As a college student, I had a roommate with celiac disease. We would make gluten and dairy-free meals together, and it generally tasted pretty delicious! However, I can honestly say that gluten and dairy-free desserts are generally made of chalk and disappointment. At least, the ones I tried with my friend.
But fear not, my friend! This gluten and dairy-free brownie recipe is not comprised of dusty chocolate or sadness. These brownies hold their shape super well, and they can be either delightful and fudgy or light and cakey!
I created this recipe for a potluck we went to. I know how disappointing it is to go places and not be able to eat any dessert, so I wanted to have a way for everyone to enjoy a treat.
I applied the knowledge I have of brownie making to a basic almond flour recipe I found on the internet and improved it! For all the secrets to making these brownies delicious, look in the notes below.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups almond flour
- 1 Cup white sugar
- 1 Cup brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoons of Instant Clearjel powder (Or cornstarch)
- 1 Cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon of baking soda (for more cakey brownies) or 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (for more fudgy brownies)
- 4 Eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla
- 4 Tablespoons ghee (for just lactose-free), melted vegan butter, or olive oil
- 1 Cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Add in the wet ingredients and stir until everything is combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the brownie batter in the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. If you want more fudgy brownies, take them out closer to 25 minutes when they are slightly jiggly in the middle. If you want more cakey brownies, I would take them out closer to 30 minutes or until the middle isn’t jiggly anymore.
- Let them cool completely. This is a key step! The texture won’t be perfect until they are cool.
Notes:
- Instant ClearJel Powder can be found in many different stores and everywhere online. It is often used in pies and jellies, but it gives a wonderful texture to baked goods and keeps them moist. This is the secret to the texture of these brownies! It is essentially cornstarch, so you can use cornstarch in a pinch, but I do suggest using the Instant ClearJel powder.
- Baking soda can be completely omitted from this recipe for the fudgiest brownies, however, the texture of the almond flour comes through more and is slightly grainy. I highly suggest adding 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to the brownies.
- I have not experimented with gluten-free flour in the recipe. If you do, please let me know how it turns out!
Lackin' Lactose 