Thursday, July 29, 2010

Gluten and Dairy free brownies...

As most of you know, I've been following a gluten, dairy, soy and fructose free diet for awhile now. Some of you have commented that you're in the same boat as me, tummy troubles, low energy, etc...and you're also on a pretty limited food diet. I do really well with this way of eating most days, mostly because I'm feeling so much better on the diet and I'm scared to screw it up! However, I still crave a sweet treat sometimes and when I discovered these, I was beyond excited! I modified this recipe to make it dairy free as well as gluten free. For any of you also following a fructose free diet, these have brown sugar, which is a "try" food, as per this chart. They don't seem to bother me, if I only have one or two a day. They are very rich (almost like a fudge), so that's usually all you need to feel satisfied. Here's the slightly modified recipe, in case you want to give them a go! You'll be glad you did!

You will need:
  • 200g unsalted dairy free butter, chopped (In Australia I used Nuttelex, but any vegan butter/margarine would work)
  • 200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces (I used 70% Lindt chocolate bars)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup gluten-free plain flour (In Australia I used the Orgran brand)
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a 5cm deep, 18cm (base) square cake pan with non-stick baking paper. I usually grease the pan first, so the baking paper sticks and stays put.

2. Heat butter, chocolate and sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Add eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture. Mix well. Sift flour and cocoa over chocolate mixture. Stir to combine.

4. Pour brownie mixture into pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until just set. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, lift out. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place into an airtight container. Stand for 1 day. Cut into pieces. Serve.

I think next time I make these, I will lessen the brown sugar, as I think they would still be quite yummy!:)

The worst thing about these brownies is waiting until the next day to eat them! But, trust me, especially if you've been on a restricted diet, they are well worth the wait! :)

6 comments:

Vince said...

My problem with this is that they put Lactose and sometimes milk into the dark chocolate. They put it into most processed foods even chicken and bacon.
And they look sooooooo good.

Cari said...

hi vince...if you check the ingredients on the chocolate, you should be okay. the chocolate i bought said that it may contain traces of milk, but i generally find when they say that it is usually fine and it's only a slim chance there is any in it. often, they just say that to cover their butts for anyone with a very strong allergy.

Nick and Mariana Vona said...

That is true, but you can try adding more cocoa powder. Not all the brands for dark chocolate add milk, look in a vegan store or kosher products =)
Thanks for the recipe Cari!
I'll give them a try =) yum, yum

Shan said...

Your brownies look delicious, even for those of us who can eat gluten and dairy! XO

Kristi Drennan said...

They look super yummy!

Julia Birks said...

Cari! These were so tasty! We were feeling like a sweeter option, so we used King William's dairy-free choc chips instead.

The recipe is so dense and tasty. I think we had as much fun licking the saucepan and the bowl as we did the finished product!!