The richest fudgy gluten free brownies recipe made simply with a very basic rice flour blend, cocoa powder, and melted dark chocolate. A chocolate lover’s dream!
These are seriously fudgy gluten free brownies. They’re not cakey at all, and they’re so packed with chocolate taste and smell that there’s no way you could keep them a secret.
Let’s put it this way—I had them under a dome on a cake plate, each individually wrapped, and you could smell them in the next room when I lifted the dome. Now that’s chocolatey.
At its most basic level, sweet homemade baked goods for home cooks fall into just a few categories: cookies (mostly chocolate chip cookies), cake (vanilla cake, chocolate cake), and brownies. These are the brownies I recommend if you’re looking for that one solid recipe. It’s the kind that you’ll bring to every holiday, every potluck, and basically every other Sunday.
When I think of brownies in general, I think of these—the slab-type brownies that have some weight to them. They’re heavy on chocolate, and they’re perfect for chopping up into squares and sneaking into a lunchbox. Or sprinkling on top of your favorite vanilla ice cream.
You bite into these brownies and your teeth leave tracks. They’re not actually fudge, though. Just as fudgy as a brownie can get, and still be a brownie.
The batter is thick, and the brownies aren’t the kind to rise a whole bunch and then sink. They rise slowly and evenly, and they stay that way. Be sure not to overbake them, or the bottom may burn and the top of the brownies may begin to pull away from the center.
Let’s face it, though. As long as you don’t burn them to a crisp, they’ll still taste pretty darn good! And if you’re looking for tons more gluten free brownies recipes, I’ve got you covered from every angle.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Dairy
Luckily, these are quite easy to make dairy free. And I’ve even tried it! Replace the butter with an equal amount by weight of Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, the cream with nondairy milk (not non-fat!), and just be sure that the chocolate you use is dairy free. Eliminate the salt, too, since Earth Balance is pretty salty already.
Eggs
Eggs are always a tricky spot. You can try using two “chia eggs,” but you’ll have to experiment as I haven’t tried that in this recipe. A chia egg is 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds mixed with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water and allowed to gel.
Sugars
You might be able to replace the sugars with coconut palm sugar, but I honestly don’t know. I’d probably grind it up a bit, since it is quite coarsely ground and it doesn’t seem to melt in the oven as readily as refined sugar.
You cannot replace the granulated sugars with liquid sugars like honey and maple syrup. If you’re looking for a sugar-free version, try replacing the granulated sugar with Swerve granulated sugar substitute and brown sugar with its Swerve counterpart. They usually work quite well.
Cocoa Powder
If you don’t have Dutch-processed cocoa powder, you can use natural unsweetened cocoa powder, but add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda to neutralize the acid in the natural kind. The brownies won’t be quite as rich.
Gluten Free Flour Blend
This recipe calls for 3/4 cup of my basic gum-free gluten free flour blend, which is a simple mixture of superfine white rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch/flour. Using a blend that contains xanthan or guar gum, like our mock Better Batter, makes for much tougher, less tender, brownies.
You can use another gum-free blend if you like, but if your rice flour is gritty, your brownies will be gritty. That’s just the way it goes! (You could always make your own superfine white rice flour.)
Super Fudgy Gluten Free Brownies
Ingredients
3 ounces bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, chopped
9 tablespoons (126 g) unsalted butter, chopped
3/4 cup (105 g) basic gum-free gluten-free flour blend
3/4 cup (60 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder (if you use natural cocoa powder instead, add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda to the recipe)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar
2 eggs (1o0 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (2 fluid ounce) heavy cream, at room temperature
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan, line it with parchment paper that overhangs all 4 sides of the pan, and set it aside.
In a small, heat-safe bowl, place the chopped chocolate and butter, and place over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove the bowl and set it aside to cool briefly. Alternatively, melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave in 30-second bursts on 80% power.
In a large bowl, place the flour blend, cocoa powder, salt, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar, and whisk again to combine, breaking up any lumps. Add the eggs and vanilla, then the melted chocolate and butter mixture, and the heavy cream, and mix to combine. The batter should be thick but smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer with a wet spatula.
Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake just until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (about 24 minutes). Allow to cool completely in the pan before lifting by the overhung parchment paper onto a cutting board. Slice into 9 or 16 squares.
Originally published on the blog in 2013. Video and most photos new, recipe unchanged (except for size of pan and baking time slightly), text mostly new.
DianaLesireBrandmeyer says
Can I make this with gluten free flour that has the gum in it? Want this sooo bad!
Mare Masterson says
Seriously Nicole, do you have ESP? My son just requested on Monday night that I do a gluten free version of something he had over the weekend that was a layer of brownies and a layer of chocolate chip cookies – and you post this beautiful recipe that will have to be made as both brownies and as the foundation of the concoction my son asked for. This has happened more than once that you post what has been asked for, or is needed by me. Back to discussing the lusciousness you posted above. I have to say the brownies appear to be very close to what my mom achieved with her brownies–chocolatey, moist, fudgey, yummy, rich goodness, but these are gluten free and I can eat them. I cannot wait!!!!! Happy dancing!!!!
mary rowe says
Nicole, do you know, or is there any, baking difference between the Dutch Process cocoa and raw cacao powder?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Mary,
Yes, there is. Cacao powder is not Dutched, which means that it is not alkalized. Substituting cacao powder for Dutched cocoa powder is akin to substituting natural cocoa powder for Dutched. If you want to make the substitution, you’ll have to experiment with adding a bit of baking soda to balance the acid in non-Dutched cocoa (or cacao). The fact that your powder is raw doesn’t really mean much. ;)
xoxo Nicole
mary rowe says
Thanks! :-))
Melissa Carr says
Excited to try your version! With REALLY fudgy brownies, as these appear (yay!), I freeze them in smaller chunks, then when the time is right, they are “pop-able” for a quick bite! Maybe this is how I end up eating 2 without the guilt of knowing! LOL! Looking forward to having these in our snack bag on our mini vacation camping at the beach on the Pacific Coast! SOOO excited to go to sleep hearing the waves rushing on the shore!
Nicole Hunn says
Oooh these would be spectacular frozen in little bites, Melissa. Almost like those two-bite brownie things, but way way better and of course calorie-free. Enjoy your vacation! I’m terribly jealous that you can take a mini vacation on the Pacific.
xoxo Nicole
Jennifer Sasse says
This looks fantastic but will have to wait awhile as I’m eating my way through the chocolate zucchini cake – yummy!!! thanks for another homerun recipe!
Nicole Hunn says
I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for interrupting you while you are enjoying that fabulous zucchini cake, Jennifer. Such important work really should not be interrupted. :)
xoxo Nicole
Donia Robinson says
My favorite thing to do with a fudgy brownie is to heat it a tiny bit, and then eat it with or without ice cream.
The way I figure it, if I eat this instead of lunch (not WITH lunch), that makes it healthier for me. ;)
Nicole Hunn says
At first I read this to say that you “heat a tiny bit” of the brownie, instead of “heat it a tiny bit.” And I wanted to know what you did with the rest of the brownie, and if I could have it. ;)
Eating it instead of lunch is nothing short of genius, Donia. Think of the calorie savings!
xoxo Nicole
Donia Robinson says
Yeah, I don’t do “a tiny bit” of brownie. Or a tiny bit of any sort of chocolate dessert. I can say no to many other desserts!