Many people are cautious about eating gluten these days for a variety of health issues. We have relatives & friends that fall into this category. Making a meal for someone who is avoiding gluten isn’t an imposition for us. We usually cook from scratch and can carefully avoid even those hidden sources of gluten in condiments like soy sauce, mayonnaise, salad dressings and some mustards. Meat dishes and vegetables are pretty easy to make gluten free. With so many great quinoa dishes out there, a gluten-free, fiber-rich side dish is not too difficult, either. Dessert is the tricky part of the gluten-free meal for me to make. Fresh fruit with homemade ice cream is always an option and everyone raves about my flourless chocolate cake, too. But sometimes, especially at this time of year, I need a dessert that feeds a larger number of people than I would have at a dinner party and I need said item to be easily transportable. So, I continue to seek out recipes that fit the gluten-free bill and I try them out with (on) family and friends. This one recently got the seal of approval when we brought it to dinner at a friend’s house.
Almond Quinoa Blondies
Almond Quinoa Blondies (adapted from Quinoa Revolution by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming via eatingwell.com)
Yield: 12-16 bars
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup natural almond butter
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350º. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. (PAM Original, PAM Butter and PAM Olive Oil are gluten-free, although PAM Baking is not.)
In a clean coffee bean grinder, grind the uncooked quinoa to a flour. 1/2 cup quinoa should yield 3/4 cup quinoa flour. Add the baking powder and salt to the quinoa flour in a small bowl and set it aside.
A coffee grinder is the perfect tool for turning raw quinoa into quinoa flour.
Beat the butter with the almond butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until they are creamy.
Start with the softened butter and the almond butter.
Beat in the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla until everything is well combined. Add in the quinoa flour mixture just until it is combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Add the quinoa flour, baking powder & salt to the wet ingredients.
Spread the dough evenly in the prepared pan. Bake the bars for 25-35 minutes, until the top just starts to brown but there are a few moist crumbs on a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan.
The batter will be stiff.
Let the blondies cool in the pan for 45 minutes, then lift the parchment or foil out of the pan. Cut the blondies into 12-16 squares and allow them to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
A definite crowd pleaser for anyone!
Caution: These are addicting! ~Linda
Almond Quinoa Blondies (adapted from Quinoa Revolution by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming via eatingwell.com)
Yield: 12-16 bars
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup natural almond butter
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350º. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. (PAM Original, PAM Butter and PAM Olive Oil are gluten-free, although PAM Baking is not.)
In a clean coffee bean grinder, grind the uncooked quinoa to a flour. 1/2 cup quinoa should yield 3/4 cup quinoa flour. Add the baking powder and salt to the quinoa flour in a small bowl and set it aside.
Beat the butter with the almond butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until they are creamy. Beat in the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla until everything is well combined. Add in the quinoa flour mixture just until it is combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Spread the dough evenly in the prepared pan. Bake the bars for 25-35 minutes, until the top just starts to brown but there are a few moist crumbs on a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan.
Let the blondies cool in the pan for 45 minutes, then lift the parchment or foil out of the pan. Cut the blondies into 12-16 squares and allow them to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.