Becoming gluten-free for health reasons is something that has grown into a wide success over the last few years, helped out by delicious recipes along the way, making it easier and super tasty! If gluten-free is something you’re pursuing, we’ve got all the info on how to still enjoy your favourite bakes.
Nut flours are your go-to!
Versatile, easy to use, and packing an extra punch of flavour for your bakes, nut flours can be used as a full flour replacement or combined with gluten-free flours in many bakes, to give you a lighter, fluffier bake, with an extra hit of protein. At LemonVanilla, we stock premium almond flour and hazelnut flour, perfect for your baking needs!
Check out our ideas below for inspiration on using nut flours and enjoy them in your next gluten-free bakes!
Brownie Bites
Chocolate never goes out of style, and despite indulging on endless amounts over our festive celebrations, we still can’t get enough of these brownies! This recipe makes approximately 900g of brownies, meaning you can cut them up into mini bites and make them more of a small treat!
- 185g Callebaut Dark Chocolate 811
- 85g almond meal
- 50g Callebaut White Chocolate W2
- 50g Callebaut Milk Chocolate 823
- 40g cocoa powder
- 185g unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 275g light brown caster sugar
- Melt the butter and dark chocolate together then cool.
- Prepare a 30cm x 20cm brownie tin (or tin foil tray) and line the bottom with greaseproof or waxed paper.
- Sieve the cocoa powder then add the almond meal.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a mixer to a light and foamy consistency.
- Fold into the cooled chocolate mixture.
- Fold in the almond meal and cocoa powder mixture.
- Fold in the white and milk chocolate buttons.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake @ 160°C for 25 minutes. Test the brownie with a skewer to make sure it comes out without any mix attached.
- Cool in the tin, cut into mini bites, and serve!
Crumble
We love crumble at any time of year, but during the winter it feels like such a home-comfort dessert, which we love enjoying in this season’s darker nights! Did you know you can use nut flours in the toppings of your crumble? Simply swap where you would usually use flour to mix with your butter and add in the nut flour instead! We love almond flour mixed with some desiccated coconut in our recipes, or, if you’re a bit of a chocoholic, try the recipe below!
- 104g almond flour
- 104g brown sugar
- 84g maize starch
- 23g cocoa powder
- 104g butter
- Pinch of salt
Crusts and Pie Bases
Tarts, pies… you name it, we’re all about a delicious buttery crust. Nut flours can be used so easily to create a pie-base; just simply add melted butter to your favourite sweetener to bind the almond flour and press the mixture into your pie plate. Both almond and hazelnut flours work great in a crust, bake or no-bake, the addition of a flavourful nut flour not only transforms your favourite pies and tarts into gluten-free desserts, but brings a depth of flavour that can complement your fillings beautifully.
Macarons
A lighter, snack-sized treat, macarons aren’t just for afternoon teas (although they’re great there, too!), they’re a gluten-free favourite. When you’re just fancying a little sweet treat, these deliciously airy, meringue-based biscuits are a quick and easy go-to. Almond flour is the star ingredient for macarons, so there’s no need to swap anything out!
Top Tip: try our Spice Drops to flavour your macarons, our favourite is lemon!
Breakfast bars
There are many ways you can make nutritious breakfast bars, but our favourites go along the lines of baked oats, berries and yes, you guessed it, nut flours! Not only do nut flours keep oat mixtures together whilst baking breakfast bars, but they also accompany the fruit and oat mixture, adding more nutritional value with an extra helping of protein, and a great taste that really enhances the bars.
