Being an amateur baker means exactly that- I am no professional in the kitchen, but I do love to experiment. After using boxed brownie mixes to create safe desserts for my daughter I thought making a healthier version without the notorious Top 8 allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, fish, wheat, shellfish, eggs, soy, and milk) could be easily doable.

My first attempts were not quite wins, like at all. I used coconut flour and let’s just say we have a love-hate relationship. I love the idea that it absorbs most of the wet ingredients in a recipe but it seems to hate, and I mean hates, to be the flour it needs to be for me. Flour is supposed to create a structure in the recipe. It creates the firmness and adds stability. I never got any of those benefits… Each time I tried baking with coconut flour I would end up with a warm pudding in an 8x8 pan. I mean every time! I attempted making brownies with this type of flour three different times. I tried baking it longer, using less wet ingredients, different wet ingredients, letting the ingredients sit in the fridge for a half hour or more to help for the flour to absorb and combine more thoroughly, but nothing helped. They all tasted great and were so ooey gooey but you needed a spoon to eat it. I could never get them out of the pan. If you wanted to just eat brownie batter this was for you! But if you wanted your brownies with a little more body then you were plum out of luck.

To some, these multiple “fails” would be the end of top 8 allergen baking. I didn’t need to continue trying so hard to perfect this recipe. My daughter only has a few allergies, but what about those who can’t give up? Who want something for their families or themselves that is safe and still tasted good? So what did I do?

I admitted defeat- well at least with coconut flour. It wasn’t working for me but there must be something else that could the way it should. I started looking at it from a different angle. If it won’t set or firm up in a flat pan what could? I changed the flour to my own unique blend and gave up baking in large pans. This is when I found individual brownies cooked better (or at all). Muffin tins were the way to go!

I may have failed at coconut flour but I did not fail myself because I kept at it and learned from my missteps. Where have you failed in the kitchen? Were they epic or just slightly disappointing?

If you have any great coconut flour dessert recipes share them please! Any tricks you have learned along the way- send them my way. I am always up for a challenge or a tried and true treat! Maybe I’ll give coconut flour another try.