Life
Brownies are one of the most popular desserts for a reason. Their ooey gooey goodness is hard to out-match. If you're craving the sweet treat, most of us make them from a box mix or from scratch, but if you're out of certain ingredients, there are some flour-free brownie recipes that will hit all the right notes, even if they seem a little unconventional.
With flour shortages and gluten intolerances so prevalent, flourless recipes are seeing a real boom right now. Gone are the days where you'd be stuck searching for things like arrowroot powder to bulk up a recipe. Now, home bakers (the scientists of the culinary world) have come up with tons of workarounds that make baking without gluten or flour easy and delicious. And while some recipes still call for ingredients that might be unknown to you, they're not unavailable. In fact, during the recent all-purpose flour shortages, I had no problem finding ingredients like almond flour (also good for macarons), coconut flour, and protein powder. They were and continue to be readily available, and if they're kept in the freezer, they take a long time to mature to the point of waste.
These recipes run the gamut from extremely simple to more complex, but they're all completely doable, and completely delicious.
1
Complete With Crackly Top
This recipe from Sweetest Menu utilizes confectioners sugar and cocoa powder to provide weight and density to the brownies. Using cocoa as opposed to melted chocolate gives the brownies a more intensely chocolate flavor, while also providing a grain-like ingredient to leaven with the combination of the eggs and sugar.
2
Five Ingredients. That's It.
The BakerMama's recipe for flourless brownies has five ingredients. That's it. If you have a hodgepodge of a half-open bag of chocolate chips, a few eggs, and some cocoa, you're basically good.
3
Protein Powder Brownies
I get it, protein powder isn't for everyone, and honestly, this one is for you, not your kids. However, I love these protein powder brownies from Chocolate Covered Katie. Not only are they way healthier than traditional brownies, but they pack a protein-filled punch. They're dense like a traditional brownie, but have a lighter taste.
4
Sweet Potato Brownies
These brownies from Oatmeal With A Fork call for buckwheat flour and sweet potatoes, but I have made other recipes calling for buckwheat flour and used oat flour in its place. Oat flour is just ground oats. (Literally just blend up some oats.) In the case of brownies with sweet potatoes or black beans, make sure it's a little more stirred than traditional recipes, as they get a little heavy and lumpy.
5
These Happen To Be Paleo
40 Aprons is known for their unique approach to recipes, and this Paleo brownie recipe is no different. This recipe calls for both coconut flour and almond flour, but you could sub one of those for the other, or you could use flax meal to replace one of the flours, or gluten-free oat flour. However, that would negate the Paleo aspect of these brownies. If you don't mind a bit of peanut butter flavor, PB2 powdered peanut butter could be used as well.
6
This One Has Frosting & Red Wine
These brownies from What Jew Wanna Eat have frosting, decadent red wine, dark chocolate, and no flour to be seen. I want every bit of these in my face right now. I love the sweet depths of this recipe, and I think that there is a high likelihood that you will enjoy the combination as well.
7
An Easy Mix
This recipe for brownies from TexanErin uses an easy breezy gluten-free flour mix from Bob's Red Mill. Even at the height of the flour shortage, many grocery stores still had this, and these brownies look divine.
8
A Slab of Chocolate Cheesecake
Not a traditional brownie by any means, but these chocolate cheesecake slab bars from Baker By Nature are everything you could ever want, but never knew you needed. They use Oreos for the base, but seriously, use whatever cookie you want, including gluten-free chocolate chip cookies to amp up the differences in flavor.
9
Brownies With Nuts
I will eat anything David Lebovitz makes, and this recipe for brownies with nuts is no different. His instructions are exact and precise, and his long history of writing recipes means that you know that this recipe has been tested over and over again to make sure that it's perfect.
10
Ghiradelli
Oh, Ghiradelli, how I love them. Their recipes are delicious, and they're so easy to follow. It's like it's their business to sell chocolate or something. Their brownies look decadent, with just the right amount of sugar and cream to have it all come together. I would top these with a few pieces of their extra dark chocolate to gild that lily.
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