One of my dearest friends in the blogosphere is Shirley, at Gluten Free Easily, or GFE, for short. Shirley began commenting on my recipes a little over a year ago, and shortly after created her website, which has become a huge success. She runs a celiac support group in her town, which I was thrilled to give a presentation with Q&A via Skype a few months back. Shirley has hosted Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-free, and participates in several group events such as the Gluten-free Progressive Dinner Party, created by Diane, at The Whole Gang.
Shirley is one of the most sincere and supportive people I know, and I was so excited that she loved my brownies. Above is her photo of them, and here is what she has to say:
“You know how I like to test out my favorite bloggers’ recipes? Well, I’ve been eyeing Kelly’s flourless brownies over at her Spunky Coconut blog for a very long time. The thing is they are made of almond butter and/or sunbutter and I had never purchased or even tried either before—until recently. Now I’m a big fan of both almond butter and sunbutter. So I went ahead and made the sacrifice and tested this recipe for you. You can find Kelly’s original recipehere, but I’ll tell you the few changes that I made. I used all sunbutter because we have a support group member who is allergic to almonds. We weren’t having a support group meeting any time soon, but again I thought I’d go ahead and do a test baking session to see if these brownies were a winner. I know … silly to think they might not be … it’s one of Kelly’s recipes after all. All of her recipes are wonderful!
In addition to using all sunbutter, I substituted vanilla extract for the vanilla liquid stevia and added both ¼ cup of coarsely chopped walnuts and 1/8 cup of walnut meal (left over from another recipe). I like the added texture of nuts in many baked goods, but please note that nuts are not an ingredient in Kelly’s recipe so those of you with nut allergies can still enjoy these brownies without nuts. I also used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, whereas Kelly used Enjoy Life chocolate chips to ensure her brownies would be dairy free and soy free, etc. as well as gluten free. Oh, these brownies are just amazing! If you make them, you may never go back to a traditional brownie. They are dense and rich, and not overly sweet. A small piece is all one needs to be perfectly satisfied. Kelly’s version is gluten free, grain free, dairy free, soy free, nut free, and refined sugar free. When she made them via Skype for our support group meeting last fall, she said that her family often eats them for breakfast. She considers them very healthy and I can see why. She has several variations of flourless brownies on her blog, including this new one that is also egg free, grain free, vegan, and more. I love it when folks create amazing recipes that address multiple allergies and keep others from feeling deprived!”
Fayinagirl (means Free One) says
Yum, yum, yum! We’re big fans of sunbutter here so we’ll have to try these too. =)
Pam says
Those looks scrumptious!
xoxo
The Gluten-free 'Dish' says
I have had my eye on this recipe the last weeks since I bought your lovely new cookbook. Please excuse me while I drool…
gfe--gluten free easily says
Oh, Kelly, you made my day with your sweet, wonderful words! Please know that I am only returning the love and kindness that has been shown to me by warm and generous folks like you. 🙂 Thanks for being the creative, culinary genius that you are, as well. I know all your Spunky readers agree. 😉
BTW, I updated my post to include a link to my earlier review of your recipes and cookbook!
xoxo,
Shirley
Pam says
I made these tonight with 1/2 crunchy almond butter and 1/2 crunchy peanut butter….so good!
Thank you!
xoxo
Anonymous says
i am dying to try your brownies, but I am wondering about leaving out the honey as I suffer from candida. Any suggestions? The only sweetner allowed is stevia.
Kelly says
Thanks guys!
Anonymous, Can you use apple sauce? That might work. Also, have you tried Biociden? I link to it in this post if you are interested: Apples with almond butter
Nothing we did got rid of Ashley’s candida, until we got that.
Love, Kelly
Sharon says
I just wanted to comment how much I love your blog and especially the recipes. I am a member of Shirley’s support group and regular reader of her blog. Isn’t she the best? Shirley got me linked up with your blog!
Sharon