Gluten Free Brownies (Grain Free Too!)

Last week I had a strong urge to make the perfect gluten free brownie. I felt like making it grain free too. I grew up eating my mom's "made from scratch" chocolate brownies. They were dense, rich, chocolatey, and moist - the perfect brownie in my opinion. I wanted something that resembled hers.

Looking at her recipe for inspiration, I realized that I could just make some adjustments to create a gluten free/grain free/refined sugar free brownie! And actually I made these twice to get them just right. I played around with amount of cocoa powder, sweetener, and cultured butter vs. coconut oil. I also tried them with two different frostings - because let's be real - a brownie needs rich chocolate frosting to go with it.

Gluten Free Brownies

I also made these with half butter and half coconut oil. There was a texture difference but was still great.

1/2 cup almond flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted*
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl beat the coconut sugar and melted butter. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk again.
Add the dry mixture to the wet and beat until combined.
Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips.
Pour into a greased 8x8" pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
Cool before adding frosting.

*unsalted

Chocolate Frosting

5 tablespoon maple syrup
5 tablespoons cacao powder
2 tablespoons cashew butter
3 tablespoons coconut butter
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together the maple and cacao powder.
Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until combined. If the mixture starts to firm up before you're ready to frost, place the bowl over another bowl of hot water.
Frost cooled brownies and sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans (if desired).

Still on a chocolate note, my Sweetly Raw vegan chocolates are available to order for the holidays! Check out my post for more details.

Caramel pecan choccie clusters are perfect stocking stuffers! ;)

Or if you want to make your own delicious raw chocolates for Christmas, download a copy of my Raw Chocolate Dream eBook!

Shared at Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy Free wednesdays