Fudgy Gluten Free Brownies

This is an easy small batch recipe for Fudgy Gluten Free Brownies made with almond flour, coconut sugar, and allergen free chocolate chips.  And you would never know that they aren’t traditional brownies!  The brownies are extra fudgy, chewy, and feature the trademark crinkly brownie tops.

this recipe

Gluten Free Brownie recipe

I’ll start by saying there are a lot of tips within in this post itself to ensure you have a successful bake.  Furthermore, once you understand the basics of these gluten free brownies, you can turn them into holiday peppermint patty brownies!

And if you are like me, you have been on the search for the best gluten free brownie – thick, chewy, fudgy, and with the trademark flaky top.  So, read on!  There may just be something useful typed up in this post!  Wink.

What To Expect With Small Batch Gluten Free and Refined Sugar Free Brownies

• Chewy Edges – The mix of coconut oil and butter yield the chewy ‘I want the edge piece‘ brownie edge.
• Fudgy Centers – No cake-like brownies with this recipe.  The brownie centers are soft, fudgy, and melt in your mouth good.  The same is true for my classic small batch brownies and hot cocoa brownies.
• Rich Chocolate Flavor – lots of it – Chocolate chips and cocoa powder make sure chocolate comes through.  And let’s be real.  You can’t call it a brownie without chocolate.
• Easy – After you prepare all of your ingredients, the brownies come together pretty easy.
• Crinkly, Flaky Brownie Tops – We all want flaky brownie tops.  Isn’t that what a good brownie is all about!?  Want to know how to achieve that iconic brownie flaky top?  I have a few tips in the post.
• Gluten Free and Refined Sugar Free Tastes Good – I can’t stress this enough – you will never know that these aren’t traditional brownies!  They are sweet with the perfect texture.

What You Need To Make Fudgy Gluten Free Brownies

Ingredients

• Almond Flour – Fine, blanched almond flour is what I use and recommend.  I have provided a (affiliate) link in the recipe.
• Tapioca Flour – Tapioca can also be called tapioca starch – they are the same thing.
• Cocoa Powder – I recommend Dutch process cocoa powder because I find it to have a bold chocolate flavor and it is not as bitter as natural cocoa.  I use Dutch cocoa in almost all of my chocolate recipes.
• Salt – The salt is almost necessary to balance out all of the flavors in the brownies!
• Vanilla Extract – Vanilla complements and warms the cocoa flavor in the brownies.
• Egg – 1 large egg is all we need.
• Coconut Sugar – I have used Anthony’s, Big Tree (pictured below), and Madhava.  All work great!
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – ALERT!  I found allergen friendly chocolate chips from Nestle Toll House at Walmart!  Awesome find if you are concerned with soy, or other allergens.
• Unsalted Butter – Chewy brownies best friend!
• Coconut Oil – Make sure you use solid (cold pressed) coconut oil.  I have linked the coconut oil I use in the recipe.

Baking Equipment

• 6-Inch Square Cake Pan – My tried-and-true 6-inch cake pan works wonderfully.  However, you can also use a 9×5-inch loaf pan – just note the brownies may be a little more thin.
• Mixing Bowls – I like to use 1 quart mixing bowls for my small batch baking.
• Saucepan – If you choose to melt the chocolate over a double boiler.

A Few Notes On The Ingredients In These Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free Brownies

After several test batches of brownies, I want to go into a little more detail on the ingredients in these gluten free fudgy brownies.

• Almond Flour and Tapioca Flour – I tried many different almond flour blends to make the brownies.  In the end, I found that almond flour with tapioca produces a perfectly chewy and fudgy brownie.
  • Almond flour is naturally moist, which is great for brownies. 
  • Tapioca flour adds a little more chew, plus it acts as an additional binder.
• Coconut Sugar – I chose coconut sugar as a refined sugar free sweetener in the brownies.  In baking, I find it to be the easiest swap to granulated sugar.  You will be hard pressed to taste any coconut and I find it provides more of a caramel flavor.  It works great with chocolate – like in my gluten free chocolate cupcakes.
• Oil and Butter – I find using both coconut oil and butter results in the perfect (in my opinion) brownie texture:  chewy edges with fudgy centers.  
• Chocolate Chips – Lately, I am trying to avoid soy (yes, health reasons).  And wouldn’t you know it, soy lecithin is a common emulsifier in most chocolate chips.  I was delighted to stumble across Nestle’s Allergen Free chocolate chips.  I don’t find any difference in flavor nor baking result.

Tips For Making Gluten Free Fudgy Brownies

Preparation Tips

• Achieving the iconic brownie crinkle top – I’m sure the method for how to get the shiny crinkly brownie top could be debated for days.  Every baker has their theory, and for this recipe I am sharing what I tested and what worked.
  1. Mix the egg and sugar first – As I was on batch #-I don’t know, it hit me.  The water of the egg white was helping to melt the sugar.  The sugar and egg proteins form bonds that yield the thin and flaky crust.  Then, the process of whisking the egg and sugar together further enhances the delicate crust.  Similar to whipping egg whites to make meringue.  You are incorporating air and strengthening the bonds to get the flaky tops.  Much like the result of the flourless chocolate cookies.
  2. Mix for minutes – I whisked my sugar and egg for at least 2 minutes to start.  Then as I was preparing the other ingredients and waiting for the chocolate to melt, I whisked some more.  You want the egg and sugar mixture to be light, creamy, and foamy.
• Whisk the dry ingredients together – I am well aware that this brownie recipe calls for 3 bowls.  But, I assure you, they will be worth it.  The reason I whisk my dry ingredients – versus just adding them individually to the batter – is because I like to make sure they are all incorporated and free of lumps.  Almond flour can be lumpy, as can cocoa powder.  
• Use aluminum foil to line the pan – After a few test batches, I found that the aluminum foil conducts the heat better while baking, thus distributing heat more evenly and baking the brownies evenly.   The brownies from the parchment lined pans had crispier, almost on the edge of burnt, edges.

Ingredient Tips

• Dutch process cocoa for a richer chocolate flavor – Dutch cocoa has a bolder cocoa flavor and I find it to be less bitter than natural cocoa.
• Use blanched almond flour – Blanched almond flour is ground without the almond skins and is also ground finer.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips for the extra sweetness.  However, you could certainly use a dark chocolate chip if you prefer.
• Don’t forget the salt – The salt balances out the chocolate flavor and cuts the sweetness.  You could even sprinkle a little on top after baking if you like!

Baking and Cooling Tips

• Watch the bake time – I found the sweet spot to be 24 minutes – though keep in mind every oven is different!  If you prefer a super duper fudgy brownie, take them out of the oven a minute or two early.
• Cool the brownies in the pan for a few minutes – Cooling the brownies (or any baked good) in the pan for a few minutes after baking allows the residual heat to finish baking.  
• Cool the brownies completely – A brownie that has not been cooled completely is likely to be crumbly.  Allowing the brownies to cool allows them to set and get fudgy!  Furthermore, I find gluten free bakes to taste better when they are completely cool.

Common Questions For Making Gluten Free, Small Batch Brownies