Hi, I'm Dr. Jean Layton. In diverse jobs from chef to doctor, I've used my analytical skills to address the ongoing goal, "There has to be a better way." When not seeing patients, I'm in the social media world, teaching people to thrive gluten-free.
When our family went gluten-free, the girls were only 7.
Young enough to be fed whatever was at hand, be it naturally gluten-free or a substitute product without much conflict.
Some of the substitution products were good, things that truly resembled the former gluten-full option.
Others…not so much.
Over time, I developed more and more recipes that captured our remembered memories of favorite dishes.
And over time, I taught our daughters that any recipe can be converted to gluten-free, even sourdough and pasta.
But one recipe, I didn’t have to convert.
Katie did.
She wanted to enter the baking competition in the county fair. However, there isn’t a special diet category.
So she just blithely entered her gluten-free brownies recipe in the typical brownie category.
And won first place, A Blue Ribbon!
With feedback like this, ” richest, fudgiest brownie I have ever had”, ”Love the pecans as an alternative to walnuts.” the judges never even asked about the flour mixture used.
These are incredibly satisfying for that chocolate obsession that needs satisfying.
The hardest part is making sure to let them cool completely before you cut them.
And if you don’t, realize that they will be soft, bendy and sticky on your hands, but still perfect with ice cream.
- 6 oz dark chocolate at least 74% cocoa solids (we use Trader Joe’s)
- ½ cup unsalted organic butter
- 1 ¼ cup organic cane sugar
- ⅓ cup brown rice flour
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup pecans- coarsely chopped (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees(180 C or gas mark 4)
- Grease a 9 inch square or 9×12 pan with cooking spray or butter. If you use a 9×9 pan the brownies will be moister and fudgy.
- The 9×12 creates more cake like brownies.
- If you are using the pecans, toast them in the oven for 5 minutes before chopping them.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan.
- Stir in the sugar and allow to cool.
- Stir together till one color: all the flours, starches, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl.
- Combine the chocolate mixture and the flour mixture.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Top with pecans if desired.
- Pour into prepared pan
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or till the top is firm.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting.
But just in case you don’t think these are the best ever, there are many more to try out.
Yup, it is Gluten Free Ratio Rally Time.
Thanks to Mary Frances Wiley from Franny Cakes made Hazelnut Brownies for being our guide this month.
These all look amazing!
Adina from Gluten Free Travelette made Chocolate Brownie Pie with Orange Zest
Angela from Angela’s Kitchen made Gluten & Dairy Free Cream Egg Brownies
Brooke from B & the boy! made Triple Chocolate Brownies
Caitlin from {Gluten Free} Nom Nom Nom made Peppermint Brownie Bars
Caleigh from Gluten Free[k] made White chocolate and marshmallow brownies
Caneel from Mama Me Gluten Free made Triple chocolate brownies
Charissa Luke from Zest Bakery made Slutty gluten-free brownies
Claire from My Gluten Free Home PB&J Brownie Whoopee Pies
Claire from This Gluten-Free Life made St. Patty’s Day Marshmallow Swirl Brownies
Erin from The Sensitive Epicure made Mexican Cocoa Brownies with an Almond & Pepitas Crust
gretchen from kumquat made salted caramel brownies
Heather from Discovering the Extraordinary made Nutmeg Blondies
Irvin from Eat the Love made Blueberry Citrus Marble Brownies
Jean from Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes made Blue Ribbon Brownies
Jenn Cuisine made Grain free brownies with no-bake ricotta cheesecake cream
Jonathan from The Canary Files made Vegan Marbled Banana Walnut Brownies
Karen from Cooking Gluten Free! made GF Chewy Crackled Top Brownies with Raspberry Puree
Mary Fran from FrannyCakes made Gluten-Free Hazelnut (Nutella) Brownies
Morri from Meals with Morri made Oaxacan Brownies & Mesquite Cacao Blondies
~Mrs. R from Honey From Flinty Rocks made Black Bean S’More Brownies
Pete and Kelli from No Gluten, No Problem made Caramel Mexican Chocolate Mesquite Brownies
Rachel from The Crispy Cook made Co-Co Nut-Nut Blondies
Shauna from Gluten-Free Girl made Gluten-Free Brownies
Tara from A Baking Life who made Mint Chocolate Flourless Brownies
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies Gluten Free Berry Fudge Brownies
Hi,
The directions say: “Stir together till one color: all the flours, starches, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl.”
There is no cocoa in the ingredients list.
Hi Holly,
I fixed it, funny how my last edits managed to eliminate that one line
Thanks for letting me know
What a great post! You daughter is amazing, I love the story. I’m gonna share with my GF friends
Congratulations on winning! That is so encouraging for me, because I’m tired of hearing “It’s an ‘okay’ baked good, but it’s a great gluten free substitute”. It should be great regardless, and it’s clear that this recipe was a knockout!
I love the picture of you and your daughter! An awesome looking brownie to go along with an awesome story. Thank you for sharing!
Oh, what a great story! I love that your daughter had such an empowering baking experience, at such a young age! (And what a darling photo of you two.)
The brownies sound perfect, especially with the pecans. And I very much like the idea of them being warm, soft and sticky, under a scoop of ice cream.
What an awesome story! Congrats to your daughter on her blue ribbon, and thank you for sharing these!
Great recipe and what a success story indeed! I took some gluten free, dairy free, sugar free brownies to share with the other chefs at work, and after nibbling them suspiciously they were surprised they tasted ‘normal’. Now I don’t tell people what’s NOT in my cooking, but rather let them enjoy what is
It’s always so great to hear that a GF version can be just as great (or in this case better) than gluten-full versions! Brownies definitely don’t need gluten to be awesome, and these sound delicious
Oh these are so tempting… I almost licked my computer monitor!!!
Great recipe, no wonder it was a winner!
Blessings, ~Mrs. R
I LOVE this story! How fun, and what wonderful memories! I love the look of the pecans on top, and they just look delicious over all. Thanks for sharing your memory!
How fun! That’s the certainly the best compliment the brownies (and your daughter) could receive.
Great title too.