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07 Hazelnut Brownies with Chocolate Chips is Gluten-Free

Dec 12, 2016 By Deborah Allard, Herald News Staff Reporter

When Christmas is calling – or Hanukkah, Kwanza, or Boxing Day, for that matter – our thoughts turn to sweets and they’re a lot more racy than dreams of mere sugarplums.

Chocolate. Cheesecake. Multi-ingredient cookies. Mile-high pie. And, let’s dust it all with sugar and spice.

Our diets will suffer surely. And, heart disease, obesity and diabetes won’t take a holiday.

But, you don’t have to forgo the indulgences of the season if you make a few minor tweaks to your recipes, or try out some new ones from Leslie Cerier, the “Organic Gourmet” chef, cookbook author, recipe developer, and cooking instructor, of Amherst.

“This time of year, like everyday, I like to cook with the seasons, and always eat healthy organic treats, especially with very dark chocolate, and my cacao truffles are a daily pleasure for health and vitality,” Cerier said in an email conversation with The Herald News.

Cerier said she likes to celebrate life with organic vegetarian food. She often brings a healthy dish to parties and pot lucks, and guests love it.

Her recipes, available on her website lesliecerier.com, include everything from appetizers to soups. Being the holiday season, the desserts certainly stand out.

Who doesn’t want to eat ginger and spice cookies or hazelnut brownies with chocolate chips? How about those cacao truffles?

Cerier’s recipes use all organic ingredients, and often substitute items like chia seeds, coconut sugar, alternative flours, and apple or pear juice in place of their less healthy counterparts. Many are gluten-free.

Another way to stay healthy is to follow the local harvest (and stick some of that produce in the freezer for later months) which Cerier said “inspires me year round to mix and match the produce in season with a variety of vegetarian proteins, and healthy fats.”

“Eating for health and pleasure all year round is my way to stay healthy and celebrate,” Cerier said.
Leslie Cerier recipes

Ginger and Spice Cookies

GINGER AND SPICE COOKIES

Makes 28 cookies

Recipe developed by Leslie Cerier for Nutiva

Cookie Dough

1 tablespoon organic chia seeds

3 tablespoons water

1 organic egg

2 cups organic brown rice flour

1/3 cup Nutiva organic shortening, or extra virgin coconut oil, melted

½ cup organic coconut sugar*

¼ cup organic maple syrup

1 ½ tablespoons organic ground ginger powder

1 teaspoon organic ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon organic ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a separate small bowl, put the chia seeds and water and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg, and then add 1 ¾ cups rice flour, shortening, coconut sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and chia/water mixture.

Stir well to form a cookie dough.

Sprinkle ¼ cup brown rice flour on a pastry board, roll out the dough and then using a cookie cutter or a glass, press out cookies and place them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet.

Ginger Coconut Sugar Topping

1 tablespoon organic coconut sugar

1/2 teaspoon Organic Ground Ginger

Put the coconut sugar and ground ginger in a coffee grinder or blender. Blend to a finer powder.

Sprinkle ginger coconut sugar topping onto each cookie.

Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool before eating.

HAZELNUT BROWNIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Serves 6 to 8

Courtesy of Cerier’s cookbook “Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook”

2 eggs

1 cup apple or pear juice

1/4 cup melted extra-virgin coconut oil or butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup finely ground raw hazelnuts (skins on) or hazelnut flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a 9-inch round pan or a standard loaf pan.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients, holding back 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, and stir until thoroughly combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, scraping the bowl to get every last speck of chocolaty goodness. Decorate the top with the remaining chocolate chips.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or with only melted chocolate on it). Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and eating-if you can wait that long!

ALMOND CACAO TRUFFLES

Makes 20 walnut-size balls

Recipe by Leslie Cerier, “The Organic Gourmet”

1 1/2 cups organic cacao paste, ground in the food processor

½ cup organic almond butter or your favorite nut butter

¼ cup organic Grade B maple syrup

1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract

1 tablespoon organic maca powder

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup combination of organic goji berries, organic hemp seeds and organic shredded coconut cacao paste (also known as cacao liquor is similar like unsweetened baking chocolate)

1. Grate cacao paste with a grater in the food processor using the grater attachment. Switch out the grater attachment for the regular blade.

2. Add almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, maca and sea salt. Blend until smooth.

3. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if desired.

4. Shape into walnut sized balls.

5. Put the hemp seeds, shredded coconut, and goji berries on a large flat plate and roll balls in them.

6. Eat immediately or store in a quart jar on the counter.

 Photos by Tracey Eller
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