Gluten and Dairy Free brownie that doesn’t suck.

I dislike traditional recipe blog posts were the author bangs on and on about their life and why this recipe is the best thing since sliced bread. So, I’m just going to jump straight into the recipe and discuss the recipe and possible alterations afterwards!

Ingredients

• 200g of cacao

• 150m of olive oil (or avocado, or even a mix of both)

• 100-150g of caster sugar (less sugar if your cacao already contains it)

• 100g of almond meal

• 3 eggs

• Tablespoon of rice flour

Method

Beat oil and sugar together. Add chocolate cacao, rice flour and almond meal. Separate the tree eggs (yolk from white), whip egg whites until stiff. Lightly beat egg yolks separately and add to the mixture. Gently fold in egg whites to the main mixture, starting with one tablespoon at a time. Line baking tin with grease proof paper. Pour in and bake for 40 minutes on 170-180 degrees (depending on oven). If it is particularly thin check it in 25 mins. Leave until cold, (it may be a bit crumbly on top). Use your choise of icing or decoration!

Suggestions, substitutes and alternatives,

I have made this recipe with millet flour and a dash of almond flour before and works quite well. You can also make it purely from millet flour if you would like to use only lectin free grains (still gluten free), as those who struggle with digestive issues often say is beneficial. It still makes a great brownie just has a different consistency.

I have also used avocado oil as opposed to olive, and even a mixture of the too. Adding oil is crucial as it helps bind and give the brownie that dense fudgey texture. You can also substitute caster sugar for raw sugar or coconut sugar, I find coconut sugar a nicer alternative as it adds a darker caramel taste to the brownie. This recipe also works using chocolate drinking cacao powder, just depends on your dietary requirements and what you have on hand!

You can use almond flour as opposed to almond meal although I find almond meal is better for cooking as it is made from blanched (peeled) almond and is crushed rather than ground like blanched almond flour. both can be used interchangeably but i find almond meal more heartier and it adds to a better texture.

Final remarks

So, there it is, my no-nonsense brownie recipe that doesn’t suck. I’m no chef but this is the recipe my mother improvised for me when I was tasked at baking a cake for my partner who’s constantly reinventing conventional recipes to meet her dietary requirements. Keep in mind this is a brownie recipe so it does not rise, however you could use baking soda to allow it to be a bit more air rated and less dense. Please let me know if you make this and what your experience is, as I said before I am no specialty cook but this is definitely the best recipe I have found that actually makes a good diary and gluten free alternative to traditional brownies.

Being based in Tasmania we have so much great local food, with local bakers creating such great alternative foods. However, I am consistently disappointed especially mainstream gluten free options out there that are just dense gritty and flavourless, especially when there are great alternatives out there. I have tried to leave links to organic ingredients as they are often inexpensive but much better quality. As always its best to buy from local but often these ingredients may not be available locally, and you may want to experiment with different substitutes and ways of using this recipe.

This is meant to be an easy straightforward no nonsense recipe that anyone can use or use as a base to explore different ways of creating brownies for those with diverse diets. It is my hope that this recipe shows that good food does not have to be difficult to make. I hope you enjoy eating it as well as the process of creation. Happy eating!