Dairy, Egg, Nut and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Brownies... As Good As It Gets!
I am so excited to share this delicious brownie recipe with you for a couple of reasons. First, if I were to take a poll, these brownies would probably rank first out of all the treats that my family and friends request for me to bake (and the majority of these aforementioned people do not have allergies). But, even more, this recipe comes from one of the very best allergy-safe baking resources I've come across yet - a company that is not only a beacon of light in the food allergy community, but one that has been a such a confidence booster and source of hope for me during our journey. If you haven't heard of Divvies, let me introduce you to a couple of food allergy heroes and the kind of story that demonstrates what can happen when you mix a whole lot of love with a healthy dose of ingenuity and determination.
Like so many of us who scour bookstore shelves and the Internet for safe recipes for our food-allergic kids, Divvies began out of Lori Sandler's desire to create safe baked goods for her dairy, egg and nut-allergic little boy. She and her husband Mark did not attend culinary school, nor are they professional chefs or bakers. They are just parents who wanted their son to feel included and enjoy the fun food moments that childhood brings. But, here's the best part of their story: once Lori started playing with ingredients and creating some recipes that worked, she took things a step further and decided that she wasn't simply going to bake goodies that her son would enjoy. She felt that for true inclusivity to occur, she needed to create treats that everyone - even non-food allergic kids - would love. That's when the magic happened. Like Lori says her cookbook, *The Divvies Bakery Cookbook, her son suddenly went from being labeled as the food allergy kid to being the kid "with the goods," as he shared his mom's delicious culinary creations at school, during neighborhood parties and playdates, and even on the ball field.
Just like that, Divvies was born. With a name that the Sandlers creatively chose because treats should be "made to share," Divvies has since blossomed into full-fledged dairy, egg and nut-free bakery that not only supplies allergy-safe treats to grocery stores, theme parks, restaurants and airports throughout the country, but boasts a flourishing mail order business, as well. And to top things off, Lori compiled all of her family's favorite allergy-safe recipes into her incredible cookbook (my copy is so "loved" that is it literally falling apart at the seams).
So, on to the brownies... you really MUST try these. And, if you are gluten-free, I want you to know that they are absolutely perfect when made with gluten-free flour. In fact, this is my go-to sweet treat when I am hosting dinner or going to a party with my gluten-free adult friends. It's a home run recipe, and you won't find anything close to it in a box!
Dairy, Egg and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Brownies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose or gluten-free flour (I use King Arthur's Gluten Free Baking Mix when making these g-free)
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup nondairy sour cream (I use Tofutti brand)
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 cup of chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life chocolate chunks for this recipe, but you can also order **Divvies brand chocolate chips directly from their website)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with dairy-free, non-stick cooking spray. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a stand or electric mixer, combine sugar, oil, corn syrup, vanilla and vinegar and beat on medium speed until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as you go. Once the wet ingredients are well combined, add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and repeat the same mixing process. Once fully incorporated, fold in chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes (rotating the pan halfway through baking time ), or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
Helpful Tips from Divvies:
The shorter the cooking time, the chewier the consistency of the brownie; the longer the cooking time, the more cake-like the brownie.
If you want to add a little something special to these brownies, you can sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top about 15 minutes into your brownie baking time.
It's best to let the brownies cool for about 30 minutes before cutting them, or else they are likely to fall apart on you!
To obtain more information on Divvies, order their products online (including cookies, cupcakes, chocolates, seasonal candies and more), or purchase their cookbook, visit them at https://divvies.com.
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