Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Brownies To NOT Die For

May is National Celiac's Disease Awareness month. A few facts:
*  Celiacs is not just an allergy, it is an autoimmune disease
*  1 in 133 Americans have Celiacs
*  It takes an average of 8-10 years to be diagnosed in the U.S. (it took my husband 7 years)
*  $8,000-$12,000 is the average cost of misdiagnosis/person, not including missed days of work
*  For every 1 person who is diagnosed in the US, 8 go undiagnosed
*  There are over 300 symptoms for Celiacs
*  Untreated Celiac's Disease can lead to death from malnutrition
*  An endoscopy is the only way to diagnose Celiacs
*  A 100% gluten-free diet is the only treatment for Celiacs
Do yourself and your loved ones a favor, educate yourself about Celiac's Disease!

It has been a little over a year since my husband was diagnosed with this disease.  It has been trying at times, but also rewarding to see how changing one's diet can so greatly change one's health.  I am still learning a lot about preparing gluten free foods, but here is one recipe my family declares I have perfected, gluten free brownies.  They like them better than my old brownie recipe. 

Gluten Free Brownies
1 c. butter (I said they were gluten free, not healthy)
1/2 c. cocoa
1 3/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. (or a dump) of vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. white rice flour (I have made these with white rice, sweet rice, and brown rice flour--white rice is the best)
1 tsp xanthum gum
semi-sweet chocolate chips

**To make these truly gluten free you must make sure ALL of your ingredients are gf.  Many things, especially store brands, are processed where wheat is and thus they are not gf.  Check the internet.

Melt the butter.

Add the sugar and cocoa, taste, mmm, yummy.  (This is extra dark cocoa.)
Stir in the eggs and vanilla, stirring kind of well.  Add the salt, flour, and xanthum gum (the glue that holds gluten free baked goodies together). 
Add a few handfuls of semi-sweet chocolate chips. 
Spread into a greased 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until top no longer looks wet.  Enjoy!!

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the post and the information. My youngest was just diagnosed with a gluten/soy/dairy/nut intolerance. I would love to try to make your brownies, but I haven't found a good butter substitute yet. Any advice?

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  2. Coconut oil or palm oil. Spectrum makes a palm shortening.

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  3. Thank you for posting this yummy sounding recipe, my uncle was diagnosed about 8 years ago, it's shocking sometimes just how difficult it is for him to eat out or have a treat. This will make his day, thanks for sharing.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate your kind words!