Delicious Gluten and Dairy Free Brownies

I’ve been trying to cut down on gluten for a few different reason…but when I have gluten it has to be worth it, something I absolutely love.  I recently got a Vegan Brownie just to try as I never had one before.  It was good, but  too sweet for my liking.  I wanted to try and make my own gluten free brownies…and there are a ton of recipes out there. Do what sounds and works best for you.  While this recipe is not Vegan (it has eggs) it is made with Almond Flour and it tastes better than the one I purchased the other day.  It’s soft and fudgy.

They look a little wrinkled as these are from end of the pan…blaming it on the parchment paper  We seem to eat them before I can take any decent pictures. But I don’t want to keep you waiting any longer…. Below is the recipe.

These brownies are quick and easy to make and taste delicious.  Hubby didn’t believe at first that they were really made with Almond Flour.  The top is just crunchy enough and middle is soft and fudgy.  He said I can make these any time… ha  (I made these three times in one week).  I definitely don’t feel guilty indulging especially when I use Monk Fruit sweetener vs regular sugar. 

Yesterday I made a double batch…  Just double the ingredients and use a 9×13 baking pan.

Ingredients:

• 2/3  cup Almond Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 2/3 Chocolate chips (you can also use chopped chocolate)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp Cacao Powder
• 2/3 cup Sugar (I’ve used brown sugar as well as Monk Fruit Sugar. If you use Monk Fruit Sugar, the ratio is lower as it is sweeter.  You can also use Coconut Sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 5 tbs olive oil (you can use coconut oil too)
• 2/3 Chopped Walnut (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F  and line a 8×8  baking pan with parchment paper (to make the parchment paper stick, add a few drops of oil on the baking pan and press parchment paper down on top of it).
2. Melt the chocolate, either in microwave or in a saucepan, until smooth. Add oil and mix together. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a medium bowl mix together dry ingredients –  almond flour, baking soda, cacao and salt.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together sugar and eggs until mixed together and smooth. Add vanilla to whisk together.
5. Combine the melted chocolate and sugar/egg mix together and stir to combine the ingredients.
6. Add dry ingredients to melted chocolate/sugar/egg mix and fold in slowly until it’s all combined and smooth.

Optional:  Fold in walnuts.  I like walnuts in my brownies so I add 1/2 – 2/3 cup chopped walnuts.  You can  add some chocolate chips instead if you want them a tad more sweet and chocolate-y.

   7. Pour the batter in the pan and smooth the surface.

   8. Bake for 18-20 minutes (each oven is different so keep an eye on them and make sure not to over-bake. Otherwise they’ll be too crispy and not as fudgy.  They’ll finish setting as they cool).

Enjoy!