Cybele Pascal

I was so excited when Enjoy Life came out with their Semi Sweet Mega Chunks and newish line of chocolate bars, I literally jumped for joy. I was already a huge fan of their chocolate chips, and now they’ve given me a whole new genre of chocolate to bake with. These chocolate chunk cookie bars are an old-fashioned picnic or school function favorite. So easy and yet sooooo good!

Chocolate Chunk Blondie Bars

makes 16 bars

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend or my Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
11/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
11/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons rice milk
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon rice milk
6 ounces Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks or Enjoy Life Rice Milk bars or Dark Chocolate Boom Choco Boom bars (about 4 bars), chopped into centimeter-size chunks

♥♥♥

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 9-inch pan.
2. Whisk together the flour mix, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla and egg replacer and mix for 20 seconds.
5. Add the flour mix in three batches, mixing on low speed, alternating with the rice milk, and beginning and ending with the flour mix.
6. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
7. Spread the batter evenly across the bottom of the baking pan.
8. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes, or until lightly golden, rotating the pan halfway through.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes. Cut into 16 squares. Let cool.

Reprinted with permission from The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook: How to Bake Without Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, and Sesame. Copyright © 2009 by Cybele Pascal, Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.