Blondie Brownies (GF & Allergen-Free) & a Cookbook Giveaway!
Tilth : Creating Fertile Ground for Good Health : tilthforhealth.comI have missed butterscotch blondies. I never ate them terribly frequently–they seemed to pop up primarily as Christmas goodies where I grew up–but when I ate them, oh, how I loved them. Sweet, rich, creamy, chewy, a touch grainy–delicious. There are things you miss when you’re gluten-free, certainly, but when you add in additional restrictions, what you miss multiplies rapidly. Being gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free means I haven’t found a fascimile of butterscotch that’s worth eating. Butterscotch is, after all, primarily made from butter, and it’s the cooking of that butter that creates the delightful taste.
But these ‘butterscotch’ blondie brownies–they are good. Dan’s non-allergic and sometimes picky family members ate the whole pan in less than 24 hours.
The recipe is one I adapted from Ricki Heller’s cookbook. Are you familiar with Ricki? She’s a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who writes the lovely blog Diet, Dessert, & Dogs, where she talks about her life, health, and sweet pups while also providing vegan and often Anti-Candida Diet recipes. Ricki created her cookbook, Sweet Freedom, to provide people with delicious dessert recipes that are free of wheat, eggs, dairy, and refined sugar. Ricki’s cookbook is one of those cookbooks you just want to sit and read; it starts out with a chunk of information about how to make substitutions in recipes. Only about 25% of the recipes in it are gluten-free, but I find gluten-free conversion of already vegan recipes to be pretty easy on those of us who are multiply allergic. (If you are confounded by that process, with Ricki’s recipes you can usually simply replace the glutenous flour with a
Aaaaaaand Ricki’s graciously provided a copy of Sweet Freedom for a giveaway on my blog, so if you want to win it, here’s how you can:
1) Leave a comment here telling about one of your favorite childhood desserts and what you think of it now (1 entry).
2) Write a blog post or tweet that includes info about, and provides a link to, this giveaway (3 entries). (If you use Twitter, make sure you include me @sallyjpa so I record your entry.)
I’ll do a random drawing for the winner on April 2nd.
In the meantime, I recommend making some blondies . . . and then sharing them with a group so you’re not tempted to eat the whole pan.
Butterscotch Blondies With Chocolate Chips
Adapted from Ricki Heller’s cookbook Sweet Freedom
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup mesquite flour
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup sunflower or other light-tasting oil, preferably organic
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum or 1/4 teaspoon gf, vegan butterscotch flavoring
1/2 cup (100 g) non-dairy chocolate chips
1/2 cup salted pecans
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line an 8” (20 cm) square pan with parchment paper, or grease well and then flour the pan. (Parchment or flouring is essential, as the blondies tend to stick to the bottom of the pan without the parchment).
In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown rice syrup, maple syrup, oil, vanilla and rum until well blended. Gently stir in the chips and pecans.
Pour the dry mixture over the wet and stir to blend. You will have a fairly thick and sticky batter. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, rotating pan about halfway through, until a tester inserted in the center comes out nearly clean (a moist crumb or two is fine). Take care not to overbake, or these will dry out! The batter will fall a little as it cools; this is as it should be. Allow to cool completely in pan before cutting into squares. Makes 16 squares. May be frozen.
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- Cookbook Giveaways Galore! « Musings From The Fishbowl - [...] of my friend Ricki, you can win a copy of her vegan dessert cookbook Sweet Freedom by visiting Sally’s ...
- Sweet Potato Rolls « Cupcake Punk - [...] onion “quiche” to crimson mousse–yum!). Also, check out Sally’s Sweet Freedom giveaway to win a copy of Ricki’s fantastic ...
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I love how you’ve converted these to GF. . . they look so ooey-gooey good! Thanks for the great review, Sally.
.-= Ricki´s last blog ..Ten Things that Make Me Happy =-.
AMAZING giveaway! Ricki is so talented!
As a child I always loved the Amerikaner – that’s the German version of the American (hence the name) Black and White Cookies. But in Germany we make it entirely lemon. I’m sure I would still love it, but alas, it is not gluten-free and I wouldn’t want to ruin my memories of it by attempting to recreate it
I tried making blondies from a namaste mix that didn’t turn out too well.
My suggestion for a recipe: something that involves 6 or less ingredients and busy moms can throw together
.-= Kristen´s last blog ..Yes, Seriously =-.
Oh, these look wonderful, so so remind me of my mother’s kitchen. She made these as one of her standard family night supper fare.
The other dessert that she frequently baked for family night supper (or at Christmas or at any other get together with friends) was lemon bars. The kind with the crumbly, buttery crust and the egg-y, lemon top with a bit of powered sugar. Sweet, tart, buttery, and so so good. Lemon bars and blonde brownies (cause that’s what we called this wonderful little bar and I’m about to change the name!) make me wistful for my mother’s kitchen, the little church where I grew, and extended family.
Sal,
Do you have a suggested sub for mesquite flour? I don’t have easy access to that one.
marg
Marg–I think any flour with decent fiber and protein will sub in for the mesquite–I’d probably use teff. But the mesquite adds a nice malty, nutty flavor, so it’s also worth seeking out.
Upside down pineapple cake.
Still love it.
YUM!!!!! These look terrific!
As a child, I loved these meringue mushrooms that my mom used to make at Christmas. You make the mushroom base and cap out of meringue, then coat the bottom of the cap with melted chocolate chips. Stick the base into the cap, and there you have it. It was the most delicious combination of crunchy and creamy with the chocolate mellowing out the sickly sweetness of the meringue. They were always special, because you had to wait for the right weather conditions to make them so that there was no humidity in the air (or not much, at any rate).
Now, I think that they take too long and produce too few cookies to warrant the time. I prefer chewier sweets, too, nowadays.
.-= Laura´s last blog ..Finally! Gingerbread cookies! =-.
Thanks for the recipes, my 3 yo is allergic to wheat, dairy and egg (among other things) so it’s great to find more recipes.
I think my favorite dessert from childhood was cookies. I still love them!
ooooh, I really want to get my hands on this book. Those blondies look great. Let’s see… a favorite childhood dessert was rocky road ice cream! We never EVER got dessert as kid though, and I was born with a sweet tooth (still have it), so I would have settled for pretty much anything. Funny enough though, I really don’t eat much ice cream (vegan) any more. It’s just really not good for you, unfortunately! I guess I’m more of a baked goods gal nowadays.
thanks for doing a giveaway!
.-= amey´s last blog ..The Kale Situation =-.
What beautiful blondies! Blondies were never my fave (although I’m liking them a lot more now that I’ve learned how to cut out a lot of the sugar in them), but I used to be addicted to my mom’s dark chocolate pudding cake–you know, the kind where the pudding is piping hot and molten and then there’s cake on top? Now I’ve just got to get the gluten out of it! I’ll post the give-away on my blog too
.-= Jes´s last blog ..Birthday Pie Part 1: Gluten-Free Graham Crackers =-.
Gosh, if you only knew how many batches of GF blondies I’ve tried to eat and then thrown in the trash. Boxed mixes, internet recipes, my own ideas, GF versions from other published vegan cookbooks. So…. depressing. Thank you Sally, thank you Ricki. No pressure but this would make a great 22d wedding anniversary present for me. lol.
Okay and my favorite childhood dessert believe it or not was what we called Apricot skin. It’s like apricot fruit roll-up. Tart and sweet all at once, they used to make it from pure apricot puree. Now it’s got corn syrup and who knows what else. My second fave, lemon bars, no contest! Hope you’re feeling back up to snuff.
Oh, and might I humbly suggest subbing the pecans with coconut if your not a fan of nuts; although my husband has always liked it when I’ve made the gluten filled kind with both coconut and pecans.
My favorite sweet treat as a kid was apple fritters. I don’t even want to think about how long it’s been since I’ve had one! I react to all grains, so trying to come up with a grain free flour blend is quite difficult, as you could probably imagine! I love your blog and hopefully I can figure out some good ideas based off some of your recipes.
Posted on twitter and facebook…trying to remember where I started my blog so I can post there too (and add some new entries as it’s been a while lol) I tend to get distracted!
My favorite childhood dessert was my mom’s pound cake with her icing. I requested it every year for my birthday (and felt sorry for kids whose moms didn’t MAKE the cakes for their birthdays hahahaha).
I still love it, but I usually eat it without the icing, or without as much icing now. My tolerance for sugar has decreased with age.
Going to twitter now!
Sounds good
http://1year4seasonsgfcf.blogspot.com/2010/03/sallys-giveaway.html
.-= Shirley´s last blog ..Sally’s giveaway =-.
Can’t wait to try these! My own favorite dessert as a child was my mother’s Black Magic Chocolate Cake. Rich. Moist. Decadent. Two layers of the stuff glued together with, and enveloped by, the most incredibly smooth fudge frosting. And mom wasn’t content to just slather the stuff on the cake either. She would take a dinner spoon and make uniform swirls along the side in one continuous motion. (I know. I stood watching in fascination.) Then she would take that spoon and swirl petals into the frosting on top, making the top a beautiful daisy-like flower with peaked center. That cake was almost to pretty to cut. Almost. Served with real vanilla ice cream and a fanned strawberry, what more did we need?
These look great! I can’t wait to try them. Chocolate is one of the only things I am not allergic to! As a kid my favorite dessert was brownies, but now I would rather have blondies.
OMG! (as my students would say) Is there an orgasm emoticon????? Because there should be…… these blondies are FANTASTIC!!!!!!! I just made them, and I couldn’t wait for them to completely cool to try them…… oooooooohhhhhhhh….. they are the closest thing to a chocolate chip cookie that I have had in 3 years. I love, love, love, LOVE them!!!!
I didn’t have millet flour, so I substituted amaranth flour. Also, I couldn’t mesquite flour, so I just used almond meal. I bet that with the mesquite flour, they must be out of this world…. Also, I just chunked up an Endangered Species 72% cacao bar to sub for the chocolate chips.
Wonderful recipe! I love how you’re using more alternative sweeteners and less dairy in your recipes.
Hmm..my favorite childhood dessert was carrot cake. I still love the cream cheese frosting, but haven’t made a GF carrot cake since diagnosed with Celiac back in 2005. Wow. I need to eat carrot cake again!
Sarah M
ssmast@hotmail.com
.-= Sarah M´s last blog ..3 Toddlers for 3 Days =-.
I know I’ve already commented a couple of times; but… I just saw a blondie recipe on Tastespotting that used candied ginger and sweetened flaked coconut instead of chocolate chips and pecans. Hey, I’m just sayin’
Yum! I love Ricki’s blog, and your version of her blondies sounds delicious!
My favorite dessert as a kid must have been my mom’s apple pie. I still love it, and since she doesn’t make it very often, it’s always a real treat!
.-= Josiane´s last blog ..Middle of the night musings =-.
Mmm…….these look good.
I have to pick just one treat I loved as a kid……well, ok.
Surprise Meringues….and I still do…but I haven’t made a successful sugar-free recipe yet.
I think every dessert was probably my favorite as a child. My mom used to make homemade brownies using the recipe off the can of Hershey’s cocoa powder. A warm gooey brownie – is anything better? I still love brownies, but haven’t had any in a very long time.
These look scrumptious! My favorite dessert as a child was (and still continues to be) a nice bowl of ice cream! There are, however, huge differences in my preferences! Now, I only eat ice cream that is all natural, organic, and local–back then I would eat it in any form with an ingredients list a paragraph long!
We were strictly a box-mix family growing up. I loved fudgy brownies, and I never considered I might be able to get them any other way. Now I wouldn’t think of using a box mix, just to avoid all the extra ingredients. I do still love brownies, though
I loved all desserts as a child. Pretty much still do, except I try to eat the ones that love me back. LOL.
My favorite dessert was, and still is, PIE!!! In all it’s glorious forms (which also includes cobblers and the such).
.-= Crystal´s last blog ..vegan enchilada bowl =-.
I thought its a sweet from heaven “Marshmallow with cupcake with melted chocolate ” was my favorite sweet
blog post:
http://adgiveaway.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-8-blondie-brownies-gf-allergen-free.html
tweet about it
http://twitter.com/shaimapassion/status/11243691899
As one of eleven kids growing up, we did not get desert. However, on the rare occasion my Father went alone to FedCo he would take one of along. At the end of the shopping trip he would buy an Ice Cream cone as a treat.
Today, I am not a big ice cream eater at all, but it will remain one of my favorite memories of my Dad.
These blondies look great. My daughter just loves blondies though they’re not my favourite.
My favourite sweet from childhood is an Indian chickpea confection called “mysorepak”. Very rich with lots of ghee. Still love it but its not good for me now.
.-= Aparna´s last blog ..Oranges & Cream – Orange Tian: Daring Bakers Challenge March, 2010 =-.
My favorite dessert..i have a tie; my grandma’s lemon cake (easily veganized and i still love it) and Lemon Meringue Pie. I haven’t ever been able to veganize this one unfortunately.
I’ll blog and tweet about this (i’m @kuntrageous)
Blondies were my favorite, the first dessert I learned to make when I was 9 years old. Afterschool snack to the stars.
.-= Zakuro´s last blog ..Vegan Okonomiyaki =-.
My favourite dessert as a child was a Bakewell Tart Mum used to make using the almonds from our tree. Maybe it was the fact that the almonds were super fresh, and homegrown, but I have never managed to exactly replicate this!
.-= Carla´s last blog ..Photos from the wedding. =-.
Ginger cookies, it was the first recipe that i mastered as a kid and the first real baking i ever did. i haven’t made them in about 10 years, i think i overloaded on them when i was younger and haven’t felt the need for them yet.
One of my favorite desserts growing up was homemade chocolate chip cookies. It was the ultimate family baking experience. It was the ultimate comfort food. It was always delicious. I still love them now. I’m going to have to find a nice vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe now that my sister and roommate is going vegan. Chocolate chip cookies aren’t nearly as much fun by yourself: )
First of all, these blondies look incredible! I’m definitely going to be trying these out
. I tweeted about this giveaway at http://www.twitter.com/butwhatcanieat and I’m also following you there! My favorite childhood dessert was blueberry cream pie that my mom made every year for mine and my dads’ birthdays. I haven’t had it for years due to my wheat, dairy and sugar allergies. I miss it, I’ll definitley have to develop my own recipe one of these days!! Love your blog by the way 
I just started my own and always appreciate feedback if you want to check it out!
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Six Products I’m Loving Right Now =-.
Little Debbie oatmeal creme pies. They were good for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Now? No deal : ( Haven’t found a vegan replacement yet.
I’ve linked back to your entry on my blog, edayem.wordpress.com!
My favourite childhood dessert was meringues! But now that I am vegan, I am quite repulsed by eggs, the smell of them make me sick.
I just tweeted about this. I am following you as Veganlovlie.
http://www.twitter.com/Veganlovlie
I already have Sweet Freedom so I am not entering (awesome cookbook btw – one of my favs!), but just wanted to say that you did a great job with the blondies! I made some blondies that weren’t GF from another cookbook, and they were quite the flop!
.-= Alisa´s last blog ..Chipotle Chicken and Chard Chili =-.
One of my favorite desserts was my Mom’s homemade peanut butter cups, especially straight from the freezer! I have yet to re-create them, but have a recipe tagged in The Kind Diet to test out.
Thanks!!
My mom used to make my little sister and I what we called “homemade cinnamon toast crunch”. She layed several slices of bread on a baking sheet, slathered on some butter, and dusted (okay…sometimes POURED) on a generous helping of brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon. Then she would pop them in the oven for ten or fifteen minutes until they got nice and crispy. Oh, they were so good.
I assume I would still find my old favorite absolutely delicious now, but I’ve never actually made it myself! I don’t consume dairy products for ethical reasons, and I’m too cheap to buy earth balance or similar butter substitutes. Hmm… your post might push me over the edge to buy some EB just for this purpose!!!
Thank you for offering this wonderful giveaway. I love Ricky’s recipes!
Standard chocolate chip cookies mom used to make…yum!
Brownies. Hands down favorite. Still are. In fact, I have some baking in the oven right now. Granted they are not the boxed variety I grew up on, but vegan and so much better!
I loved ice cream cones as a child. Now I love coconut milk ice cream!
My Favorite one was Mont Blanc, I still love it but my favorite one now is Black Forest Cake.
My favourite dessert was Lemon Meringue Pie!
I’ve never tried to make a vegan one and as I’m typing this I’m asking myself “Why?”
Tweeted about this too – I’m following you as Heathen Vegan.
.-= Jeni Treehugger´s last blog ..Hot Cross Buns =-.
I loved chocolate pudding as a kid. Luckily, vegan chocolate puddings are mighty yummy and I still enjoy them on occasion for dessert. Thanks for the generous giveaway!
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Video Break =-.
My favorite was those chocolate drop cookies that were chocolate and oats. They were so awesome because they weren’t horribly sweet. Don’t know why I don’t make them today. I assume they’d be easy to veganize. Probably just because those were what my mother made. Maybe I should call her….
mmm my favorite was gooey chocolate chip brownies fresh out of the oven. I still love them.
My favorite growing up was my grandma’s lemon squares. Today, they seem so terribly sweet that I’m not interested. I go more for chocolate, and best of all, oatmeal raisin cookies. Thanks for the giveaway!
My mom wasn’t much of a baker, however my sister and I made homemade chocolate chip cookies… oh yum. One thing I do miss that my mom made was a butterscotch sauce poured over bananas and icecream… something I don’t eat these days but I crave that caramely taste. These blondies would be perfect!
Volcanic eruption is was my favourite dessert. (aka chocolate self saucing pudding) Unfortunately as much as i would love to eat it i haven’t found a really good GF egg free recipe.