Maple Oat "Brownies" with Maple Drizzle

This isn't really a brownie in the chocolate sense, but it's the closest thing I could compare the texture to. These were an experiment, adapted from a recipe from the Gluten-free Goddess' website for Oatmeal-Quinoa Breakfast Brownies. The idea sounded great to me, but I decided to spruce them up with one of my favorite things in the world - maple. Also, I have not been able to find a lot of my specialty flours here in Swaziland, so I had to make some substitutions there as well. And even though my family sent me some gluten-free oats, I have been using them very sparingly, and so instead of using all oats, I used half rolled oats and buckwheat flakes to conserve my supply. Feel free to use all oats in place of the buckwheat flakes in this recipe. I am notoriously bad at waiting for baked goods to cool before trying them, and so predictably, as soon as these came out of the oven, I cut a small piece, expecting the maple flavor to burst into my mouth. Maybe I set my expectations too high, because I was a little disappointed with the flavor when they were hot from the oven. But let me tell you - once they cooled, these tasted phenomenally good. I didn't add as much sugar as Karina did in her recipe, but I made up for that by drizzling a simple powdered sugar-icing over the brownies to add a bit of extra sweetness. I had to give most of these away because I was in very real danger of eating the entire pan all by myself! '

Maple Oat "Brownies" with Maple Drizzle

¾ cup rice flour

¾ cup sorghum flour

½ cup potato starch

½ cup rolled oats

½ cup buckwheat flakes

¼ cup shredded coconut

1 teaspoon xanthan gum 
3/4 teaspoon sea salt 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice 
1 1/2 cups organic light brown sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. maple extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 - 5 tbsp. soy milk

½ cup crushed pecans or the nut of your choice

½ cup chocolate chunks or chips

For the maple drizzle: 1 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 2 - 4 tbsp. water

1 - 2 tsp. maple extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine all the dry ingredients (including the brown sugar) in a bowl and mix very well. In another small bowl, combine the eggs, oil, maple syrup, maple extract, and vanilla extract and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix well. At this stage, it will likely appear a little dry and crumbly; add 3 - 5 tbsp. soy milk (or other non-dairy milk) until the mixture is smoother and more consistent. Add the pecans or any other nuts of your choice and the chocolate chunks. Pour the dough into an 11" x 13" greased/sprayed pan, and press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting.  

To make the Maple Drizzle:  

Put the powdered sugar into a bowl and add 1 - 2 tsp. maple extract and 2 tbsp. water to start and mix well. Add water one tablespoonful at a time until you have the consistency you desire. Drizzle onto the brownies only once they have completely cooled. Cut and serve. Store in the refrigerator or freeze, wrapped individually in foil.

To make this vegan,  substitute 1.5 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp. warm water for the egg.