Gluten-free brownies are easy to make, skip the boxed mixes. This recipe uses melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder. Dairy-free option and variations at the end.
Grease a square light metal baking pan (8x8-inch) with a spritz of non-stick spray or a little extra coconut oil. Cut a piece of parchment to line the pan draping it over two opposite sides of the pan by a few inches. The parchment overlap makes it easy to remove the brownies after baking. Pre-heat the oven to 325°F.
Mix dry ingredients
Add the flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder and salt to a small bowl and whisk together.
Melt the chocolate
If using bar or block chocolate, chop the chocolate into small chunks with a serrated bread knife or heavy chef’s knife. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Cool for a few minutes and stir in the vanilla extract. Microwave instructions in notes below if needed.
Make the batter
Place the brown sugar and soft butter or oil in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed, 2-3 minutes. Add the dry ingredients into the bowl and beat well until smooth and incorporated. Next, beat in the melted chocolate with vanilla, increasing the speed as the batter stiffens. The batter will be thick. Note: As there is no gluten, do not worry about over-beating. It's actually good.
Bake
Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth evenly with a spatula. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the brownie surface is a little firm to the touch, but not hard. Cool brownies in the pan for 10 minutes. Grasp the parchment paper edges and lift out the brownies, transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Slice into 9 pieces when cool.
Serving
Serve alone, or topped with ice cream with shaved chocolate, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or even a strawberry coulis.
Notes
Buying chocolateFor the dark chocolate, use bar chocolate, block chocolate, or the chocolate gems. Break the bars up with your hands, chop the blocks with a serrated knife, the gems are ready to go. Microwave melting chocolatePlace the chocolate pieces or chopped chocolate in a clean, dry, glass bowl and microwave on 70% power for 1 minute. Stir with a flexible spatula or spoon, then continue melting chocolate in 15 second intervals, stirring between times, until chocolate is melted, smooth and glossy. Cool chocolate for 5 minutes, then stir in the vanilla and the melted butter or coconut oil until smooth. Gluten-free brownie variations:
Add ⅓ cup shredded unsweetened coconut to the batter.