Gluten Free Brownies

Need to satisfy your chocolate craving? These gluten free brownies are the perfect way to do it, and are made completely from scratch! They’re fudgy with crackly tops, easy to make, dairy free and made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand.

I’m one of those weird people who much prefers vanilla to chocolate, but I can absolutely never say no to a good homemade brownie. Especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. It’s basically the best of the dessert world.

These gluten free brownies are fudgy, chewy, perfectly chocolatey, and so easy to make.

Plus, they’re made in just one bowl, require no fancy ingredients. Throw in some chocolate chips for some extra fudge, drizzle on top a chocolate glaze or frost them completely, or even add some chopped nuts.

No matter how you serve them, this is my fool proof that recipe that anyone and everyone will love.

How to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Add 1 cup worth of the chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30-45 second intervals, stirring between each until completely melted.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, milk and oil.

Add in the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking powder) and the melted chocolate and mix until a batter forms. Fold in the remaining 2/3 cup of chocolate chips (can omit if you prefer).

Transfer to an 8×8 baking dish lined with parchment paper and spread the batter evenly. 

Bake for 32-38 minutes or until a toothpick comes out somewhat clean and the tops are nice and shiny/crinkly. I do 35 minutes in my oven, but all ovens are different. Bake for longer for a less fudgy and more cake like center.

Let cool completely, then slice into 16 even squares. With an 8×8 pan, 16 squares will be slightly small brownies, feel free to cut into 9 for larger ones.

The key to fudgy brownies

You may have noticed that is an old recipe that I updated to make 1000x better. The original recipe tasted great, but it was definitely more cakey than fudgy. Personally, I like both types of brownies, but after some feedback, I decided to upgrade these to be fudgier and get that gorgeous shiny crackly crust we all dream about. Just me?? Ok.

Anyway, I’ve tried and tested and have nailed down a few key tips to make fudgy brownies, you’ll never go back to a boxed gluten free brownie mix again!

Use melted chocolate instead of (or in addition to) cocoa powder. Many brownie recipes call for cocoa powder, (even some of my recipes), but I find for these gluten free brownies, using melted chocolate yields the best texture AND is the key to getting a shiny/crackly top.

Shorten the bake time! A longer bake time means the brownies will dry out slightly and won’t be as fudgy. This can be good or bad depending on how you like them. For reference, I baked mine for 35 minutes and they were fudgy without being too gooey. Feel free to go up or down!

Keep the baking powder/soda to a minimum. This recipe uses just 1/4 tsp of baking powder since it already has two eggs which helps the batter rise. Too much baking powder or soda will create too much air in the brownies which can cause them to be cakey or just collapse in the center after the cool. We don’t want either!

The best chocolate & flour

You can use any kind of chocolate chips you like, but try to use good quality and avoid bittersweet. I suggest semi-sweet and love the brand Guittard since they’re made in a gluten free facility and taste just like regular chocolate chips, but are gluten & dairy free.

This recipe requires just 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, so you can use whatever you like. Either dutch processed or natural cocoa powder will work. It’s a small amount but just works to enhance the overall chocolate flavor and absorb a bit of moisture.

As far as flour goes, I used the GF Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour in the blue bag. You can try other gluten free baking flours like King Arthur, just make sure they have xanthan gum. You can also use regular all purpose flour instead if you are not gluten free!

Frequently asked questions

Do they keep? Once prepared, these gluten free brownies will store for about 3-5 days. Allow them to cool completely before transferring to an air tight container. I store them at room temperature, but they’ll keep for longer in the fridge!

What if I don’t have a microwave? If you don’t have a microwave, you can add the chocolate chips to a small pot, then put that pot in a larger pot with about an inch of water and melt over low heat, stirring regularly to prevent burning. Or, if you have an actual double boiler, just use that!

Can I make these gluten free brownies refined sugar free? You can, but, the tops won’t get shiny/crackly like in the photos. You can swap the semi-sweet chocolate chips for stevia sweetened chocolate chips and use coconut sugar in place of granulated sugar. I do not recommend a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup here!

Can I make them vegan and dairy free? This recipe is naturally dairy free (just use dairy free chocolate chips), but I do not suggest making them vegan. You can try my vegan and gluten free brownies instead!

Try these desserts next!

• Chocolate Cupcakes
• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
• S’mores Bars
• Flourless Brownies
• Almond Flour Brownies

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