A Radical Recipe for
Butterscotch Brownies

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.
  More Brownie Recipes
  Other Recipes for Gluten Free Cookies

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.