recipe, I had no idea how it was going to work out, one of those times where I just mixed together what I had with an idea in mind of what I wanted. 


They have something here in Dublin, called Almond fingers, I have seen them in Holland too. And I was really really craving them the other week. I can't even describe them, soft and cakey, yet almost like marzipan. When I was a teenager, my brother and I used to buy a packet every so often, we made sure to make them last, just one per day at about 4pm with a cup of tea. I looked forward to it every day.


These bars are not exactly like an almond finger, but it is close enough for me and I am so happy with it. It passes my test, and I'm pretty stringent. Now I can make a new tradition with these Almond bars, soft and moist, with a bit of a gooey chew, and a lovely sweet almond flavour. And it is incredibly easy to make. 


INGREDIENTS: 
90g cup ground almonds 
75g caster sugar 
3 Tblsp soya milk
75g dairy free margarine 
25ml oil (for this recipe I used rapeseed oil) 
75g demera sugar 
2 Tblsp golden syrup 
225g gluten free flour (I use a mix of 125g rice flour, 50g potato flour and 50g tapioca flour) 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp almond essence 


METHOD: 
1) Preheat oven to 150C / 300F / Gas Mark 2 
2) Mix almond, caster sugar and soya milk into a paste. 
3) Add margarine and oil and cream together. 
4) Add demera sugar, golden syrup, vanilla and almond essence and mix until smooth. 
5) Combine flour, salt, baking powder and soda in a separate bowl. 
6) Add to mixture and combine well. Depending on the flours you use you may need to add more flour. You want quite a thick cake like batter.
7) Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 45 mins. 
8) Remove from oven and brush while still warm with melted golden syrup for a sticky top. 


Note: The last batch I made I didn't have enough margarine, so used 25g marg and 75ml oil, and they still turn out beautifully