Brownies are the ultimate baked good craving. You have a craving for something chocolate, and you want a baked good? Reach for a box of brownie mix and you can easily have chocolatey goodness in 30 minutes. Perfection! If you are like me, you have tried so many homemade brownie recipes only to be disappointed by their texture. Or frustrated that recipes ask you to melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or some other method that requires tons of dishes. How in the world do box brownies have such a chokehold on the brownie market?? Folks who need gluten free have very few options!
Enter this one bowl, quick, easy brownie recipe! If you like a super dense, fudgy, rich brownie, these are the ones for you. They are especially good if you chill them in the fridge. Want a kick-you-in-you-face-with-chocolate experience? Add chocolate chips right before baking and top with chocolate ganache when cooled. After a stressful week, I am not gonna lie – preparing these that way feels kind of like therapy for me.
Dutch Processed Cocoa – the best cocoa
The one fussy thing I am going to strongly suggest to you is what kind of cocoa you use. As a person who really loves dark chocolate and wants the richest flavor and darkest color, I encourage you to use Dutch processed cocoa. This type of cocoa powder has been treated with an alkaline solution to neutralize acidity, making it darker in color. It is also milder on the palate, though it can, weirdly enough, have more chocolate flavor because more cacao butter is left in the powder. My preferred brand both in price and in quality is Rodelle. You can buy it at Walmart.com or on Amazon. (side note, I also love Rodelle’s vanilla bean paste.)
This recipe is very substitution friendly
This is a very forgiving recipe and it can be used as a true one-to-one for those of us with sensitivities or allergies. You can use regular flour or a gluten-free flour blend. I use either a DIY GF blend or Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 Baking Flour. I have also used refined sugar and coconut sugar. Refined sugar gives it a slightly more moist texture, but in my opinion, the coconut sugar is a very close second. Dairy free butter also works well. This is a recipe for all!
PrintDense, Fudgy Brownies – Gluten Free and as Easy as Box Mix!
This one bowl, quick, easy brownie recipe is perfect for those who love a super dense, fudgy, rich brownie. And this recipe is very friendly to substitutions! Use gluten-free or regular flour at a 1:1 ratio. Same with regular sugar vs coconut sugar!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 large or 16 small brownies 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
10 TBS (142g) butter (I personally use salted grassfed butter, but unsalted is fine too)
1 1/4 cup (192.5g) coconut sugar (can use 265g regular refined sugar if that is okay for you)
3/4 cup (79g) plus 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (I highly recommend Dutch processed cocoa)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (78 g) gluten free blend (either DIY or commercially made)
Instructions
- Line the bottom and sides of an 8”x8” square baking pan with parchment paper. Leave enough hanging over the edge that you can use the parchment paper to pull the brownies up out of the pan to cool.
- Combine butter, coconut sugar, cocoa, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the ingredients in 1-minute intervals, stirring after each minute. It usually takes me 2 intervals for the butter to fully melt. Once the butter is fully melted and the ingredients are mixed, the batter will look a bit gritty. Don’t worry; it gets better soon! Set the mixture aside until it cools a bit (it will be warm but not hot to the touch).
- Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see the flour any longer. At this point, beat the mixture vigorously for 40-50 strokes with the spoon/spatula. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, and let the batter rest in the pan while the oven preheats. This gives the GF flours time to hydrate. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, usually about 25 minutes. Let the brownies cool in the pan a bit, and then lift out of the pan with the parchment paper and move to a cooling rack. After the brownies are quite cool, I like to put them back into the pan and move them to the fridge to chill. They get the best fudgy texture, and they become easier to cut.
Notes
- You can add ½ cup pecans or walnuts to the batter and then top with another ½ cup. I LOVE nuts in my brownies.
- If you want these extra chocolatey, mix 1/3 cup chocolate chips in the batter before you pour into the pan.
- You can also top the cooled brownies with a chocolate ganache. Warm ½ cup of heavy cream and pour over ½ dark chocolate. The cream needs to be hot enough to melt the chocolate. Stir until they are all melted together, and then let cool down. The longer it cools, the thicker the mixture. If you refrigerate for quite some time, it will set up very thick. You can beat with a hand mixer to soften at that point. Spread over the brownies and enjoy your fudgy, chocolate decadence!
