These are my “extra” brownies because they’re loaded with chocolate galore. 275 grams of dark chocolate to be exact. Can you imagine?

Just look at that crinkly golden hued top. This may be the only indicator that these brownies are, in fact, made from gluten-free flour (which doesn’t brown the way wheat flour does when baked).

Let Chocolate Be Thy Cure

It’s. Been. A. Week.

If you’re here, maybe you’ve had A week, too. These undetectably gluten-free, dairy free and sugar conscious brownies are just the cure to whatever ails your spirit. They offer a dopamine hit straight to that part of your brain that signals pleasure and reward. Treat yo-self.

For the sugar detectives of the world, of course there’s sugar (and lots of it) but I did replace half of the normal refined sugar portion found in not-sugar-conscious brownies. You will love the brown sugar-esque taste of the coconut sugar in this recipe. It’s rich and will remind you of caramel.

Healthified Brownie Ingredients

• Dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate: Look for dark chocolate (any percentage will work) that also contains sugar; if you only use “baker’s chocolate” you will be using 100% chocolate and your brownies won’t be sweet enough
• coconut oil, refined or unrefined; the primary fat in this brownie helps achieve a fudgy texture
• eggs: you will use 2 large eggs, plus add an extra egg yolk for a rich flavor
• pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste: this adds depth and dimension to chocolate desserts; I don’t recommend imitation vanilla even though it’s cheaper.
• evaporated cane sugar: this is the more process sugar (it replaces granulated white sugar)
• coconut sugar: a less refined sugar that has a rich flavor and is available in the baking aisle
• gluten-free flour (tested brands that work in this recipe: Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour, Namaste 1:1 Flour blend, or sorghum flour)
• flax meal (made from whole flax seeds): there are a lot of health benefits of flax. You can make your own flax meal by grinding whole brown or golden flax seeds in a spice grinder (aka a coffee grinder). Ground fresh flax seeds have a shelf life of about 3 weeks. This ingredient acts a bit like an egg and helps bind these brownies together.
• Kosher or sea salt: a brownie without salt is a sad thing, indeed. Salt enhances the flavor of chocolate like no other ingredient can.
• baking powder: the leavening agent; be sure your baking powder is fresh (within 1 year old)

Step-by-Step Brownie Recipe (plus some Tips)

Step 1: Preheat the oven and line the brownie pan. 

Grab an 8 by 8-inch aluminum or glass pan and line it with parchment paper (hanging over for easy lifting).

Step 2: Melt chocolate and combine with oil. 

Double Boiler Explained: If you’re unfamiliar, a double boiler is how you want to melt whole dark chocolate. You set a heat-proof bowl on top of a small pot (there’s about an inch of water in the pot). Set the heat to medium or bring to a simmer. Stir the chocolate with a spatula (holding the bowl with a kitchen towel to prevent burns). DO NOT let water get into your chocolate or it will seize.

Step 3: Beat egg mixture for 10 minutes.

Step 4: Make dry ingredient mixture.

Step 5: Combine chocolate mixture with egg mixture then add dry ingredient mixture. Also, add additional chopped chocolate. 

Step 6: Spread batter then bake in prepared pan.

Tool Tip: Use an offset spatula (an angled spatula) to smooth the top of the brownie batter before baking for an even height.

Allow your brownies to cool. Since these are fudgy brownies, we need to wait (up to 1 hour) to fully allow the center to set properly.

You’ll be grateful you used parchment paper which makes for easy lifting. Simply lift and cut into squares on a cutting board. At this point, the brownies should be served at room temperature for the best experience in taste and texture.

Variations and Serving Ideas:

This is where you get to customize your favorite mix-ins, add-ons and presentations. While I recommend sampling the original recipe first, some great additions to try are:

• Chopped walnuts (up to a quarter cup folded into the batter then baked)
• A quarter teaspoon of instant espresso powder
• Served with a dollop of whipped cream and Mexican cinnamon
• Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis
• Topped before baking with flaked sea salt
• Frosted with a buttercream, such as dulce de leche, peanut butter, coffee, cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, or toasted marshmallow

If you’ve sampled these goodies, please let me know your exact gluten-free flour blend/brand. I’d love to feature your comment!

More Gluten-Free Recipes For You:

• Cold and Creamy Chocolate Coconut Ice Milk
• Creamy Carob Mousse (a no-cook, dairy free pudding)
• Go-To Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

*In response to our tester’s feedback, we increased the cook-time from 30 minutes to 38 minutes. Please note oven performance can vary.

Photography by Adam Rahman