When it comes to baked goods, gluten-free goodies are notorious for not tasting quite as good as the real thing. You’re typically given dry, grainy, and tasteless rocks.

But these brownies? These are the real deal. I challenge anyone to guess these aren’t the real deal! In fact, I’d put these up against any of your family’s normal favorites.

The Real Deal

But in order to get these like the real thing, there are a few things you can’t cheat on!

First, to make any gluten-free baked good work, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got xanthan gum. Check your flour blend (I recommend Cup 4 Cup) for xanthan gum. Most gluten-free flour blends now include it. But if it doesn’t, make sure you add it separately. This recipe calls for 1/2 tsp if you’re using a flour blend without.

SHOP MY KITCHEN FAVORITES

• • •

Second, do not use unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate. When you don’t use normal flour, the chocolate asked for in a normal recipe builds and not in a good way. But semisweet or milk chocolate will save this!

Third, if you want the moist, fudgy texture you’re accustomed to, resting the batter for 30 minutes before baking will give the starches in your flour blend time to hydrate and soften. As with most gluten-free flour blends, they don’t typically absorb liquids the same way a normal flour does.

Doing these 3 things will ensure that you have brownies that are super yummy, fudgy, and have the perfect amount of flake on top!

Gluten Free Fudgy Brownies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 ounces (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) Gluten-Free flour blend* (I recommend Cup 4 Cup)

½ teaspoon salt

7 ounces semisweet chocolate†, chopped coarsely (you can also do milk chocolate which is something we prefer sometimes!)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

8 ¾ ounces (1 1/4 cups) sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* If you choose to use a gluten-free flour blend without xanthan gum, add ½ teaspoon xanthan gum to your mixture

† Not all chocolate is processed in a gluten-free facility so make sure you read the labels carefully!

Directions

Make foil sling for an 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of the pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of the pan, smoothing foil flush to pan; spray with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk flour blend, salt, and xanthan gum (if added separately) together in a bowl; set aside. Microwave chocolate, butter, and cocoa in a bowl at 50 percent power stirring often, until melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Let the mixture cool slightly.

Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Whisk in cooled chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour mixture using a rubber spatula and mix until well combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top with the spatula. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let the batter rest for 30 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

Let brownies cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift brownies out of the pan. Cut into squares and serve. (Brownies are best eaten on the day they are baked, but they can be cooled and placed immediately in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)