apple brownies (gluten free)

The week after we moved in, I came across a recipe in Jamie (Oliver) magazine for apple brownies. The recipe, read in the shadow of our apple tree, spoke to me in a way chocolate recipes tend to do, only a little louder. I made the first batch within an hour, switching out the plain flour for rice flour to make them gluten free. They turned out fine, but they felt like a starting point. Since then, I’ve adjusted just about everything, and made low sugar / grain free / extra chocolate / apple and rhubarb / apple and plum / spiced apple versions.

I like brownies – and I still have a whole lot of apples on that tree. Today’s are the best so far. Plus I actually got a photo before the kids got their hands on them, so the recipe finally makes it’s way on to the blog. (Thanks Jamie Oliver for the inspiration.)

Ingredients
4 large cooking apples
70g butter
100g dark chocolate
3 eggs
70g soft brown sugar
50g cocoa powder
1tsp baking powder
70g rice flour
70g ground almonds

Method
Lightly stew the apples with a splash of water for 10 minutes. You want them to have a little bit of texture rather than to go to total mush (have tried both and am not a fan of the super sloppy apple). If you are trying to eat your way through a full tree of apples, you can make a giant pan of stewed apples – you’ll need about 3/4 cup for the brownies. While stewing you can add a cinnamon stick, star anise, coconut sugar or nothing at all. I recommend nothing at all – life is complicated enough.

Melt chocolate and butter – which can be done if you place it in a heat-proof dish above the stewing apples.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together.

Add the dry ingredients and the melted butter / chocolate and whizz it all up into a beautiful batter using a food processor or a strong arm.

Gently stir through the apples. If you are too rough they will disintegrate and disappear into the mix – which still tastes good, but I prefer a distinguishable apple trail running through the brownie.

Pour into a lined baking tray and bake at 180 for 20 minutes until they are cooked through and bouncy to touch but still with a hint of gooeyness.

When they come out, cut them into squares and wrap any you’re not planning to eat straight away in baking paper before putting into the cake tin. They keep really well for a couple of days – maybe longer but haven’t tested their durability for obvious reasons.

lemon-y, ginger-y, nutmeg-y apple and blueberry crumble with coconut flour and puffed amaranth topping

Does anyone else spend as long thinking about what they’re going to have for pudding….on a daily basis? I think probably not. I think I’m a bit weird to have four young kids and still expend so much headspace considering what I will be tucking into when they are all safely tucked up for the night. I guess it makes me either pretty lucky that I don’t have more pressing things to worry about…or possibly it means I have a really bad sense of perspective.

The actual food preparation is usually very quick. It’s the thinking.. the chocolate – fruit- chocolate fruit – chocolate and fruit  type dilemmas that I find myself consumed by for lengthy periods. I don’t mean to give the impression that I’m sitting around tormented, staring into space. No, no, I’m  cracking along with my day, it’s just there at the back of my mind.

Today I decided to try out my new obsession with puffed amaranth, in a crumble.. Another tick for the amaranth – excellent flavour when paired with coconut flour – quite dry with a bit of a crunch. Nutmeg, lemon zest and fresh ginger all additions worthy of the low level pondering time spent on them.

blueberry, raspberry, apple and chia lunchbox muffins

The kids decided not to take advantage of the extra hour in bed with the clock change. Seems to go that way every year. No point feeling resentful.. they’re only little, after all. So we had a whole extra hour this morning, and baking is always a good way to use up a spare moment.

Cover about half a cup of chia seeds in a little fresh apple juice to hydrate (or water is OK but we happened to have some apple juice open). Beat together about 50g of melted butter with 1/2 cup sugar (I used granulated but probably any kind would be OK – or maybe replace with honey and grated apple / pear if you don’t like sugar),  2 spoons natural yogurt. Then in with 2 eggs, 2 cups self raising flour – the chia seeds which will be a think gunk by this time and then 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1/2 cup of raspberries – or any other kind of fruit… hell, throw in some chocolate chunks if you like ..it is Monday morning after all. You could use coconut flour and rice flour and an extra egg if you wanted gluten free but they would be a bit denser.

Slap it into some muffin cases and bake for 15 mins – this made 9 this morning but it really depends whow much mix you put in each one, plus as I never measure anything (aside from with an assortment of tea-cups – whichever are to hand) it’s always pretty random. I think  one of the world’s great myths is that baking is an exact art, that requires preparation, and beating, and fluffiness, and creaming, and weighing, and processing, and makes lots of mess (although this bit is always true baking with kids). Honestly, as long as you put roughly the right amounts in, and the ingredients are good, then you will get a good result without too much faff. Obviously if it’s something special, or you have plenty of time to spare, then you can break out the scales and the kitchen aid.. and probably get a better result.. but in my experience it’s rarely a disaster if you don’t follow an exact formula (or any formula at all).

apple and chia banana bread with chocolate chunks

Is there anyone who doesn’t like warm banana bread, fresh from the oven? Especially one that has a few oozy chocolate chunks dotted about. Even more so if it’s afternoon tea time on a revolting Wellington, mid-term Tuesday.

This recipe is really quick and easy and scores very highly with the kids – health freaks could replace the sugar and use gluten free flours and of course omit the chocolate chunks but I wasn’t feeling too experimental today (or too health-freaky…it does have chia seeds in it though and 2 kinds of fruit so thats got to count for something right?).

Mash up 2 big ripe bananas with a grated apple (could have used a 3rd banana but only had 2 ripe) 1/2 cup granulated sugar, around 50g melted butter. Add just under 1/2 cup of chia seeds covered in water until they go to a thick goop. Beat in 2 eggs and 1 and 1/2 cups of self raising four and then throw in a few milk chocolate chunks (If you like). Took about 25 – 30 mins to bake.

fruit salad

A big bowl of fruit salad for sharing is a bit special – it requires an alignment of assorted ripe fruits and someone prepared to chop it all up. Even more special when the chief chopper is an enthusiastic 6 year old and the chopping supervisor is someone other than me.

chili, ginger and cinnamon spiced apple

Another of Jake’s creations – inspired by a dessert eaten in India recently and with a flash little apple carving on the side  – because once you start thinking about making the food look lovely then you start doing all kinds of crazy stuff!

Melt a little butter in a pan with some soft brown sugar – add some chunks of apple and cook till starting to soften, then add some fresh chili, a cinnamon stick, black pepper and fresh ginger – a splash of water and cook for a while until apple is soft but still with a bit of bite. For the apple flower you need to do a day course at a cooking school in Vietnam so that bit’s optional – it does look very pretty though. Good with ice-cream or yogurt.

Chili, parsnip and apple soup

It’s new year’s eve 2011. I made chili , parsnip and apple soup. The Flaming Lips ‘Waiting for Superman’ came on the ipod. There were other songs too but that was the only one that registered. The rain is lashing down, has been for 2 days now. It’s the kind of Wellington weather where you fear the wind will blow you off the edge of the world unless you anchor down with food.

1 onion, 1 fat red chili, 3 cloves garlic, 4 fat parsnip, 1 swede, 2 apples, salt, pepper, tumeric, veg stock, sour cream.

Cook the onion, garlic, chili (seeds and all) in coconut oil. Add the parsnips, swede, apple (skin on) and cover in vege stock. Season with salt, pepper and tumeric. Let it simmer for an hour or so and then chuck in a couple of spoons of sour cream and blitz with the hand blender.