For my adventuresome food undertaking of the week, I decided to attempt some gluten free baking. Chocolate. Black bean. Brownies. WOO! Within recent years I have noticed an increasing amount of gluten sensitivity present within my friend/family group. Since I do love to cook and cook for those I love, I have recently decided to become more adaptive in my cooking techniques to accommodate for this condition. It seems to me that gluten allergies and incidences of people living with Celiac Disease are surprisingly common within the U.S. After doing some poking around on the internet I found some figures, which estimate that one out of 133 people in the US experience Celiac Disease (http://www.celiac.org).
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Celiac Disease, it is an autoimmune disease and stems from unknown causes which make those who suffer from it unable to process the gluten proteins found in wheat. When people with Celiac Disease eat foods containing gluten it creates a reaction within their body that damages the small intestine.
Fortunately, a wide variety of substitutes exist for wheat when baking (including black beans which I used in my brownies, mmm!) A couple common substitutes for traditional wheat are soy and rice flour. Although the consistency of these products are not the same as traditional wheat, with some tweaking the goods can turn out just as good or dare I say, even better.
Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 eggs
- 16 ounces chocolate syrup
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp butter
- 6 tbsp milk
- 1 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Grease a 9x9 baking pan
- Mix Together 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, eggs, chocolate syrup, and flour.
- Spread batter into pan
- Bake for 25-30 minutes
- combine 6 tbsp of butter, milk, and 1/4 cup sugar in saucepan.
- Stir and boil for 3 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of chocolate chips and stir over low heat until melted.
- Frost cooled brownies ASAP so the frosting does not melt.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup butter flavored shortening
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1tsp salt
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, cream together shortening, butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth
- Beat in the eggs one at a time
- Stir in vanilla.
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into creamed mixture.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Use a measuring tbsp to round dough balls
- Place on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from baking sheets.
White Chocolatini
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz. vanilla vodka
- 1 oz Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
- 2 oz cream
- dark chocolate shavings for garnish
- Pour vodka, godiva, and cream into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake well.
- Strain into a chilled glass
- Garnish with dark chocolate shavings.
Berry Parfait
Ingredients
- strawberries
- blueberries
- whipped cream
- Cut washed strawberries into halves
- Layer blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream into a tall glass.
Chocolate Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 can organic black beans
- 1/4 cup peruvian coco powder
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 white sugar
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 1tsp salt
- 3tbsp coffee
- 2tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup apple sauce
- Preheat oven to 350F
- combine all ingredients
- spread into a 9x9 greased pan
- bake for 25 minutes
- allow to cool
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