Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies

Gluten-free fudge brownies with a crinkly crust, topped with chocolate chips and vanilla ice cream, are my favorite dessert.

One of my favorite childhood memories is the smell of brownies cooking in the oven while I rush to finish my homework so I can eat them while they are still warm and watch the ice cream melt on them. This gluten-free recipe for brownies that I’m sharing with you today is rich in chocolate, and the best thing about it is that it’s homemade. What’s better than a homemade brownie? 

There are two types of brownies: a cake-style brownie and a fudge-style brownie. A cake-style brownie has a cake texture and contains less chocolate, while a fudge-style brownie has a lower percentage of flour and a higher percentage of chocolate and butter. Making the fudge-style brownie denser than its counterpart and more chocolatey. The recipe I’m sharing with you today is a fudge-style brownie.

Please be aware, that this fudge brownies recipe is not for the faint-hearted.

Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies Ingredients 

• 70% dark chocolate bar & unsweetened cocoa powder: To make this brownies recipe fudgy and chocolatey, it is best to combine dark chocolate bars with unsweetened cocoa powder. Dark chocolate is richer than milk chocolate, and we can combat the bitterness with sugar.

• Coffee: I only recently started adding coffee to my baked goods, and honestly, it does all the difference taste-wise. The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor and makes it pop even more. Making this gluten-free fudge brownies recipe perfect for chocolate lovers. You can omit the coffee if you like.

• Granulated sugar and brown sugar: The brownies recipe requires both granulated sugar and brown sugar. You can choose to make these brownies with only granulated sugar. However, I found that having brown sugar provides these brownies with a caramelized taste, which blends very well with the chocolate. Also, the brown sugar increases the moisture content in the brownies, making them even fudgier. 

• Eggs: The eggs will act as a leavening agent in the brownies and provide them with the structure to prevent them from falling apart. Since we are not using any leavening agents in this recipe, we will use three eggs. 

• Butter: Some brownie recipes require the use of oil instead of butter. However, since we are baking with gluten-free flour, I recommend using butter instead for two main reasons. The first being that butter contains about 15% water. Hence, the water will provide moisture to the batter and our gluten-free flour. Second, the butter will give the brownies more flavor. 

• GF all-purpose flour and xanthan gum: Since this is a fudge-style brownie, we won’t use much flour. Meanwhile, the xanthan gum is used as a bonding agent only.  

• Vanilla extract and salt: The vanilla extract will provide a subtle vanilla flavor to the brownies, while the salt complements the chocolate. Try topping your brownies after they are baked with a bit of sea salt. Taste delicious. 

• Semi-sweet chocolate chips: These are optional. I use them for decoration purposes only. 

Making the Brownies 

This fudge brownies recipe is easy to make and doesn’t require much equipment either. 

We will first melt the butter and chocolate using a saucepan. Afterward, we will add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the saucepan and mix. This will melt some of the sugar and provide us with the caramelized flavor of brown sugar. Then, once the saucepan is slightly cooled, we can add the eggs, vanilla extract, and coffee and mix until all is blended. 

We will be mixing the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, and salt for the dry ingredients. Next, we need to combine the wet and dry ingredients. You can whisk them together, but I find that the batter is too thick to be whisked, so I tend to use a spatula instead.

Baking the Brownies 

To bake the brownies, I recommend using a 22 cm ( 9 inches) square pan. I apply melted butter to the pan bottom and edges. Then I place the baking paper on top of the butter to prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan. 

These brownies are to be baked at 180 °C for 27 to 30 minutes. To know if your brownies are done baking, you can insert a toothpick. The brownies are baked if the toothpick comes out with melted chocolate on it but without cake crumbs. 

Fudge Brownies Recipe Tutorial