Mmm. I am eating one of these yummy, almond and coconut slices right now as I type away, washing it down with a cup of tea brewed just the way I like it, and I have to say, I'm feeling rather pleased with myself.
Firstly, just because they are quite delicious. Secondly, because they do not taste like a 'gluten-free version' of anything that should have had standard flour in - they are softly-textured, tasty cake bars in their own right, and I'm only pointing them out as 'gluten-free' for the sake of people who are looking for these types of recipes.
I do like to experiment with gluten-free baking because of my dad not being able to eat gluten, and I had some coconut flour in that I had picked up cheaply from the local Indian supermarket, as well as some brown rice flour that I hadn't opened yet. So I decided to try using the two flours to make some quick, tea-time treats.
I have to say, these delectable slices turned out to be really good (otherwise, I suppose I wouldn't be blogging about them)! They don't fall apart as some gluten-free cakes can do, and they are moist with a wonderful melt-in-the-mouth texture. And not too almondy - the flour and flaked almond topping is enough of a hint, so I chose not to add almond essence.
Plus, they are really, really easy to make. They would make a perfect addition to a vegan or gluten free afternoon tea party, and would be a good choice if you want something simple and time-saving to bake but tasty to eat.
If you have a gluten-intolerance or Coeliac's disease yourself, then you may likely have brown rice flour in your cupboard. If you are fine with using standard flour and don't want to buy the rice flour especially, I think it would be fine to substitute.
The coconut flour though obviously adds the 'coconut' flavour to these slices, so do use that! Oh, and my weighing scales are not that accurate - the cups are the most accurate measurement here, although I've tried to provide the weights as close as possible as I could see on my scales!
Gluten-Free Coconut Macaroon Slices
Makes 12 slices
1½ cups / 150g coconut flour
½ cup / 75g brown rice flour
½ cup / 50g ground almonds
⅔ cup / 125g brown sugar
4 tbsp sweetened apple sauce
2 tbsp melted vegan margarine
⅓ cup (+ 1 tbsp) / 90ml rice milk
2-3 tbsp flaked almonds for topping
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flours, ground almonds and sugar.
3. Make a little well in the middle, then pour in the apple sauce, milk and melted margarine. Mix until well combined.
4. Spread the batter into your baking tray or pan, and press down with your hand to even it out, smoothing the surface with the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of the batter, then bake for 25-30 minutes (or until golden brown).
6. Remove from oven then leave to cool in the pan for around 20 minutes before attempting to transfer to a cooling rack, then cut into 12 bars while in the pan, before gently transfering a couple of slices at a time to the rack.
I'm Andrea, and am obsessed with creating fabulous food. After I managed to ditch dieting, the reason Chocolate and Beyond was born, it seemed natural to evolve my site into a foodie blog. More so since I also ditched animal produce to be vegan. Now, I love showing how inventive cruelty-free cooking can be. And sometimes I like to rant, too. I wouldn't be myself otherwise :) x 
Oh, how yummy they look! I think I have all the ingredients, I'll check and get right to it:) Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Posted by: Adriana | August 07, 2012 at 05:13 PM
Thanks Adriana! Please will you come back and comment when you've made them to say how they turned out? Would love to know if you liked them!
Posted by: Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond | August 07, 2012 at 05:27 PM
I have just stombled onto this site! Its fantastic!! I am new to Veganism. Only 4 months now however I feel better than I have ever felt in my life and the best part is my weight just keeps falling off!! I want to make these yummy bars however I live in the U.S. and to be honest with you I have no idea what the equivlent to 180 degrees Celsius would be to set my oven. Would you be able to help me with that? Thanks for such a wonderful blog! I will be visiting often!!
Posted by: Corina | August 19, 2012 at 05:24 PM
Hi Corina, thanks for your comment and I'm so glad you are feeling great now you have gone vegan (and well done on making a compassionate choice!).
180 degrees Celsius is the same as 350 Fahrenheit - and here is a conversion guide for future use:
http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking_gasmark.htm
Andrea
Posted by: Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond | August 20, 2012 at 03:56 PM