The Ultimate Gluten free take-a-plate slice - Caramel Topped Brownie!

I must admit I am pretty proud of this creation. Perfect, just in time for all those take-a-plate outings you are bound to have coming up in the next month or so.
Fudgy, dense, moist brownie on the bottom, chewy buttery caramel in the middle topped with a soft real chocolate topping and oh so perfectly divine!

Even better - it is gluten free! For all those that gluten free is not an issue - simply replace the baking mix cup for cup with normal wheat cake flour and you will be fine, it works either way. 

Recipe:

For the brownie base:

Pre-heat your oven to 180 Deg C (350 F) and line a 30x20cm (8x12in) tin with non-stick baking paper.
Melt 155g (5 1/2 oz) of butter in a medium sized bowl.
Add to the butter 1C of sugar, 1/3C of Cocoa and 2 large eggs. Beat well to combine with a wooden spoon.
Fold in 1C of quality Gluten Free Baking mix (or if not gluten free, then 1C of normal baking flour)
Pour into the tin and spread out evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just firm.

For the Caramel:

In a microwave proof glass bowl (or in a double boiler if you are very patient) combine 1 tin of sweetened condensed milk, 2 Tablespoons of golden syrup, 110g (4oz) butter and 1/3 C sugar. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, stir, cook a further 2 minutes and stir again. Continue to cooking for 1 minute intervals, stirring between each time. It takes approximately four minutes of this depending on your microwave. It needs to be a deep golden colour and when you place some caramel on a cold surface it will set sort of soft but chewy. Alternatively you can cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly until it reaches soft-firm ball stage (this takes ages, hence the microwave cheat)

 Don't panic - when it gets properly boiling the butter will separate from the caramel and it will look curdled - trust me it will come together in the end.

Once cooked to the chewiness you like, beat well with a handheld beater until it all comes together (about a minute) then pour on the brownie base. Sit this aside to cool and set.

For the Chocolate topping:

Melt 250g (8 1/2 oz) of 50% cocoa solids good quality chocolate with 50g (2oz) of unsalted butter - it takes about 1 minute in my microwave. stir well to melt any last pieces of chocolate and pour over the set caramel. Place in the fridge for about an hour to set the chocolate. Cut in to bars with a hot, dry knife. Store in a air tight container. Will keep at least a week - but it never lasts that long at our house!!!

A Gluten-Free lunchbox

There are many reasons why you might be trying a gluten free diet for your children - skin allergies, behavioural issues, stomach problems, or you might be like me and just think we eat far too much modern wheat in our diet and that we all have some degree of intolerance to it. My eldest was only two when she started to complain of a sore belly after eating wheat products, we live largely gluten free these days, though we aren't too strict on it.

We don't buy gluten free bread for the kids, it is gross. We have learnt to live without bread. The girls have cereal, porridge or eggs for breakfast. For lunch they have a selection of things - carrot sticks, cherry tomato's, strawberries, raspberries, easy-yo yogurt, jelly, salami, ham, sticks of cheese, olives (a favourite!), nuts, boiled egg, cold meat from the night before, raw broccoli, raw cauliflower, fruit, and of course home made baking.

I was doing some lunchbox baking with the kids on Saturday and thought I would share two of the best gluten free recipes I have with you all :-) I think the sign of a good gluten free product is when my best friend doesn't believe me that they are gluten free, if they pass that test, they are good!

Dana's Gluten free baking mix:
 

2 c rice flour (the finer the better, try an Asian supermarket)

1 ½ c maize cornflour
1 c tapioca or arrowroot flour (they are practically the same)
1 ½ t gum – either xanthan or guar gum (you can buy at the health food shop or the supermarket or in bulk from www.kiwisoapsupplies.co.nz)

3 t baking powder

Mix well. This works out about half the price of buying the pre-mixed stuff and works just as well.

 

Dana's Gluten Free Chocolate Chippies
 

 

Cream together:

• 220g softened butter
• 1/2c brown sugar
• 6T sweetened condensed milk (about 1/2 a can)
• 2t Vanilla essence

Mix in:

• 2C of baking mix
• 2tsp of baking powder and
• 400g chocolate drops or buttons.

This mixture is surprisingly soft, don't stress. Put golf ball sized blobs on a lined tray and bake at 180 degrees for 13-14 minutes. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Best Chocolate cake recipe ever:

No one will believe it is gluten free!

 

Mix in a bowl:

• 2c baking mix
• 2c sugar
• 1t baking soda
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2t salt

In a pot bring to the boil then turn off:

• 250g butter
• 1c water
• 1/2c cocoa

Mix the cocoa mixture into dry ingredients, then add:

• 2 eggs
• ½ c milk
• 1 1/2t vanilla

Beat together well either by hand or with a mixer.
Bake 180 deg in 25cm tin for 60-70 min or until a skewer comes out clean. We ice this with a simple chocolate icing - 2T butter, 2T cocoa, 2C icing sugar and hot water to mix.

Gluten free baking tips:

Most recipes with lots of butter or eggs works well with gluten free baking. If you are making a cake with 'bits' in it – banana cake, carrot cake, sultana cake you need to add another teaspoon of gum powder to the recipe to hold it together. Some recipes work best if you add an additional egg or more butter – eg scones you add an extra 25g butter. Always just under bake cakes/slices and muffins, and watch cakes closely. I usually under bake cookies by 2 -4 minutes. If they are cooked for the full amount of time they end up dry and crumbly. Hunt around to find the cheapest flours, the Asian food markets often have rice flour much cheaper than the super market, and buying some stuff on line is sometimes cheaper too. Good luck with your endeavours and if you have a favourite gluten free recipe or any questions, feel free to comment below!