Gluten-Free Double-Chocolate Brownies and a BOOK GIVEAWAY!
March 22, 2015 at 11:14 am | Posted in cookies & bars, sweet things | 14 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, dessert, giveaway
By no means do I follow a gluten-free diet (more like a gluten-full diet), but I know plenty of people who do, and I’ve had to do an increasing amount of gluten-free baking for customers at work. So I’m interested in it, even if I don’t do that much gluten-free baking at home, and was excited to see a copy of Gluten-Free Flour Power by Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot (from the very cool Ideas in Food) show up in my mailbox. They’ve developed gluten-free flour blends and devised recipes to use them that run the gamut of baking…breads, cookies, cakes, pies…heck, even kougin amann and cannelés! There’s pasta, dumplings, steamed buns and Japanese fried chicken, too.
Flipping through my new book, I fixated on a brownie that’s made gluten-free, not with a blend, but simply with the use of oat flour. When it comes to brownies, I’m not loyal to any one recipe. I play the field and always seem to be trying a different recipe out. Oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies are a favorite of mine, and I knew I’d like a bit of that wholesome flavor in brownie-form. You can buy oat flour at most stores or make it yourself by blitzing old-fashioned rolled oats in your food processor, blender or spice grinder. I use oat flour often for whole-grain pancakes and when I need it, I usually go the homemade route because it’s something that’s a lot cheaper to DIY (and it’s quick and easy). Just make sure the flour or the oats you buy are certified gluten-free if you also want your brownies to be.
These brownies use melted chocolate and a healthy amount of natural cocoa powder, so they really fix a chocolate craving. They’re tall and kind of straddle the line of being a little cakey on the edge and fudgy in the middle (I’m assuming this structure comes from having 6 eggs in the batter). And yeah, I could taste the oats, but no, I didn’t mind one bit. They’re delicious. A scoop of coffee ice cream on the side is delicious, too.
The kind folks at W.W. Norton sent me a copy of Gluten-Free Flour Power, and now I want to send a copy to one of you! Just leave me a comment (one per person, please) on this post before 5:00 pm EST on Sunday, March 29 and I’ll randomly choose a winner from the list. Be sure your e-mail address is correct so I can contact you.
Double-Chocolate Brownies– makes a 9-16 brownies
adapted from Gluten-Free Flour Power by Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot
Steph’s Note: If you grind your own oat flour and are using cup measures, grind more than you think you’ll need and measure again after. You can save any extra to add to other recipes. Also, nuts were not included in the original recipe, but I like them in brownies and added them to mine.
6 oz/ 170 g bittersweet chocolate, chopped
12 tbsp/ 6 oz/ 170 g unsalted butter, sliced
1 cup/ 130 g oat flour
2 cups/ 400 g sugar
1/2 cup/ 60 g natural cocoa powder
1 tsp/ 6 g fine sea salt
6 large eggs (cold)
1/2 cup toasted and roughly chopped nuts (optional)
-Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. (You can line the pan with buttered parchment if you’d like, and the brownies will be easier to remove.)
– Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each until melted and smooth. It should take about 2 minutes total. You can do this in a double boiler on the stovetop if you prefer. Let the mixture cool.
–Put the oat flour, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk to blend. Add the eggs, one by one, stirring in each well with a rubber spatula before adding the next. If using nuts, fold them in now. Once all ingredients are incorporated, give the batter another 20-25 strokes to insure the batter is well-blended.
– Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the brownies are just set in the center. They should feel firm when gently pressed and they will not jiggle if you shake the pan.
– Let brownies cool completely before cutting them with a sharp knife. (I like to refrigerate brownies for a couple of hours before cutting them.)
***Giveaway Winner Update: I used random.org to generate a random comment number to find the winner. Congratulations to Becky Ellis! I’ll be in touch soon.***
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a whisk and a spoon 
These brownies look so moist and chocolatey…can’t wait to try this fabulous recipe!
Comment by Becky Ellis— March 22, 2015 #
I’m intrigued by the range of foods in this cookbook!
Comment by engineergreener— March 22, 2015 #
Looks great! Nuts are a must in brownies.
Comment by Veronica Sheppard— March 22, 2015 #
Looks fantastic! I am not gluten free, but I have a few friends who are. It’s always great to have good looking dessert recipes to test for them! 🙂
Comment by The Gourmet Gourmand— March 22, 2015 #
Being gluten free I am always looking for new, tasty recipes.
Comment by Luna Equestria— March 22, 2015 #
Looks amazing!! I am gluten free and am so interested in what this cook book will share as I am DYING without my breads (that don’t taste like rocks haha).
Comment by jvssli— March 23, 2015 #
Hi Stephanie – love that you’ve coined the term ‘gluten-full’, I reckon I’m somewhere in between maybe ‘gluten-as-a-treat’- so I love this recipe, but would be tempted to experiment with a little less sugar!
Comment by Feast Wisely— March 23, 2015 #
Love your blog, and these brownies look/sound absolutely incredible. I’ve always wanted to bake with oat flour, but never mustered up the courage. I think this recipe has done the trick 😉 Would love to check out the book for more inspiration!
Comment by strawberrymintsays— March 23, 2015 #
The brownies look delish, I have to be gluten free but haven’t quite mastered the baking side of gluten free would love to check out this cookbook! 😀
Comment by Alicia— March 23, 2015 #
These look so do-able. And with ice cream? YES!! Thank you!
Comment by Stephanie— March 23, 2015 #
These look so moist and I really want to try them. I have been looking for a good brownie recipe. I am not gluten free so I don’t really have oat flour. Can I substitute for all purpose flour?
Comment by Nida— March 23, 2015 #
My daughter is now gluten free and it’s made such a god change in how she feels, so now bring on the recipes!
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Comment by AnnaZed— March 23, 2015 #
I like the idea of using oat flour rather than something super refined. Kudos to the authors if they’re able to create more recipes like that!
Comment by Piebird— March 24, 2015 #
Love these – easy to make dairy free too!
Comment by janetscardsonline— May 1, 2015 #