 |
A Radical Recipe for
|
Butterscotch brownies are delicious if you can manage to enjoy their traditionally sweet taste. Since I am not particularly fond of extreme sweetness, preparing them is not on my priority list. However, when a cookie recipe calls for 100% gluten free flours, it automatically beckons for my attention.
My fascination with wheat and its flours has prompted me to do a research on the subject of gluten intolerance. During my research, I came across a recipe for gluten free butterscotch brownies. I decided to make them with a few radical adjustments to the recommended ingredients. My curiosity wanted to find out how they would taste if I made them not only gluten free but also low in fat.
In the second issue of my newsletter, Smart Cookies, I pointed out that gluten free butterscotch brownies could have very similar texture to those made with wheat flour.
| Rice flour | 1 cup |
| Soy flour | ½ cup |
| Baking powder | 2 tsp |
| Salt | ½ tsp |
| Unsalted butter, softened | ¼ cup or ½ stick |
| Dark brown sugar, firmly packed | ¾ cup |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp |
| Eggs | 2 large |
| Unsweetened applesauce | ¼ cup |
| Finely chopped nuts | 1 cup |
I used pecans, but you are welcome to use your favorite nuts.
- Combine rice flour, soy flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.
- Cream softened butter with brown sugar until thoroughly blended.
- Add vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
- Add applesauce and mix thoroughly.
- Add the flour mixture and combine thoroughly.
- Stir in your favorite chopped nuts.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until top is light brown.
- Cool in baking pan at least 10 minutes before cutting.
- I substituted unsweetened applesauce for half of the recommended butter, used 2 eggs instead of 3, and drastically reduced the brown sugar from 2 cups to ¾ cup.
Result: The presence of chopped pecans provides a pleasant, crunchy, and contrasting texture. It invites subsequent bites. These butterscotch brownies are just sweet enough. However, they could use a little more moisture. When I make them next time, I will use an additional egg white and make sure that they won't overbake.
By the way, the original recipe is in Living Well Without Wheat - The Gluten Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman. Revised Edition. Henry Holt and Company, LLC. 2000.
