Best Gluten Free Brownie recipe

Originally posted March 17, 2008

Do you remember some of the products like “I can’t believe it’s not butter!” or “This can’t be yogurt!”? Well, get ready for “I can’t believe these brownies are gluten-free!”.

I have been cooking and baking gluten-free since July 2007 when a doctor told me that one of the reason’s for my daughter’s eczema was due to her diet. Some of you know this whole story already. Well, in a quest to keep things simple, I’ve been experimenting with many different recipes of all types: pancakes, muffins, cakes, pasta dishes and brownies. I have even found a few boxed products that I feel work well. But, as always, when compared to homemade, well, there is no comparison.

I thought I had found a good one but I noticed there was a lot of sugar. Hmm, I want something easy but I still want control of what my family is eating. So, I played around with a bunch of different recipes until I came up with this. Even if you’re not gluten-free, I promise you’ll like them. I have also called them “Better Than a Box Brownies” but really I consider them to be “the best gluten-free brownies”.

Here’s a little secret. If you really want to kick it up a notch, once the brownies are cooled, top with vanilla buttercream frosting. Place in the fridge until firm, maybe 15 to 30 minutes. Top this with melted chocolate, spreading to the edges. Optionally top with sprinkles. OMG! You are welcome.

This recipe can be found in my cookbook, The Warm Kitchen along with the buttercream frosting.

Gluten-Free Brownies

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips like Guittard
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• ¾ cup sugar (you can reduce to ½ cup if you prefer)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup brown rice flour and ¼ cup tapioca flour (or ½ cup gluten-free flour blend with or without gum like my flour blend, Amy’s Gluten-Free Flour Blend)
• ½ teaspoon fine kosher or sea salt
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips like Guittard
• Optional: ½ cup chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts

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1. Preheat the oven to 325℉. A lower temperature of the oven helps to evenly cook the brownies.
2. Grease an 8″ or 9″ square baking pan or line with parchment paper, making sure to press into the corners.
3. Place the butter or oil, ½ cup chocolate chips and the bittersweet chocolate in a medium to large microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Alternately, melt over a double boil.
4. Add sugar and vanilla and stir. This should help cool the chocolate. Wait about 5 minutes.
5. Beat eggs in a separate bowl first and then add to cooled chocolate. Add the flours, salt, additional chocolate chips, and optionally any nuts, mixing until it is all mixed and smooth.
6. Spread into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out slightly wet. If it’s dry, the brownie will be dry. Next time, cook for less time. If it’s too wet, it will be too gooey.
7. Remove brownies from the oven and allow to cool before cutting. If you use parchment paper, you can pull the brownies out of the pan which will make it easier to cut.

It might take you a few times making this to get it right but once you do, you’ll be happy with the results. If you want to see some of my favorite equipment for baking, check out this amazon.com list (affiliate link).