Jul 22 – I made these today, recipe as originally posted, and they’re not too bad. The kids find them okay. They need a bit of tweaking to get my kids to really like them. They do show promise as they don’t fall apart like the other squares I’ve been trying to make. Not only that but they are healthy and can fill someone up after ingesting a square. Will try these again very soon.
Jul 24 – Will try again with modifications in brackets.
Jul 26 – Kids love them. Changes made to recipe below. Trying brown sugar now. Will try carrots and apples instead of pears at a later date.
Makes 12 Bars
¾ cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (see below)
1 cup toasted quinoa flakes or gluten-free oats (barley flakes which contain gluten)
1/3 cup date sugar (July 26 will now try brown sugar)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup oil of choice
1 egg or flax gel
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 pears, peeled and coarsely grated (In future will try 1 or 2 carrots or 2 apples to see how that affects the taste)
½ cup chopped dates, dried apricots or dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped almonds, lightly toasted (optional) (I used raisins)
¼ cup hulled pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (like this addition because sesame seeds are good for calcium deprived individuals)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 8×8-inch baking pan.
Mix together flour blend, toasted quinoa flakes (I don’t toast the barley flakes) or oats, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon.
Stir in maple syrup, oil, egg and vanilla. Add pears, dates, almonds (if desired) and pumpkin seeds. Stir well to combine.
Spread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds over mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until done. Cool. Cut into 12 bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Living Without’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
Makes 1 Cup
½ cup rice flour
¼ cup tapioca starch/flour
¼ cup cornstarch or potato starch
Allergies! Now What? 