Name: Chewy Brownies (Gluten Free)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 tbsp salted butter (melted); 2/3 cup evaporated cane juice sugar (or finely blended raw cane sugar); 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar; 2 tbsp extra light olive oil; 1½ tbsp molasses (unsulphured); 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 large eggs ( beaten until frothy); 1/2 cup cocoa powder; 1 tsp espresso powder (for baking (optional)); 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt; 1 cup blanched almond flour; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp cornstarch; 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (rough chopped)

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Whip up a batch of these rich, fudgy brownies that have a decadently chewy top and edge. Warm or cold, they are a gluten-free, clean eating delight!

Guys! These. Brownies. Are. It.

Seriously, they are so good and have all the elements of what I believe makes a perfect brownie. They are rich with a chewy top and edge and fudgy bottom. And now while they’re not exactly the healthiest thing for you, a little square of decadence as an occasional treat is never a bad thing! Besides, these brownies are made using simple and clean eating ingredients so at the very least they are somewhat healthier for you, and they’re gluten free to boot but I bet you would never guess it!

Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:

Brownies…that’s more than enough of a reason, isn’t it??
Seriously though, these brownies are clean eating and gluten free as well as suitable for lacto-ovo-vegetarians.
They are rich, fudgy, a bit gooey and the tops are crinkled and edges are enviably chewy. Literally everything you’d want in a perfect brownie.
Oh and did I mention they are studded with little pockets of melted dark chocolate? Heaven!
They take just 30-35 minutes to whip up and throw together!
You also only need one bowl and one spatula to bring this recipe to life!
Weirdly enough these brownies are better the next day when they’ve cooled. Their set is better and their flavors are richer and deeper. If you’re anything like me you’ll be eating them cold, straight out the pan, and over the sink 😂
I could go on, but I’m way too excited to share this recipe with you so let’s get right into it!

And by the way, maybe chewy brownies aren’t your thing and you prefer a more fudgy/cakey brownie instead? If so, I have the Perfect Cakey/Fudgy Brownie Recipe for you – it’s also gluten free!

To make these brownies you’ll need the following:

Blanched Almond Flour: this will be our main flour. I recommend using a super fine grind for the best texture.
Sugar: I’m using evaporated cane juice sugar but you can also use a finely blended raw cane sugar as well if preferred.
Coconut Sugar: The use of coconut sugar adds a great caramel undertone to our brownies.
Eggs: the eggs are probably one of our most important ingredients, working as binder, adding richness, moisture, contributing to that fudgy texture. Protip: beat/whip your eggs until they’re well blended and frothy.
Cocoa Powder: Opt to use a good quality cocoa powder for the best chocolatey results.
Extract: For a better kick of flavor and to help round out the chocolate, a small touch of vanilla extract or even maple extract (or a combination of the two!)
Oil: Opt to use a neutral-flavored clean label oil. I’m using an extra light olive oil.
Baking Powder: We’re just using a small amount of baking powder as too much will cause too much rise and make our brownies too cakey.
Cornstarch: The addition of cornstarch is great to help our brownies have a bit more structure to them.
Salt: I’m using a Himalayan pink salt but a sea salt also work great if preferred.
Molasses: Adding both an extra layer of deep flavor and moisture, I recommend using an unsulphured molasses over the blackstrap variety.
Butter: Rich in flavor and containing milk solids, this fat is typically associated with cakey brownies but with the weight of the other ingredients it balances things out and helps our brownies be rich and fudgy and chewy. I’m using a salted variety but you can use unsalted if preferred.
Dark Chocolate Chips: Okay, honestly I’m hesitant to say this is an optional ingredient, because it is, but why would you want to omit it??

Another optional ingredient you can add in is a touch of baking espresso powder. Doing so is a great way to amplify the rich chocolate flavors of the brownies!

Now, I’ve thought about alterations and substitutions, but if possible I recommend against it, this recipe came about from a lot of batch testing to get just the right balance of all ingredients to attain that chewy brownie goodness so try to stick to the recipe as written if you can.

Now, let’s get to baking!

Preheat your oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 tin with oil and line it with parchment. The parchment is optional but doing so makes it easier to remove our baked brownies and it also reduces the risk of sticking or having the edges cook faster or burn before the interior is cooked.

To start off, we’ll melt our butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Once melted, we’ll mix in our extra light olive oil, molasses, sugars, and extract(s).

To that mixture, we’ll add in our eggs that have been beaten until they’re nice and frothy (using a hand mixer or electric whisk makes short work of this). Well beaten eggs are crucial to our brownies’ texture, bake, and crinkle tops. Mix it in until well-combined and the mixture looks almost like a caramel.

Next we’ll add in our dry ingredients including the almond flour, cocoa powder, salt, cornstarch and baking powder and mix it in using a spatula until fully combined.

Now for our chocolate. I’ve blitzed my dark chocolate chips into irregular chunks for better dispersion, incorporation and texture. You can also use a good quality chocolate bar that you’ve chopped up as well. Now, you don’t have to do this but it really is a little extra step that can make your brownies just a touch more decadent!

Pro-tip: reserve a couple tbsp of your irregular chunks to top your batter with before we bake so that it sits right on the top!

Add your blitzed chocolate (dust and all!) to your batter and incorporate it until they are evenly dispersed.

Pour your batter into your greased and lined baking tin and spread it evenly. Sprinkle your reserved chocolate chunks over the top and gently pat them into the batter. Then, pop your tin into the oven and bake it for 20-25 minutes (some ovens might require a bit more bake time) until the toothpick test comes out slightly wet with a few crumbs on it.

Once your brownies are baked up, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pan. They need time to rest, set, and finish what’s called “carry-over cooking” which is where the residual heat from baking will finish cooking them.

Protip: As soon as you remove the pan from the oven, immediately tap it against the counter (gently) a few times to knock some of the air out of the brownies and allow them to deflate which will result in a fudgier brownie!

Once rested and fully cooled, cut your brownies into 16 squares using a clean, sharp knife.

Let’s go over a few of the tips and tricks to guarantee that these brownies are amazing!

Whip your eggs until frothy before adding them to the batter. This helps the tops achieve that iconic crinkle.
Add a tsp of baking espresso powder to really amplify the flavor of your chocolate.
Chop your dark chocolate into irregular pieces for added texture and better dispersion in your batter.
Reserve a few tbsp of chopped chocolate to sprinkled over the top before baking.
Pan size matters! Baking your batter in a larger pan will not just make your brownies thinner but it will change the texture to being chewy throughout which can be amazing if you’re all about the chew!
The pan you bake in also matters! Metal pans conduct and hold heat differently than glass dishes or silicone molds. I highly recommend lining your pan with parchment paper if possible to make unmolding easier and to decrease the risk of sticking and burning.
Don’t overbake – keep in mind that different ovens bake differently from conventional to convection, electric to propane, etc. so bake times can vary. Keep an eye on your brownies and trust your sense of smell.
Once your brownies are baked, gently tap the pan against the counter as soon as you remove them from the oven. This will knock some of the air out so that your brownies can have that almost dense, fudgy texture.
Let your brownies fully cool (and finish carry over cooking) in the pan before removing and cutting into squares.
These brownies are gooey right out the pan, as you let them cool down fully they will set up and achieve a better texture.

There you have it! Amazing gluten-free chewy, fudgy and indulgently rich and chocolatey brownies that are delicious hot or cold!

An overhead image of the top of a stack of chewy gluten free brownies.

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5 from 3 votes