Brownies!! (GF, DF)

Gluten-free, dairy-free brownies! These are an adaptation of the recipe Lindsay shared here: http://makelyhome.com/the-best-brownies-you-will-ever-eat/. I’ve made these for social gatherings, and people have enjoyed them. To me, they taste very close to traditional wheat-based brownies made from box mixes, though I have never done a side-by-side test. According to my husband, “No one would ever know these are not made with wheat.” That’s my favorite feedback!

GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE BROWNIES

Dry ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
dash cinnamon (opt.)

Wet ingredients:
3 eggs (or 3/4 cup egg white)
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix.

Bake in a greased 9″ x 13″ dish for 35-45 mins.

I did a toothpick test about 2 inches from the edge. Texture may appear undone, but when brownies cool, they will be more like normal brownies. Overbaking will cause the outer edges to be hard.

Biscuits (GF, DF)

Here they are, the gluten-free, dairy-free biscuits! I’ve tried to make gluten-free biscuits so many times, but they have never been like this. At last! Of course, there is always room for tweaking. In my wheat days, I used to add about a tablespoon of instant mashed potatoes to my biscuits and liked it a lot. I’ll have to try that next time I make these. I also wondered about adding a little sugar. Let me know if you make a change that you like!

This recipe is essentially a gluten-free adaptation of the basic Baking Powder Biscuits in my 1978/1969 Betty Crocker cookbook. In the book is a variation called “Stir-n-Roll Biscuits” that uses oil instead of shortening. I did not do the rolling. Just one bowl, drop spoonfuls, and done! I think the challenge for most gluten-free baking is the flour combination, but I wonder if oil instead of shortening also makes a difference in the final texture.

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch (or any starch)
1/4 cup potato starch flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup milk (or milk substitute, see below*)
1/3 cup neutral-tasting oil

Directions:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix by hand.  In a greased pie plate**, drop by spoonfuls. Makes 8-9 biscuits.

Bake 12-14 minutes.

* I have found that So Delicious original coconut creamer is wonderful for cooking. For this recipe, I used 1/2 cup of the creamer and 1/4 cup of water. I do this to stretch the creamer, but you could try all creamer or any milk of your choice.

**You do not need to necessarily use a pie plate, but I felt it was better to use a dish with sides to provide support for the biscuits as they bake. This gf/df batter is thinner and more fluffy than wheat biscuit batter.

I started this blog a long time ago.

In June 2012, I started this blog. At the time, we were in the midst of a strict diet for suspected food allergies. For months, I had been experimenting in the kitchen, striving to find alternative ways to make foods we loved. I began sharing a few posts, and then things changed. We started adding foods back and finding little to no health issues.

Fast forward to November 2013. We find ourselves with a need to return to a food-restricted life. I am dusting off the old tools and trying out new ones.

And the blog? I have deleted the few posts I had made last year, and I am starting anew. Next post…gluten-free biscuits!

Welcome!