There is no doubt that Tony is the chocoholic in our household. Though my husband doesn’t demand the cocoa bean daily, if he spots anything chocolate in the house then I can assure you that it won’t survive very long. These super-rich chocolate fudge gluten-free brownies were his latest victim.
Tony was craving a sweet, and I knew that dairy-free and gluten-free brownies would not only hit the spot, but would also be a breeze to whip up. However, rather than sticking with my old tried and true recipe, I decided to adventure something different. I wanted to see how some flourless or near flourless gluten-free brownies would turn out, so I turned to David Lebovitz for inspiration.
Like most flourless brownies, David’s version relies on butter. I modified his recipe quite a bit to get the fudgy gluten-free brownies below, and the end result was still amazing. I even snuck a couple slices away to neighbors to ensure that they would be loved by all. The feedback was “mmm, SO chocolaty!” No one suspected that these were dairy-free, let alone gluten-free brownies.
Aside from those two squares to our neighbors, I got a small brownie for myself. The rest of the pan was polished clean by Tony is less than two days! I think that speaks for itself.
These are fudgy gluten-free brownies; they are not cakey by any means. Though they look quite moist in the photo, they are set up, and not wet. I would call them a cross between your run of the mill brownie and chocolate fudge.
Special Diet Notes: Chocolate Fudge Gluten-Free Brownies
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian.
What about Eggs? Please note that I have not yet tested this dairy-free recipe without eggs. It would be a tricky one since it is flourless and uses just a bit of starch. Ener-G eggs may be a good option, but I think flax eggs, applesauce, or similar (without additional ingredient tweaking) would prevent the brownies from setting up. If you confuse eggs with dairy, you’re not alone! See my post on Are Eggs Dairy?
Sugar Options? If you prefer to use less-processed sugars in your baking, coconut sugar should work in place of the brown sugar, but I would run it through a spice grinder to powder it a bit, since coconut sugar doesn’t always melt into baked goods. These gluten-free brownies would be a touch less sweet with coconut sugar, but still rich and fudgy.
- ⅓ cup coconut oil (can substitute your baking oil of choice or dairy-free margarine)
- 4 ounces dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup non-GMO cornstarch or potato starch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Grease and flour an 8x8-inch baking pan – you can use any flour (gluten-free, all-purpose, or even starch), I used brown rice flour.
- Melt the oil and two chocolates together in a double broiler, or the lazy way, as I do, in the microwave. For the microwave, place them all in a microwave-safe bowl, and cook on high in 30 second intervals, stirring vigorously in between. Heat until the chocolate is just barely melted and no more to prevent scorching. It usually takes a total of 60 to 90 seconds (just 30 seconds with mini chips!), depending on the size of chocolate used.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into a mixing bowl (making sure to scrape it all in there!), and blend in the sugar, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Sift in the starch.
- Beat the batter with a mixer for at least one minute (this part is essential!) – it will be quite thick.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until set in the center. A toothpick inserted into the brownies should come out relatively clean, with just a few crumbs clinging.
- Now here comes the hard part – let the brownies cool completely before cutting and serving! This doesn’t always happen in our house, but be forewarned that any brownies stolen while still warm will be more crumbly. They will still make an amazing brownie sundae though.
41 Comments
Was just curious.. If you skipped the mixer process who they still turn out, but not so thick and fudge like?
Kelly, this step helps with distributing the binding of the cornstarch. Can’t say that it would be lighter. For cakey brownies, more starch/flour would be needed and leavener.
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Has anyone made these with just cocoa powder and/or 10X sugar? I don’t have access to dairy free chocolate chips. Just unsweetened cocoa.
Melissa, the melted chocolates form some of the structure. If you replaced with cocoa powder and sugar, the result would be drier. It isn’t something I’ve tested for this recipe. Note that this recipe doesn’t use unsweetened cocoa at all, it uses melted unsweetened chocolate (like Baker’s Chocolate).
Can you substitute arrowroot for the corn starch in this recipe? They look wonderful!
Any starch (arrowroot, potato, tapioca) should work okay, though the results may vary slightly. I’ve only tested with cornstarch thus far.
Oh my goodness, these are AMAZING. My lactose intolerant daughter loves this recipe and thanks you for the post. If they survive the trip, a perfect Thansgiving after dinner treat.
Haha, they are addicting! Glad I could share some brownie deliciousness with you and your daughter, Marion. Happy Holidays!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve discovered a few months ago that my health problems were caused by milk and I’ve been struggling to find good baking recipes. Most recipes on the Internet are either tasteless and dry, or call for ingredients that are hard to find and I wouldn’t use every day. YOUR recipe, however, is fantastic! I used only 70g chocolate because I didn’t have enough and compensated with 4 tbsp cocoa powder. It’s rich, chocolatey, and moist and utterly delicious =) My friends didn’t know there was no butter in it and all have asked for the recipe! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe marie!! The sign of a good treat is definitely recipe requests 🙂
EGGS ARE NOT DAIRY!
True, they aren’t!
These brownies are the best!!! Thank you so much. My family is grain-free and dairy free b/c of stomach issues and this recipe is just awesome! My 6 yr old daughter thanks you too.
Om. Nom. I’m a sucker for fudgy brownies.
I’m pretty sure I NEED a batch of these. ASAP.
Wow these do look amazingly rich and simple to make!
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YUM! This coming from a girl who just finished a chocolate bar – dairy-free of course 🙂
Tony knows the good stuff 🙂 Give me chocolate anything and I’m a happy gal. These look delicious, Alisa!
YUM. A cross between a brownie and fudge? Will you marry me?!?
Can agave or honey be subbed for the maple syrup? (I don’t have any on hand and REALLY want to make these, like NOW!☺)
Also, can you use 8 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips and eliminate the unsweetened chocolate?
These look SO good. I love how they are “naturally” gluten-free and don’t require any “flour.”
Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem!
I’m with Tony! Instant love for these babies, Alisa! 🙂
Shirley
Yum! Can’t wait to try making this! I will definitely let you know how it turns out!
These brownies definitely look rich and decadent! Your gluten-free AND dairy-free creations are amazing!
Melissa
PS Must share this with all my GF/DF friends. On second thought, must share this with everyone I know! =)