• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Taste of Artisan logo
  • Bread
    • Bread Guides
    • Sourdough Bread
    • Yeast Bread
    • Rye Bread
    • Quick Bread
    • Pizza Dough
  • Charcuterie
    • Charcuterie Guides
    • Smoked Sausage and Meat
    • Dry Cured Sausage and Meat
    • Fresh Sausage
    • Cooked Sausage
    • Vegetable Charcuterie
    • Rotisserie Recipes
    • Sous Vide
    • Fish and Seafood
  • Cheese
    • Basic Cheese
    • Advanced Cheese
  • Sweets
    • Sweets Guides
    • Chocolate Sweets
    • Sugar Sweets
    • Flour Sweets
  • Preserves
    • Guides
    • Fermented Vegetables
    • Marinated Vegetables
    • Pickled Vegetables
    • Canned Vegetables
    • Canned Meat
    • Jams
    • Pie Fillings
  • More
    • Drinks
    • Dressings, Sauces, and Oils
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Bread
  • Charcuterie
  • Drinks
  • Cheese
  • Confectionery
  • Preserves
×
Home » Confectionery » Flour Confections » Flourless Brownies (Gluten-Free)

Flourless Brownies (Gluten-Free)

May 9, 2019 · 11 Comments

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our Privacy Policy for details.

These brownies are soft on the inside, with a chewy, candy-like surface on top. They are not overly sweet and have a distinct, though not overpowering, bittersweet taste. They are delicious and highly addictive.

Flourless brownies, cut into pieces, set on a piece of paper.

There are desserts that appeal to some people but not others. Then there are desserts that no one can resist. These brownies are a good example of those. My wife, who is partial to brownies, ate one. Then another one. And another one. They are irresistible.

Tastes differ and everyone has their own idea about what a perfect brownie should be. However, most seem to agree that a moist, chewy, and not overly sweet brownie is what they would prefer. Traditional, overly sweet, brownies seem to be the thing of the past.

Flourless brownie, a bite taken out of, on a piece of parchment paper.

A note on cocoa powder

These are cocoa brownies. There is no chocolate in them. They may be the  best cocoa brownies out there, and many I am sure would agree that they are, but if you use poor quality cocoa powder these brownies won't taste good. So, use a high quality cocoa powder.

How to tell if cocoa is of high quality? It should have a fat content of between 22% and 24%, twice the amount of typical cocoa you will find at a grocery store. This translates into 1 gram of fat per 5-6 grams of cocoa.

My favorite one is Valrhona Dutch-process cocoa. I started using it based on David Lebovitz's recommendation in one of his books and never looked back. It's a little more expensive than most other brands but it rewards you with superb flavor complexity and refined taste. It's also darker and richer, which is perfect for brownies.

You can also use natural cocoa which produces brownies with a lighter color and lot's of tart, fruity notes. Dutch-process cocoa is mellower and less bitter. I personally prefer it over natural process cocoa.

Flourless brownie, cut into squares, inside a baking dish.

Flourless brownies cut into pieces on parchment paper.

Flourless Brownies (Gluten-Free)

This recipe is an adaptation with conversion to gluten-free from Alice Medrich's 'Seriously Bitter Sweet: The Ultimate Dessert Maker's Guide to Chocolate' book.
5 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: flourless brownies, gluten-free brownies
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 15 brownies
Calories: 206kcal
Author: Victor

Ingredients

  • 10 Tbsp unsalted butter about 140 g
  • 1¼ cups granulated white sugar about 250 g
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons high quality unsweetened cocoa powder about 80 g
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs large, cold
  • ½ cup almond flour about 65 g
  • ⅔ cup walnut or pecan pieces about 65 g, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325F.
  • Line a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving some paper hang outside the pan. This will help with removing the fudge once it’s baked.
  • Melt the butter in a medium heatproof bowl set in a wide skillet of simmering water. Add the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt and heat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the temperature of the mixture reaches 120-122F – the temperature at which if you insert your finger you would want to immediately pull it out. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside for about 5 minutes to cool down, until the mixture is no longer hot to touch.
  • Using a wooden spoon, stir in the vanilla. Then add the eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. Continue stirring until the mixture will look thick, shiny, and well blended. Add the almond flour and stir until it is well incorporated.
  • Using the same wooden spoon, beat the mixture vigorously for 50 to 60 strokes. Stir in the nuts, if using.
  • Transfer the mixture into the line baking pan and spread evenly.
  • Bake on the lower rack for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out slightly moist with batter. Remove the brownie from the oven and let completely cool on a cooling rack.
  • Remove the brownie from the pan by lifting up the ends of the parchment paper or foil. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 16 pieces. Serve immediately.

Notes

For a regular version, substitute almond flour for all-purpose flour in a 1:1 ratio.

Nutrition

Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
Previous Post
Next Post

Subscribe to Taste of Artisan Email Newsletter

Thumbs up Taste of Artisan

Liked the post or the recipe? Leave a comment. We'd love to see your feedback.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




     

  1. Freda says

    February 20, 2021 at 3:30 am

    Are these supposed to be so flat? There is no raising agent and the mixture goes into
    9 x 9inch tin...

    Reply
    • Victor @ Taste of Artisan says

      March 06, 2021 at 3:15 am

      I wouldn't call them 'so flat' necessarily, but yes, they are not puffy and airy. These are more dense, chewy... decadent. Some people prefer this type of brownie. I like it a lot.

      Reply
  2. Andrea says

    March 23, 2019 at 3:50 pm

    5 stars
    It was sooooooooooo gooooooooooooood!!! Thank youuuuu!!!

    Reply
  3. Bea says

    January 07, 2019 at 5:04 am

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness!! I think I may have died and gone to heaven. These are the best brownies!!

    Reply
  4. Diane says

    December 04, 2018 at 10:09 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. Been using it for some time now and it’s is the only from scratch brownie recipe I use now. Perfectly rich and chocolatey. I use hershey’s Special dark cocoa powder.

    Reply
  5. Carol mcilnay says

    October 30, 2017 at 9:32 am

    Just curious what kind of cocoa did you use?

    Reply
    • victor says

      October 30, 2017 at 9:40 am

      I use Valrhona cocoa powder. I started using it many years ago based on the recommendation from David Lebovitz and it's what I use for all my baking now. I like it a lot.

      Reply
  6. Gwen says

    May 11, 2017 at 6:41 pm

    5 stars
    Wow this looks amazing!!! I was looking for a quick weeknight desert recipe – this is perfect! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • victor says

      May 11, 2017 at 9:45 pm

      You are very welcome. These are definitely worth a try. My favorite brownie recipe to date.

      Reply
  7. victor says

    October 11, 2016 at 5:18 pm

    Definitely.

    Reply
  8. Ms. S. says

    October 11, 2016 at 2:27 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my God, these look fabulous. I've got to try them asap!

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

About

Hello and welcome to Taste of Artisan, a website dedicated to making and enjoying delicious artisan foods at home.
Read More…

Subscribe to Taste of Artisan Email Newsletter

Categories

  • Bread (35)
    • Bread Guides (1)
    • Pizza Dough (1)
    • Quick Bread (8)
    • Rye Bread (2)
    • Sourdough Bread (10)
    • Yeast Bread (20)
  • Charcuterie (92)
    • Charcuterie Guides (8)
    • Cooked Sausage (3)
    • Dry Cured Sausage and Meat (22)
    • Fish and Seafood (2)
    • Fresh Sausage (5)
    • Rotisserie Recipes (5)
    • Smoked Sausage and Meat (41)
    • Sous Vide (3)
    • Vegetable Charcuterie (3)
  • Cheese (2)
    • Basic Cheese (2)
  • Confectionery (27)
    • Chocolate Confections (7)
    • Confectionery Guides (1)
    • Flour Confections (21)
    • Sugar Confections (1)
  • More (9)
    • Dressings, Sauces, and Oils (3)
    • Drinks (6)
  • Preserves (31)
    • Canned Meat (3)
    • Canned Vegetables (7)
    • Fermented Vegetables (3)
    • Guides (1)
    • Jams (3)
    • Marinated Vegetables (4)
    • Pickled Vegetables (9)
    • Pie Fillings (1)
  • Uncategorized (1)

Copyright © 2025 · Taste of Artisan · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Disclosures · Contact