Gluten-free, allergy-friendly Brownies and Minty Iced Brownies (and they're vegan, too!)

If it looks like I've been posting photos from my phone lately, it is because I have. I've been doing most of my baking at work. I happen to not keep my camera at work, and most of the time I want to get pictures taken the moment I've finished a project. So I use my phone. Ehhh.

Every month I have to create recipes for a 'recipe blast' we send out to customers. Sometimes I adapt a recipe a customer has sent us. Sometimes I just make something up.  I didn't actually intend to make brownies, they just sort of happened. Allow me to explain.

Someone asked if it was possible to make chocolate ganache with coconut milk. Of course it is. Using a 1:1 chocolate to coconut milk blend, I heated the milk to boiling and and poured it over a bowl of mini chocolate chips. Stir stir stir, done. Ganache. Easy.

Well, at the end of an experiment I was doing (what if I add lecithin? What if I heat it over a double boiler?) I had a ton of ganache left. And I thought, hmm, why don't I make some brownies with this?

One problem: we don't use coconut at work. Even thought it isn't a nut, coconut has been categorized as a nut by someone at the FDA since 2006. So no coconut here.

So I made ganache again, this time with water. I needed to change the ratio to 1:.5 - 1 part chocolate to .5 parts water. One-to-one simply didn't work - it made a lovely, water-based hot chocolate. But not a thick ganache.

Using the tapioca gel as the base, I made a brownie that the non-allergic, non-gluten-free crowd here at work actually liked (this is a big deal; if they don't like it, I don't share it). And then I stepped it up by turning it into a mint brownie, the type my mom used to make when I was growing up.

This brownie is more cakey than fudgy- though if you add a little more granulated sugar and reduce the baking time, you will get a fudgier brownie.

 

 

Yes, you’ll need to do a few steps before making these, but trust me, this is worth it! No one will ever know these are free of the top 8 allergens!

STEP 1:

Tapioca Gel:

• 1 C COLD Water
• 1 T Tapioca Starch

 Combine water and starch in a saucepan and place on the stove set to high. Whisk until liquid becomes translucent and viscous. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

STEP 2:

Chocolate “Gananche”

• 1 C Allergy-friendly Mini Chocolate Chips
• ½ C Boiling water

Boil water on stove. Pour over chocolate chips. Stir until smooth and glossy. Allow to cool

STEP 3: MAKE BROWNIES! 

Cake and Commerce's Gluten-Free, Allergy-friendly Chocolate Brownies

• 1/3 C Tapioca Gel (see recipe above)
• ½ C Chocolate “Ganache” (see recipe above)
• 1 T Vanilla Extract
• 2 T Agave Syrup
• ½ C Brown Sugar
• 2 T Oil (your choice)
• 2/3 C + ¼ C Gluten-Free Baking Mix (I used 1/3 C Buckwheat, 1/3 C Sorghum, ¼ C Brown Rice Flour - try to avoid starch, there's enough with the tapioca)
• ¼ t Sea Salt
• ¼ t Xanthan Gum (Optional)
• ½ t Baking Soda
• ½ t Gluten-Free Baking Powder
• 1 T Unsweetened Cocoa
• ½ - 1 C Allergy-friendly Chocolate Chips

 

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a 9x9 cake pan with parchment paper.

Combine the wet ingredients (tapioca gel, chocolate ‘ganache’, agave, oil, vanilla) with the brown sugar. Whisk until combined.

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add to the wet ingredients. Whisk until well combined, even, and smooth.

Scrape into the parchment-lined baking pan.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until edges appear dry and top of brownies are a mostly firm to the touch. The brownie will have risen considerably during baking but will deflate quite a bit.

Allow to cool. Cut and serve.

Variation:

Minty Iced Brownies

Using the brownie recipe above you can make a decadent minty treat that no one will ever suspect is free of the top 8 allergens!

 

Mint Icing:

• 1-1/3 C Confectioners Sugar
• ½ t Peppermint Extract
• 2 T Water 

Combine all ingredients and stir until smooth

 

MInty Brownie Recipe:

• 1 Brownie Recipe, above
• ½ C slightly warm Chocolate “Ganache”, above (or melt 1/2 C chocolate chips with 1 t oil)
• Mint Icing, above

 

Procedure:

Spread mint icing over cooled brownies and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes.

Once it feels dry to the touch on top, pour the chocolate ganache over the top. Place in refrigerator and allow to harden, about 1 hour.

The brownies are best if they can sit overnight in the refrigerator. And easiest to cut!

Cut into squares with a warm knife (run it under hot water). Enjoy.

Keep mint brownie and regular brownie in an airtight container. Keeps for 2 days at room temperature. Can be frozen.

Comments

[Lisa @ Sweet as Sugar Cookies]

Mmm, love that creamy topping on your brownies. Way to up the yum factor. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog and I'd like to invite you to stop by and link your brownies up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/03/sweets-for-saturday-7.html

[Cake and Commerce]

Thanks for stopping by, Lisa! I'll check out your blog!

[Annaphallactic]

These look amazing. Thank you for sharing!

Quick question: If one were to sub for agave, what would you recommend?

[Cake and Commerce]

Any invert (liquid) sugar. You could even make your own sugar syrup at home (2 parts sugar, 1 part water, cook until dissolved).

[Eftychia]

They look so moist and delicious. Thanks for sharing!

[Caitlin]

omigosh- these look ridiculous, but in a "too delicious for my own good" kind of way. i will definitely be making these for my husband, they are right up his alley!

[Cake and Commerce]

They also freeze well, just in case leaving them around is too tempting!

[Patricia]

This looks awesome! Going to have to try this for my next cookout or tailgating http://www.browniepower.com>browni party.

[Tia G.]

I love the minty iced brownies! Thank you!

[Tessa Domestic Diva]

Looks so good, and I have been wanting to test out some brownie recipes...something I haven;t gotten to yet! I am working with four other food allergy bloggers and we are starting Allergy Free Wednesdays to share food allergy recipes and tips. We would love it if you could post some of your recipes!

tessadomesticdiva.blogspot.com

In the meanwhile, I have pinned this for making, can't wait! Will let you know how they turn out!

[Nancy Olson]

Yummmm! This looks so good, I will have to try this! Thanks for sharing. Cheers!