Gluten Free Brownies

Why This Recipe Works

It’s gluten free — I use no wheat flour in these brownies at all. I honestly thought, when I started developing this recipe, that there would be no way I could make brownies taste and chew like brownies without all-purpose flour. But I was wrong! This combination of ingredients works! 

So delicious — Not only are these the most delicious gluten-free brownies I’ve ever made, they’re the some of the best brownies I’ve ever made — Period. At all. In any recipe. I think that gluten-free gets a bad rap from time to time so I’m pretty stoked to be advocating for the amazingness that can happen without gluten.

Healthy(er) — Sure, these have chocolate in them, but chocolate has plenty of antioxidants. Sure they have sugar, but way less than a lot of brownie recipes, and boxed brownie mixes. These gluten-free brownies also contain almonds, coconut oil, eggs, and honey — all good for you in their own ways and make great brownie ingredients if I do say so myself!

Loved by gluten-lovers and gluten-free advocates alike — Whether or not you are gluten intolerant is not the question here. The question is whether you have a passionate adoration for super ultra fudgey chewy chocolate chip brownies. Do you? Of course you do. And it is definitely why you must make these brownies and feed them to an unsuspecting non-gluten-free-eater. Just see what they think. I guarantee they will never ever guess they are gluten free. I also guarantee they will fall madly in love with these brownies for the sheer magnitude of rich flavor and fudgy chewiness!

Ingredients

You won’t be buying loads of non-wheat flours that you won’t ever use again or other special ingredients that clog up your pantry. You’re just a few simple ingredients and a couple kitchen tools away from the best brownies of your life — that just happen to be gluten-free.

• Baking chocolate — Roughly chopped baking chocolate works well here. I prefer a well-known brand. The better the chocolate, the better the taste. 
• Coconut oil — Use liquified coconut oil. If you don’t like coconut oil, you can also sub another oil like vegetable or canola.
• Honey — Any kind of regular-old honey works great in these gluten-free brownies. 
• Brown sugar — I use dark brown but you can also use light-brown sugar if that’s what you have. 
• Eggs — Two standard, large eggs will help the brownies bind together while they’re baking. 
• Vanilla extract — Add pure vanilla extract if you have it or mix it up by adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon almond extract if you have it.
• Whole raw almonds — We’ll be making a powder of these almonds for these brownies, so you can buy the plain ones (no salt). 
• Cocoa powder — Adding some more chocolatey deliciousness to these brownies is key, and the powder helps the wet ingredients come together.
• Salt — Just a pinch of salt adds depth to all the other flavors. 
• Baking soda — Get those brownies to rise up a bit and have some texture by using baking soda. 
• Semi sweet chocolate chips — I love the semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use another kind of chocolate if you prefer. 
• Coarse sea salt — For sprinkling over the top of the brownies after they come out of the oven (optional).

Instructions

Not only are these brownies delicious, but they’re so easy to make too!

1. First, before you start mixing the batter together, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with foil or parchment and then lightly grease the foil or parchment to ensure the brownies don’t stick (not pictured)
2. Next, take out a microwave safe bowl and add the chopped baking chocolate and oil. Put it in the microwave to melt, at half power, for 2-3 minutes, making sure to stir 30-45 seconds, until the mixture comes out smooth. (photos 1-2)
3. Add the melted chocolate and oil mixture along with the honey, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla to a large bowl. Mix all of this together until it’s smooth. (photos 3-4)
4. Take the almonds and pulse them in your food processor (or heavy duty blender such as a Blendtec) until finely ground. Add the ground almonds, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. (photos 5-8)
5. Spread the gluten-free brownies evenly into your baking pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with chocolate chips and put them in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes until just set (just shake the pan a bit and if it jiggles, it needs a couple more minutes). (photos 9-11)
6. Sprinkle it with coarse sea salt immediately after removing the brownies from the oven. Allow them to cool completely before cutting them into bars and serving. (photo 12)