The Easiest Gluten Free Brownies You Will Ever Make

Working at a hotel you come to find that more and more guests have unique dietary restrictions. Gluten sensitivities are increasing and it’s important to have easy (and tasty!) go-to recipes when you are in a pinch. I dug up the easiest gluten free brownie recipe in the caverns that are my notebook (seriously I should have thought of a better filing system long ago). With only four commonly household ingredients, a method of prep you could honestly do by hand if need be, and a rather quick baking time, no one should ever be stuck with “just fruit” as their option at your home/restaurant/hotel/etc.

Gluten Free Brownies

Yield: 1, 9x9 inch pan

Tools: hand mixer or stationary mixer fitted with a paddle, rubber scraper,

Ingredients:

10 ½ Tbsp	165 grams	Butter
2 cup + 2 Tbsp	425 grams	Sugar
8 each	400 grams	Eggs
1 ¼ cup	120 grams	Cocoa

Method of Preparation:

1.     Preheat oven to 325^oF. Grease pan.

2.     Measure out all ingredients.

3.     Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes.

4.     Add eggs two at a time, mixing until emulsified after each addition, about 1-2 min.

5.     Then, add cocoa. On low speed, mix for 3 min. or until combined.

6.     Pour into greased baking pan. Bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Simple Blueberry Crumble Panna Cotta Verrine

Though I know all my good friends and family in the north are preparing for the leaves to change and the weather to cool down, I am in the lovely state of Florida where berries are still plump and juicy (and still reasonably priced). So, my apologies for rubbing it in your soon to be frosty noses but here is a simple and fun dessert that you should make while these berries are still around. If you fancy this dessert out of season, it works really great with frozen blueberries and the color from the seasonally picked-then frozen berries is remarkably deep violet.

Blueberry Crumble Panna Cotta Verrine

Yield: 16, 4oz. Portions

Tools: 2 medium sauce pots, cookie sheet, 4 oz. glasses or clear plastic cups, whisk, rubber scraper

1 pint	302 g	Fresh or Frozen blueberries, strained
½ cup	130g	Water or juice from defrosting blueberries
1/3 cup	84 g	Granulated sugar
2 Tbsp.	21 g	Cornstarch
Pinch	Pinch	Nutmeg
½ lemon or 1 ½ tsp.	10 g	Lemon juice
3 cups	680 g	Heavy cream
1 ea	1 ea	Vanilla bean, split and scraped
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp.	75 g	Granulated sugar
1 Tbsp.	7.5 g	Powdered gelatin, bloomed
¼ cup	60 g	Cool water
1 cup	144 g	Cinnamon Streusel Topping (recipe follows)
¼ cup	75 g	Fresh blueberries for garnish
16 sprigs	16 sprigs	Fresh mint for garnish

Method of Preparation:

1. Line a cookie sheet (half sheet pan) with plastic wrap.
2. Place ¾ of the water or juice in a heavy-bottomed pot with sugar and nutmeg and bring to a boil. 
3. Make a slurry by whisking the cornstarch and remaining water or juice.
4. When the sugar/water mixture begins to boil, slowly add the slurry, whisking constantly. Return to a boil.
5. Cook until the mixture is thickened and translucent, approximately two minutes.
6. Remove from heat and fold in the berries along with the lemon juice.
7. Spread mixture thin on plastic-lined sheet pan and cover lightly with a layer of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Once cooled disperse into serving cups, about ¾ inch high.
8. In a separate pot, heat cream, vanilla bean, and second amount of sugar until dissolved.
9. Bloom gelatin in 60 grams of water, place in hot cream mixture and whisk until dissolved. Pour into portion cups with blueberry filling and fill up cups leaving ½ inch headspace.
10. Refrigerate until set. Garnish with Cinnamon Streusel Topping, fresh blueberries and mint.

Note* Any item thickened with cornstarch or flour should be covered with plastic when cooling because they tend to form a skin.

Cinnamon Streusel Topping

Yield: 16, 4oz. Portions

Tools: Hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, rubber scraper, cookie sheet

4 Tbsp.	56 g	Unsalted Butter, Cold, Cubed
2 Tbsp.	28 g	Brown Sugar
1 Tsp.	2 g	Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp.	2 g	Salt
½ cup	56 g	All Purpose Flour

Method of Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line sheet pan with parchment, set aside.
2. In a stationary mixer fitted with a paddle, combine butter and brown sugar until crumbly on medium-low speed.  
3. Add cinnamon, salt and flour, mix until combined and still crumbly.
4. Crumble onto parchment-lined sheet pan, bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes or until crispy crunchy. Set aside to cool.
5. Break apart into crumble.

Sinful Gluten Free Hazelnut Chocolate Cake

Family dinner Sunday called for a new creation once again. Didn’t have time to shop so this is what I came up with using ingredients I already had at home. I found the original recipe on Epicurious.com, the link is here http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Hazelnut-Pound-Cake-with-Chocolate-Glaze-14008.  There were complaints about the cake being dry but the version I have below was anything but! I made some changes so that it could be gluten free which I’m sure my friends in the nutrition field (namingly one of my best friends, Amanda) would appreciate. I also created my own glaze to complement the unique hazelnut flavor in the cake, and I think I succeeded because even my brother (he doesn’t do cake) asked for seconds! Please give this a try whether you can or cannot have gluten because it is super rich and light at the same time (hard to explain but absolutely true).

Gluten Free Hazelnut Cake

Yield: 1 Bundt Cake

Tools: stationary or hand mixer, extra mixing bowls, rubber scraper

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups	200 grams	Hazelnut Flour, toasted
2 sticks	227 grams	Butter
½ cup	100 grams	Sugar
Pinch	1 gram	Salt
8 each	176 grams	Egg Yolks
1 1/3 cup	227 grams	Chocolate Chips
8 each	264 grams	Egg Whites
½ cup	100 grams	Sugar

Method of Preparation:

1.        Preheat oven to 325^oF. Grease Bundt pan well.

2.        Toast hazelnut flour until golden, allow time for carryover cooking.

3.        Increase oven temperature to 350^oF.

4.        Cream butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed with a paddle for 3 minutes.

5.        Scrape down sides.

6.        Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or on a double boiler.

 

7.        Add egg yolks two at a time to the butter on medium speed, scraping the sides when needed.

8.        Add melted chocolate and mix on medium speed for one minute.

 

9.        Add toasted hazelnut flour, mix until combined and then scrape the contents into a separate large mixing bowl.

10.    Clean mixing bowl really well and then add egg whites. Whip with whip attachment on highest speed until frothy. Reign in sugar slowly and then whip to an almost stiff peak.

 

11.    Fold whipped whites into batter a quarter at a time. Mixing until streaky with each addition and then fully incorporating the last addition. Be careful not to fold vigorously to keep the batter light.

12.    Fill pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

13.    Allow to cool fully before you de-pan the cake onto a cake plate.

 

 Chocolate Praline Glaze
**You can substitute praline paste with Nutella or peanut butter(doesn't go too well with hazelnut so you may want to swith to almond flour above as a substitute for hazelnut flour). OMG that would be like a gluten free Reese's-like cake, mouth is currently watering :)

Yield: 1 cup/ 300 grams

Tools: small whisk, small sauce pot

Ingredients:

½ stick	56 grams	Butter
1 cup	170 grams	Chocolate Chips
1/3 cup	70 grams	Praline Paste

Method of Preparation:

1.        Whisk ingredients in a small saucepan until melted and smooth.

2.        Pour over the highest point all around the Bundt cake and allow glaze to drip down the sides.

3.        Dust with powdered sugar when cool if desired.