Almond flour brownies are the best way to make gluten-free brownies. Rich, complex, and with an excellent texture, they’re a far cry from my healthy brownies (also GF) that are sweetened only with dates – because even though I’m using coconut sugar here, I didn’t skimp. Give me that crackle top.
The top isn’t ultra crackly, because I can’t go for that much sugar, but there is definitely a bit of a crisp layer that adds a nice texture. Otherwise we’re talking fudge, baby.
Despite these not being the healthiest recipe on OE, they won’t make you feel like your stomach is having a bit of a rest on the floor, either. A small square goes a long way and the fibre and protein in the almond flour help to offset the sugars at least a bit. I mean, that being said, did I eat the whole batch in a day? Obviously, yes.
Even though I don’t follow a gluten free diet by any means, every once in a while it’s nice to branch out from good old spelt, or even my go-to oat flour. Almond flour and nut butters are often key to adding richness and a buttery flavour to dairy-free baking, and these dairy-free brownies are no exception.
Brownies should be fudgy, not cakey, but a good amount of sugar is what adds the proper texture. Even though I usually try to avoid too much added sugar and that’s reflected in the recipes here, you know, sometimes you just want a proper brownie and that’s fine.
Ingredients and Method
Natural almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, olive oil, and vanilla. And chocolate, of course. That’s it – just 10 ingredients. They’re grain/gluten-free, dairy-free, and healthy-ish (zero right in on that ish).
The method for these is crazy simple, for one bowl brownies. Whisk the oil and sugar a bit, whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and chocolate.
Bake, cool, and dig in. It’s important to cool these fully (at least almost fully) before slicing, but if you don’t want to wait, go ahead and use a spoon right off the bat. You can always cut around that spot later.
You could dial up the almond flavour with some extract, but I don’t love almond extract and wanted to keep these more like normal brownies than some kind of marzipan hybrid. As is, the almond is very subtle and chocolate is queen, like it should be.
Substitutions
Things are pretty minimal here so I can’t offer much in the way of substitutions. Another nut flour for almond, sure thing – want hazelnut brownies? Go for hazelnut meal!
You can probably make these nut free with homemade sunflower seed flour, but it tends to be a little bitter and I can’t say what it’d end up tasting like. Usually if I’m using sunflower seeds I test to make sure they’re sweet enough and I didn’t do that here.
If you prefer a lighter taste, you might want to sub a very neutral oil for the olive oil. Grape seed, avocado, and sunflower oil all work well. You can also use cane sugar in place of the coconut sugar if you prefer but they will be slightly less flavourful.
I haven’t successfully made these vegan and there has to be a handful of recipes on a site called occasionally eggs that use eggs – unfortunately there isn’t much that can be subbed in this recipe in general, so I can’t recommend messing around with it. I know I usually provide several options but it must mean something when I don’t!
More great gluten-free chocolate recipes
Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Tahini Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate Coconut Pie
Dairy Free Hot Chocolate
Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
Let’s connect! If you liked this recipe, make sure to leave a comment below, I love hearing from you! Tag me on instagram @occasionallyeggs and #occasionallyeggs so I can see what you’re making, and stay in touch via email, facebook, and pinterest.
Almond Flour Brownies
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 175 ml olive oil*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 150 grams coconut sugar**
- 50 grams dark chocolate melted
- 200 grams [almond flour]
- 50 grams cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 50 grams dark chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and line a 20cm (8 in.) square tin with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well mixed. Add in the olive oil and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- Add the sugar and whisk until the sugar is mostly incorporated into the liquids and slightly lighter in colour, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl in a slow drizzle while mixing. Whisk until fully incorporated.
- Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix very well – don’t worry about over mixing, it’s not a problem with gluten free baking. The batter should be relatively stiff and very glossy looking.
- Fold the chopped chocolate into the batter, then turn the batter out into the prepared baking tin. Use your hands to press it into an even layer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean when inserted into the middle of the brownies. The centre should still be slightly soft when the brownies come out of the oven.
- Cool the brownies fully on a rack before slicing and serving. They aren’t particularly delicate but will crumble slightly when still warm.
JHANITA JHUGOROO says
Hi – Can this be made ahead of time and freeze?
Alexandra says
Definitely!
Alex says
I only had 1 cup of almond flour so put another cup (equivalent in grams) of all-purpose flour and the brownies turned out more like a chocolate cake (still delicious just not the gooey brownie texture I was looking for). So if you are thinking of subbing some almond flour for regular flour either decrease the amount of regular flour, increase liquid, decrease cooking time, or just stick to the recipe! I will definitely be trying to make these again once I get more almond flour!
Janet says
Can recipe be doubled?
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Sure! Just make sure they’re baked in a larger dish.
Pat says
Good morning,
You list coconut oil and coconut milk in you description of “what the heck is in my brownies”. I do not see those ingredients listed in the recipe…..
Thank you
Pat
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Thanks for letting me know, Pat – the recipe is correct, it’s just a better version of the one I was originally going to share and I left that in the post by mistake! Corrected now.
Lauren says
Made these today and they were perfect. LOVED them. Thank you. Five stars.