These two bite gluten free brownies are a cross between a rich chocolate cake and a brownie, and gone in just two bites! They're your new go-to GF brownie recipe.
What sort of gluten free brownies are these?
I used to pine for that deep plastic tub of two-bite brownies that you could find at Whole Foods. Do you know the one? Before going gluten free, I never ever left that store without at least one tub of them.
I wasn't sure if they were brownies or rich cupcakes, but I didn't care. They were perfect in every way: size, taste, and texture. We were eating gluten free in my house for nearly 10 years before I developed this recipe for two bite gluten free brownies.
These are not the super fudgy gluten free brownies we've made before. If you try to bake a traditional brownie in the wells of a miniature muffin tin, no matter how fudgy, it will burn. Ask me how I know that!
Better than a brownie mix
Whether you're gluten free or not, most likely your history of making brownies involved a brownie mix of some sort. But we can do so much better than that.
I'm always happy to when food manufacturers make things available gluten free that they've always made available in conventional form. I'm thrilled that tons of companies make packaged gluten free bread and gluten free pasta.
And much as I used to love the brownies that are made with a regular boxed mix, I have never tried a boxed mix of gluten free brownies that were even deserving of the name. They're often gritty, rarely chocolatey enough and just don't taste, well, like brownies at all.
Since there's no melted chocolate in the batter for this recipe, you could easily combine all the dry ingredients (including the sugars) into a mix. Store it in a sealed container in a cool, dry pantry, then just add the wet ingredients (melted butter, yogurt, eggs and vanilla) and bake.
Now, everyone knows how much I bake, so I'm often asked to make brownies for a gathering. Since we have 15 gluten free brownie recipes, I'll ask what kind of brownies. When no one can choose whether they want cakey brownies, fudgy brownies, blonde brownies or peanut butter brownies, I usually make these two bite brownies.
These might look kind of like chocolate muffins. But I promise they're so much more. If you're still interested in the boxed mixed type of brownies, I do have a recipe for chewy gluten free brownies that even have that crackly top.
A word about miniature muffin tins
I've found over the years that not all miniature muffin tins are created equal. Many of them have very shallow wells, which means they'll never produce a beautiful shaped baked good. You want sloped (not entirely vertical) sides and a relatively deep well.
After trying so many brands, the only one I reach for consistently is USA Pans. I have a mini muffin pan made by USA Pans, but it isn't the one that Amazon.com carries. USA Pans also makes pans for Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma, so you might find it there as well.
Ingredients and substitutions
Dairy-free: Part of the reason that I wanted to create a video for this post and republish it was because I was determined to make it dairy free. And I succeeded!
I used vegan butter (I've made the recipe using both Melt brand vegan butter and Miyoko's Kitchen cultured vegan butter (now available at my local Trader Joe's!)) in place of the butter. In place of the yogurt, I used plain So Delicious brand yogurt. Both substitutes worked great, but to get the proper thick, glossy consistency in the batter, I had to add 1 tablespoon of lukewarm water.
Egg-free: I haven't made this recipe egg-free, but you could try replacing the 2 eggs with 2 “chia eggs.” To make a “chia egg,” just combine 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water and allow it to sit. It should gel as it stands.
Sugars: There are two types of granulated sugars in this recipe: granulated and light brown. They can't be replaced with liquid sugars, but you should be able to replace each with its own specific sugar-free substitute.
I've generally had success with Swerve brand. Keep in mind that sugar substitutes tend to be drying, so you'll likely need to add some lukewarm water to the batter to create the proper consistency. Take a close look at the video to see the type of batter you need to achieve.
Two Bite Gluten Free Brownies
Ingredients
1 cup (140 g) all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/2 cup (40 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Dutch-processed, but natural works as well)
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons (28 g) plain yogurt, at room temperature
2 eggs (100 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease a 24-cup miniature muffin pan and set it aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and baking soda, and whisk to combine well. Break up any lumps in the brown sugar, and create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Into the well, place the melted butter, yogurt, eggs and vanilla, and mix to combine. The batter will be thick and glossy. Divide the batter evenly among the 24 prepared muffin cups. Shake the muffin tin back and forth vigorously until the batter in each cup is smooth and even on top.
Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake until puffed and round, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 12 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Originally published on the blog in 2014. Recipe largely unchanged, some photos and video are new.
Denise says
Just made these exactly as written with your Mock Better Batter flour, and they are delicious!
Janice McF says
Just made them, delicious! Was given a package of Cloud9 all purpose flour and used 3/4 c flour and 1/4 c rice flour (white); used Greek yogurt and lactose free butter. They turned out great, top a little crunchy but like that. Will do a double batch next time and put some in the freezer, cause one batch will disappear quickly! Thanks Nicole.
Teresa Phipps says
Hi Nicole, Thanks again for what looks to be super delicious!! Anything chocolate is my cup of tea :) I hardly ever have yogurt on hand, so, what could I use in place of the yogurt? Would sour cream work? Looking forward to eating a ‘few’ of these… like, all of them ;) Teresa
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Teresa, If the sour cream isn’t too thick, it might work. You need the moisture. I’m afraid I haven’t tried though so you’ll have to experiment!
Addyson Priest says
Can you make these non-gluten free by using Wheat Flour
Nicole Hunn says
I think you’re better off finding a recipe somewhere else, as gluten free recipes really are quite different from conventional ones, Addyson. Sorry!
Janice Grimes says
I used 2 12hole pans with sloped sides and deep. I only ended up with 23, suppose a little too full but not much. Mixed and measured exactly as written, including brand of flour. Took 5 minutes longer to bake before toothpick was clean. Cooled as specified. Ended up with 23 crunchy cookies (tops) and 23 cakey, moist little lumps. Would not stay together to get out of pan. Oven thermometer says 325. Disappointing. I live at 5000′ if that matters.
Nicole Hunn says
You always have to make adjustments to baking recipes when you’re baking at high altitudes, Janice. That’s a condition that I can’t replicate, so I’m afraid I can’t offer specific advice but whatever you normal adjustments are, they should work. In addition, if you baked them in a dark-colored or glass muffin tin, they will cook much more quickly in certain areas. This recipe is one that I’ve made myself dozens of times and will work when made as written.
June says
Thank you for the recipe. The taste is excellent and the texture quite good. We live at 76K+ feet, and I think I should have done a little more altitude adjusting or left the b.soda out entirely, since they rose overly and then collapsed. Turned them upside-down on parchment and frosted their bottoms. They looked like little fedoras. We are not GF, but I was experimenting for a GF granddaughter. I think they passed the test :-)
Thanks again!
Lynette says
Can you use a regular size muffin pan
Nicole Hunn says
A standard 12-cup muffin tin should work fine, Lynette. You’ll have to bake them a bit longer, but I’m honestly not sure if I’ve ever made them that way so I can’t be entirely sure how much longer.
Tim Kirsten says
Can you add nuts to this RX?
Nicole Hunn says
I think if you chop them relatively finely and don’t use too many, adding nuts should be okay, Tim. The mini muffins are on the larger side, though, so I’m not 100% sure if it would upset the balance of the recipe.
Patti says
I’m curious if you must cook them in muffin pans? Could you bake in a small baking pan? I’m in the process of moving and have already packed all my muffin pans.
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, this recipe is made for a muffin tin. Try one of my other gluten free brownie recipes for baking in a pan!
Cherie Estok says
Nicole, I am allergic to chocolate as well as gluten and dairy. Can I use carob powder instead of cocoa powder? Also, do you have any blonde brownie recipes?
Nicole Hunn says
I have a blondie version of this recipe, actually, Cherie! Here it is.
Elizabeth Jack says
By “all purpose flour” do you mean plain flour and not self raising?
And is “baking soda” bicarbonate of soda and not baking powder?
The American names for things can be confusing! Sorry for being a pest!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Elizabeth, All purpose flour is what you call plain flour. Baking soda is bicarbonate of soda. Hope that helps!