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We have a lot of friends on a variety of restrictive diets right now, and as someone who loves to entertain, I wanted to make sure I had a treat that everyone could eat. But first and foremost, it had to be something everyone would actually want to eat.
I began scheming up a super fudgy, no-frills brownie that could be gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free — and still leave us all reaching for more. Mission accomplished.
Use Coconut Oil Instead of Butter
First, I like using coconut oil when baking with chocolate because the flavors compliment each other so well, but you could use any oil you’d like here: a neutral-flavored oil like canola or safflower oil would be just fine. The coconut oil, however, isn’t terribly pronounced.
Use “Flax Eggs” as an Egg Replacer
Second, a “flax egg” gives you the benefit of eggs in baked goods—acting as an emulsifier and helping give your baked good some structure—without actually using an egg. It’s a great go-to for much of the vegan baking I do at home.
If flax eggs are new to you, never fear: simply stir together 1 tablespoon of flax meal and 1 1/2 tablespoons of water. Don’t worry. There won’t be any overly earthy flavors or oils imparted to your baked goods; it’s likely no one will ever know you used a substitute!
Use a Gluten-Free Flour with Xanthan Gum
In this recipe, I use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour Blend). The xanthan gum acts as a binder in baking recipes, helping give structure to your gluten free baked goods.
Check the ingredients in your flour blend, and if it doesn’t contain xanthan gum (or another binding ingredient like guar gum or psyllium husks), I recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to ensure success.
Finding Vegan, Allergy-Friendly Chocolate
When it comes to the chocolate, this recipe uses both cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate. Most cocoa powders will be naturally vegan; they rarely contain any dairy or egg-based ingredients, but it never hurts to double check. I always keep Trader Joe’s unsweetened cocoa powder in stock at home and used it for these brownies.
As for bittersweet chocolate, you’ll definitely need to read the labels here since bar chocolate often has added dairy. (A quick note: If you see “cocoa butter” on your label, that’s not dairy butter. It’s dairy free!)
I used Pascha Organic 70% chocolate, which is vegan and also free of many allergens like nuts, eggs, dairy, wheat, and gluten. If you have kiddos or friends with very serious allergies, you can feel safe that the chocolate wasn’t produced near any such ingredients. Added bonus: it just tastes delicious—pure and dark, but not at all bitter.
Making the Brownies
When it comes to method, if you’ve made brownies from scratch before, this will look familiar, although there are a few things to note. Often, brownie recipes will tell you to stick a toothpick in the center and make sure it comes out clean before pulling them from the oven. That trick doesn’t work here.
These brownies are darn fudgy and they’ll feel quite soft to the touch throughout the entire baking process, so just set a timer and trust me on this one. The tops will be slightly bubbly and will feel wet to the touch when the brownies are ready, although the sides will start to pull away from the pan ever so slightly.
Let the Brownies Cool!
Last but not least, note that these brownies are much easier to slice if you allow them to cool for two hours, so plan accordingly. It can feel like a long time to wait, but I promise it’s worth it: You’re about to meet your new favorite brownie.
More Gluten-Free Treats!
Gluten-Free Fudgy Chocolate Brownies Recipe
If you've never baked gluten-free before, we highly recommend using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour Blend for this recipe.
If you're using a different blend, double check the ingredients. If it doesn’t contain xanthan gum (or another binding ingredient like guar gum or psyllium husks), we recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to ensure success.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ground flax
- 1 cup (148 grams) gluten-free flour blend, like Bob's Red Mill
- 1/2 cup (40 grams) dairy-free cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 5 ounces (140g) bittersweet dairy-free chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Method
1 Heat the oven to 350°F and prepare the pan: Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper and pan with a little coconut oil.
2 Prepare the flax "egg": Combine the flax with 8 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Let stand for 7 to 10 minutes to thicken. (This will be used as an egg replacer in this recipe.)
3 Whisk dry ingredients: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
4 Melt the coconut oil and chocolate: In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the coconut oil and chopped chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted, about 2 minutes.
5 Add the sugar and vanilla: Whisk the sugar and vanilla into the chocolate mixture, stirring vigorously until combined. The mixture will be a little grainy at this point, which is perfectly okay.
6 Make the batter: Pour the chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl, scraping everything from the pan. Fold in the flax eggs.
Add the dry ingredients and stir well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until well combined. The batter will be quite thick and will gather into a ball—it won’t be loose and thin like many traditional brownie batters.
7 Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, and use a rubber spatula or the palm of your hand to press it into the pan in an even layer.
8 Bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges are set and no longer jiggly. The tops of the brownies will still feel very soft and may even be bubbling a little; they’ll firm up as they cool.
9 Cool: Let the brownies cool completely before slicing, 2 to 3 hours. Because these are so fudgy, they really will slice best if you allow them to fully cool.
10 Slice, serve, and store: Using the parchment paper as a handle, lift the cooled brownies up out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into a 4x4 grid (making 16 small squares). Leftover brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
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Megan Gordon is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Simply Recipes. She's the author of Whole Grain Mornings and her blog, A Sweet Spoonful, focuses on healthy seasonal cooking and baking.
Gluten-Free Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Hi(: can I use chia seeds instead flax?
Hi Gabrielle! Thanks for your question. I assume you mean in the “egg,” right? This recipe wasn’t tested with that, so I encourage you to give it a shot. It’s not inconceivable that it would work, given the way chia seeds expand. If you do it, please let us know how it goes!
A hit! One taster compared them to the inside of a pop tart, and I have to say I concur!
I’m so glad I read the comments. Based on them, I added xanthum gum, doubled all the ingredients but the oil, and didn’t grease the parchment paper. Still tasted a little coconuty, but not nearly as oily as others had mentioned.
The only downside was with how rich these were, they made my stomach upset. I wonder if anyone else had this problem (or could pinpoint what would cause this)? I’m new to the world of gluten free/dairy free, etc., so wonder if it could be the xanthum gum, flax seed, almond flour, coconut oil, etc.?
xxxxxyyyyy
It is probably the flax seeds that upsets your tummy. I made something with flax seeds one time and OMG, once and NEVER AGAIN! I had sooo much pain etc. and I instantly knew it was the flax seeds.
Thank you for the great recipe, especially the descriptions on how the batter should look, a grainy mixture and later gathering into a ball. This helped me know that I was doing it right. I used your recommended flour and xanthum gum. I knew they were a hit because after I left for yoga and let them cool, I came home and my husband had consumed nearly 1/4 of the brownies from the pan. The bottoms were oily so I might reduce the oil or leave not grease the parchment paper next time. Fudgy texture with crispy edges is spot on, though.
xxxxxyyyyy
I haven’t tasted them yet. Letting them cool. They look delicious. I used The neategg vegan & gluten free egg replacer instead of the flax egg. I also used mostly sucanat & coconut sugar as well as a little reg. sugar as I ran short. Can’t wait to try them.
By far, the best brownies I have made in the last 5 years of being gluten/dairy/egg free! I don’t really remember what a ‘regular’ brownie tastes like, but everyone agrees (non vegans included) that these are seriously tasty! They are crisp on the outside, slightly fudgy inside. I halved the sugar added marshmallows and chocolate chips to mine, doubled the recipe and put it in a 9×13. They came out perfect after 40 min. Thank you so much for the perfect brownie recipe!!!
xxxxxyyyyy