My husband has declared that these dairy free gluten free brownies are "the best he's eaten in his life", and I have to say that I humbly agree. They have a decadent, fudgy center that marries perfectly with a chewy, crackly top. It's a dense, thick brownie that's full of rich, delicious chocolate flavor, and will make you want to eat the entire batch.
Gluten Free Flour
You can make these brownies with regular all-purpose flour if you eat gluten, but if you're making them gluten free I recommend using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour. I always get consistently good results with this flour, and find it to be reliable and similar in taste to traditional versions. Feel free to use your favorite brand, but be sure to start checking your brownies at the 20 minute mark. Ingredients vary across brands, which affects cooking time. You'll also want to make sure your gluten free brand contains xanthan gum.
Don't Overbake Them
To achieve that fudgy center you'll want to be sure you don't overbake your brownies. You want to bake them until they just start to get crispy on the edges but are still very soft in the center. A tester in the center of the brownies will come out with a bit of batter on them without still being raw. The brownies will set as they cool, so don't panic if they seem undercooked. Mine take about 45 minutes to cook, but as I mentioned this varies depending on the brand of flour you use. I start checking at the 20 minute mark and pull them when they are no longer jiggling in the center but still very soft.
Substitutions
I use Earth Balance brand, (unsalted) plant-based butter sticks in this recipe. You can also substitute the plant based butter with melted coconut oil, or another neutral tasting oil like canola oil.
Variations
For the holiday season I like to make a peppermint version of these brownies, which is a great way to use up those candy canes.
You can also melt a half cup of peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and drizzle it over your brownie batter before baking. If you aren't gluten free you can substitute the peanut butter for cookie butter.
Dairy Free Gluten Free Fudge Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free 1 to 1 flour I used Bob's Red Mill
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted plant based butter Melted. See notes for substitutions.
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients.
- Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add in your wet ingredients. Mix the batter just until it's moist and well combined.
- Gently fold in your chocolate chips.
- Add your batter to your prepared baking pan, and spread evenly.
- Bake your brownies for about 45 minutes. Depending on the brand of flour you use, the baking time will vary. I start checking mine at about 20 minutes. A cake tester should come out with a bit of batter on it, but it shouldn't be raw. You want to take them out when the edges start to get crispy. The middle will still be very soft, and that's what you're looking for.
- Once the brownies are cooked through, let them cool in the pan on a wire baking rack. Let them rest for at least one hour before cutting in to them or they will crumble. The longer you let them sit, the less crumbly they will be. I let mine rest overnight and cut them the next day. A good trick is to use a plastic knife to cut brownies, because the crumbs don't stick to the knife and you get a cleaner cut square.
- Once cooled and cut, you can heat the brownies squares up in the microwave if you'd like to enjoy it warm.
Nutrition
Ash says
So yummy! My new favorite brownie recipe!