Gluten-Free Maple Walnut Bars
yields: 9 bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- ¼ cup millet flour
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons gluten-free oat flour
- ¼ cup sweet rice flour, also called mochiko; do not substitute white or brown rice flour
- ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Maple Walnut Filling
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 8x6 glass baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the millet flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, and brown sugar.
- Add the vanilla and unsalted butter and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour, until it becomes a crumbly dough.
- Press the dough into the parchment paper and bake until set and begins to turn golden brown, about 14-17 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat egg in a bowl. Whisk in the tapioca starch until completely combined.
- Add the maple syrup, dark brown sugar, melted butter and vanilla to the eggs and mix thoroughly.
- Sprinkle the chopped walnuts in the par-baked shortbread-lined baking dish.
- Evenly pour egg mixture over walnuts.
- Bake until the filling is completely set, about 20-25 minutes. If the center of the filling still jiggles a bit when the pan is moved, then return to the oven until set, about 5 minutes longer.
- Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
