Gluten-free Brownies...... Chickpea Flour!

Friday night Chris and I were going to friends for dinner so I decided to bake a couple of goodies for the crew. We got to dessert and I said a disclaimer that the treats were all gluten-free and I was using all 7 of them as guinea pigs. I love playing this game .... especially with non-gluten-free friends aka Chris' friends!

I had baked them for other friends last year but I wanted to change things around a bit as I don't love using xanthum gum in gluten-free baking. Xanthan gum derives its name from the strain of bacteria used during the fermentation process, Xanthomonas campestris. X. campestris is the same bacterium responsible for causing black rot to form on broccoli, cauliflower and other leafy vegetables. The bacteria form a slimy substance which acts as a natural stabilizer or thickener. So it's a fermented sugar with alcohol basically.....

Here's the recipe if you feel like something chocolately without gluten. If you don't do a lot of baking you can go to a bulk store and just get enough to keep the cost down.

1 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar (I've tried substituting with honey and maple syrup and it didn't work out!)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (buy pure instead of artificial as it makes the chocolate really pop!)
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup chocolate chips (don't skip these as they really 'make' the brownie)

Preheat oven to 325. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another and then combine until smooth. Scoop batter into greased (use a bit of coconut oil) muffin tins. Bake for 5 minutes then rotate and bake another 5 minutes. Let them sit for 10 minutes and then eat away!