A while back the girls in the weekly Bible study group I’m part of were asked to help cater for desserts for an evangelistic event. We needed to provide a variety of easy desserts that involved little serving hassle, tasted great and cared for the needs of those with allergies. When my friend Jacinta said, “I’ve got a gluten free chocolate brownie recipe that works every time and tastes great”, we all praised God! And she was right. The group got together for a big baking session the night before and everything came together, in part due to this terrific recipe. Unlike many brownie recipes, there’s no expensive ingredients here and the whole thing cooked evenly without drying out the edges. I’m going to be using this one for many years to come! You’ll find gluten free flour in the health food section of most supermarkets and the whole recipe will cost around $5 to make.

• 240g butter or margarine
• 2 cups raw sugar (can substitute with caster or white)
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups gluten free plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• pinch of salt

1. Mix in 1/2-3/4 cup of any of the following, if desired: berries, jersey caramels, chocolate chips, walnuts or peanuts.
2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius, 160 degrees if fan-forced
3. line a large baking dish or two 25×25 square pans with baking paper
4. Melt margarine in glass jug or saucepan
5. In a large bowl, combine sugar and cocoa, mix in melted butter, eggs, vanilla and salt.
6. Sift bicarb soda and flour together and fold into the mix. Beat the mixture well by hand or with an electric mixer.
7. Pour into tin/s and bake for 25-30 minutes, though start checking earlier. It should fee; ‘just set’ on top. Remember: it will continue to cook as it cools, so don’t overcook.
8. Cool in the tin and serve by itself or with cream, icecream or raspberry sauce.