Okay, these aren't exactly beauty queens, but they're definitely congenial. Delicious, in fact. It should said that I am not allergic to wheat. No food allergies to speak of, actually. I'm just intrigued by all the buzz I've heard about Babycakes Bakery in Manhattan, which specializes in allergen-free (wheat, gluten, dairy, etc.) baked goods that actually taste great. Since I haven't been to NYC in years (sigh), I had to take it upon myself to try out one of the few recipes proprietress Erin McKenna has allowed to be published. It's a test run of sorts to determine whether her upcoming cookbook is worthy of purchase. (Since my cookbook collection now tops one-hundred, I have to be very selective about any newbies entering the house.)
These brownies were super easy to make but they do require a few special ingredients, all of which can be found at most health food stores. Of course it's recommended you use the best quality cocoa powder you can find. When chocolate is the star of the show, make sure it's an A-lister! Because I couldn't find the dairy-free chocolate chips of my choice (which, incidentally, were rated #1 in a Cook's Illustrated chocolate chips taste test), I used high-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips. The chips weren't minis, but that didn't seem to affect the recipe adversely.
Although I liberally coated the mini muffin pan with oil, the little devils still stuck in the pan. I was able to pry them out by running an offset spatula around the edges and gently scooping them out, but many of them lost a little of the base in the process. (Perhaps that's the point of using mini chocolate chips: you don't get larger puddles of melted chocolate to inhibit a solid base from forming in the pan. Just a thought.) Anyway, this resulted in a lot of remnant-nibbling on my part since I hate for things to go to waste. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. To avoid the same fate, I would recommend lining the pans with mini muffin liners.
brownie bites
Adapted from Food & Wine, August 2006
Makes 24 brownies
vegetable oil cooking spray
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp Bob's Red Mill gluten-free, all-purpose baking flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 mini muffin pans with mini muffin liners and spray with vegetable oil spray.
In a bowl, whisk the baking flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. In another bowl, whisk the applesauce, oil and vanilla; stir into the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the muffin pans, filling them 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until set. Let the brownies cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
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