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Our family has special dietary needs - no gluten, no dairy, and no berries. This means that a lot of our dessert ingredients are different from others. It doesn’t mean that they taste any worse, though! We have a family favorite called “Better than Brownies” because, well, they are better than regular brownies! When you add a bunch of chocolate chips and coconut flakes to brownies, plus some mashed banana for a bit of nutrition, you’ve got a fabulous brownie.

We had friends over a lot this summer - mainly because our house is a 5 minute walk to the beach. Since I’m Italian, I need to feed anyone who comes near the house. Thanks to having a good Stand Mixer, I can make breads, desserts, and other great treats! My current stand mixer has been going for almost 10 years. I’m sure it will need to be replaced after all the wear and tear from constant cooking, and as I browse around, I’m really impressed by the Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer.

This mixer has the same properties as other mixers, but costs about $200 less. The Eclectrics® Mixer also includes a Pouring Shield, is available in 6 colors (I like the dark blue one!), and has “Professional 2-way rotating mixing action”, which should whip and cream more efficiently than 1-way mixing!

I’d love to test out the Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer against my current mixer, and see the difference in some of our favorite foods. Meanwhile, check out our yummy dessert, which can be made with wheat flour or without but definitely needs a stand mixer:

Better than Brownies
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup margarine or shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 ripe, mashed bananas (or 1 cup if using 1 egg)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup gluten free flour & 1/3 cup starch OR 1 cup all purpose flour if not gluten-free
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum or guar gum (omit if using all purpose flour)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 eggs (or one egg or egg replacer if using 1c banana)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease or line a 9×13 pan.

If using Egg Replacer, mix 1 1/2 tsp Egg Replacer with 2 TBS water or coconut milk.

In a stand mixer, cream the margarine and sugars until fluffy

Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

Add egg/egg replacer, banana, and vanilla to the stand mixer bowl. Mix until well combined.

Add the flour mixture slowly, and keep mixing until it is well integrated. Add the coconut and chocolate chips.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, then bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked through. You can also makes this in little cupcake tins or shaped pans for special occasions! (Check out the Recipes tab in the navigation bar for more yummy and allergy-safe recipes)

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