Brownies. Need I say more? I need not, but I shall. When was the first time you remember experiencing the gloriousness of a warm, impossibly-dense, fudgy brownie? That moment of plunging into the chocolatey depths, only to resurface for a glug of cold milk or an extra spoonful of crisp vanilla ice cream. The rest of the world seems to melt away in that first bite – your peripheral vision compromised with visions of pools of melted chocolate chunks or in the velvety darkness of that center brownie piece. And then the satisfying chew of the caramelized edges. The most wonderful square you’ll ever eat. Brownies also happen to be the saving grace of the gluten free world. No matter what flour mixture you use, no matter what weird aftertaste or crumbliness or dryness plague other gluten free baked goods (not OURs of course – we always promise to strive for non-dry, non-crumbly bakes), brownies are created by the alchemy of the gods and never fail.
Which might be why we’ve overlooked a solid, go-to, mind-blowing brownie recipe until now. The number of gluten free brownies we’ve tried would shock and amaze you all. But THESE brownies, these veritable bricks of chocolate, used by Willy Wonka himself to construct his castle of sugar highs, are just that. They’re steadfast, they’re delicious beyond words, they’re fix-anything-including-a-breakup good (tried and true). And they’re gosh-darn easy. Now, what we’ve learned is the key to any good chocolate endeavor is good chocolate (whodathunk). We’re talking the best chocolate your grocery store has to offer. We LOVE Valrhona (#notsponsoredbutsomeday) – they make incredible milk and dark chocolate (and a whole range of %s). Other great high end baking chocolate brands include: Callebaut, Guittard, Scharffen Berger, and Ghirardelli. Any one of these will make you some damn good brownies. They also come with a hefty price tag compared with your every-day baking chocolate/chocolate chips. For a treat, it really truly is worth spending a little bit more on the chocolate – and hey! The rest of the ingredients are pretty darn cheap!
If you’re a big-time chocolate fan like us, we recommend trying out these other recipes! Our chocolate raspberry layer cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting, or this chocolate mousse cake, or this chocolate hazelnut layer cake, or these black cocoa cupcakes, or these chocolate peanut butter mud cookies, or these baked chocolate glazed donuts, or these German chocolate cupcakes, or these chocolate truffle cupcakes!
Giant Gluten Free Fudgy Brownies
Equipment
- 9×13 baking pan
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 12.5 oz good quality dark chocolate we use Valrhona
- 12.5 oz good quality milk chocolate we use Valrhona
- 1 3/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp salted butter melted
- 3 Cups white sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
- 1 1/4 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if it doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp sweet rice flour
- 1/2 Cup dutched cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp black cocoa powder (if you can't find this, just sub with more dutched cocoa powder)
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
For the ganache topping (optional):
- 1/2 Cup heavy cream
- 1 Cup semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips)
- pinch salt
Instructions
- First, make the brownies! Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and grease and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and cooking spray. Then chop all of your chocolate (milk and dark) and mix together. Then separate half of the chocolate and set aside. In a heatproof bowl, melt the other half of the chocolate in the microwave until smooth – 45 second intervals. Let the melted, stirred chocolate cool for a few minutes before using.
- While chocolate is cooling, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until smooth. Then in a small bowl, combine the vanilla and instant coffee granules and stir until the coffee has dissolved, then mix this vanilla + coffee mixture into the butter and sugar. Then add in the eggs and whisk until combined. Whisk in the slightly-cooled melted chocolate until smooth, then slowly whisk in the flours, starches, cocoa powders and salt until smooth (do not over-mix or your brownies will be cakey). Finally, fold in the remaining chopped chocolate until just combined and pour batter into your prepared pan and smooth to the edges. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until set. Let cool 15-20 minutes before topping with ganache or ice cream or both!
- To make the ganache (optional), heat the cream for a minute in the microwave then add the chocolate chips and salt and let sit for 2-3 minutes, then stir until glossy and smooth. Pour ganache over brownies or serve brownies and then pour ganache over each one in a bowl with vanilla ice cream!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your tart!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
10 Comments
Sarah McCulley
is valrhona chocolate gluten free? i thought it wasn’t.
Samantha Sasscer
These brownies traveled many miles to my home and STILL were so incredible! Gooey- check, packed with flavor- check check!!!
Erica
GF or not, these are BOMB! Any way you eat them, you’ll be a happy camper, but I’m a huge fan of microwaving these so they are soft, warm, and chewy 😍
Ana Holland Krawec
These are the most buttery-textured, rich brownies I have ever had! They are a chocolate-lover’s dream come true❤️
Jill
If you love chocolate, these are the best! Really good frozen in bite sizes for that mid afternoon pick me up!
Annie
Such good brownies! So rich and chocolaty! I love cutting them up and putting these on top of ice cream as well. Amazing.
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Tristan
The best brownies – can be super fudgy if you undercook them by a few minutes, and really recommend eating them warm with vanilla ice cream!
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