Introduction: Microwave Baked Gluten-Dairy-Egg Free Brownies


This chocolate brownie recipe is perfect for those who have multiple allergies but still want something delicious to cater to their sweet tooth. This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, nut free, yet flexible for substitutions. My version is microwave baked (which is only take 6 minutes!) but you can also bake it in a conventional oven for about 30-40 minutes.

Step 1: Ingredients

Normal baking substitutions

Flour
There are a lot of variations out there on substituting wheat flour for gluten free baking, but I only use easy-to-find ingredients.
I use gluten-free mix from rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch (not potato flour), plus xanthan/guar gum (it's an important part of gluten free baking, to mimic the chewiness of normal baked goods).

The ratio for these flours are :
Rice flour : tapioca starch : potato starch = 4 : 1 : 1
(So for 1 cup you will need 2/3 cup rice flour, 1/6 cup tapioca starch, and 1/6 cup potato starch)
For 1 cup of this gluten free flour mix, add 1 tsp of xanthan/guar gum.

Dairy
Brownie recipe usually includes melted butter. To substitute the butter, you can use margarine. Most margarines are soy-based, while I need soy-free substitution, so I used vegetable oil instead.

Egg
You can substitute egg with a number of things, but I chose fruit puree. For this recipe I used commercial applesauce, but in other occasions I have used avocado, banana, pumpkin, avocado-banana mix, avocado-banana-strawberry mix, banana-papaya mix, even grated carrot! You can be creative with egg substitution.
Substitute 1 large egg with 1/4 cup of this fruit puree.

OK, here is the list of ingredients :

100 ml vegetable oil
1 oz baking chocolate (or 1/4 cup cocoa powder)
1 cup sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup fruit puree (equals 2 large eggs)
1 cup of gluten free flour mix
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder (this will make your brownie cakey. If you prefer dense and fudgy brownie, omit this)

Step 2: Prepare and Bake

Place baking chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe container (I used plastic container, but if you're concerned about plastic, go ahead and use glass container), and cook on high for 90 seconds. Chocolate will not appear melted until stirred. Stir in (in this order) : sugar, applesauce (or other egg-substitute of choice), gluten-free flour mix. At this point you can be creative and add anything you like. I sometimes add raisin, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for nutty taste, or instant coffee and cinnamon powder.

After all the ingredients are evenly mixed, place the container in the microwave, uncovered. Cook on high for 6 minutes. Cool. Cut into 16 squares.

Step 3: Variations


Here are just some examples of other brownies I have made using this recipe, with different egg substitutions. For me, the best egg substitute for this recipe is avocado puree.

Egg substitute in photos :
1. Strawberry-avocado-banana puree, with sunflower seeds
2. Avocado-banana
3. Grated carrot
4. Pumpkin
5. Avocado
6. Avocado, with sunflower seeds
7. Papaya-banana, with raisins