Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Self-Sufficiency Brownies



In our quest to live without money, we're always trying to find alternatives to things that we can't grow here.  We can't grow wheat.  One day, in the grocery store, I came across a package of potato flour and noticed a recipe for sponge cake made with it.  That got me thinking about using potatoes -- something easily grown here -- as a substitute for wheat flour.  I looked for instructions on making potato flour, with no success.  The one procedure I found was obviously written by someone who had never tried it.  The potatoes turned black and disgusting.  I gave up.

Last night, I heard a forecast of the price of wheat flour, and it made me start thinking again about potatoes.  This morning, I tried something.  I just used mashed potatoes instead of flour in a brownie recipe.  The brownies turned out fine.  The potato taste doesn't come through at all.  I'm going to experiment some more.  In the meantime, here's the recipe I used:

    4 heaping tbsp cocoa
    1/2 lb butter
    1 1/2 cup sugar
    4 eggs
    1 cup mashed potatoes
    1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
    2 tbsp espresso powder (optional)

    Melt butter, stir in cocoa, stir in sugar.  Beat eggs, one at a time, into mixture.  Beat in potatoes
    and coffee.  Stir in nuts.  Bake 45 min. in oiled 9"x13" pan.  Cool in pan.

I'd still like to find out about making potato flour at home.

5 comments:

  1. Wow, are you ever the resourceful one! Thank you for the recipe and the next time potatoes go on sale here I'm going to get me a bunch & try your 'tater browine recipe.

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  2. Those brownies look absolutely delicious! What a great way to use potatoes.

    Thinking about potato flour - what if you took cooked mashed potatoes,dehydrated them and proceeded from there?

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  3. Hope you enjoy them.

    I'm going to try that idea of cooking, then dehydrating, and I'll let you know how it works.

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  4. Try going to
    http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/
    Jackie lives off grid and seems to have the answer for most everything. A really interesting and info filled blog.

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  5. Great recipe Marion. It would be nice if you would copy this over to The Journey to Homesteading forum!

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