Fudgy Crackly Top Brownies (Vegan + GF)
Fudgy, decadent, crackly top brownies that are undetectably vegan and gluten-free! SO easy to make with simple methods and just 1 bowl and 9 ingredients required!
Servings 16 (Brownies)
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup coconut sugar (we like Supernatural or Whole Foods 365 Brand)
- 1 cup MB 1:1 GF Blend (oat flour also works, but the brownies will be less shiny and chewy and will fall apart a little // see notes if not gluten-free)
- 3/4 cup almond flour* (we like Wellbee’s)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips* (we used semi-sweet // ensure dairy-free/vegan as needed)
- 2/3 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted (we like Miyoko’s // dairy butter would also work)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the coconut sugar, gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, cocoa powder, flaxseed meal, and sea salt. Whisk to combine until almost all of the flour and cocoa powder is incorporated. Next, stir in the chocolate chips.
- To the dry ingredients, add the boiling water, melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract. Use a spatula to fully combine, stirring for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The chocolate chips will mostly melt at this point, so if you would like extra whole ones for pops of chocolate, fold them in after the mixture cools a bit.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes — until the edges look set and the center looks barely shiny.
- Let the brownies cool in their pan for AT LEAST 30 minutes before slicing and digging in. The brownies will be super gooey before cooling and will be very hard to cut. If you would like your brownies to have perfectly crisp edges, refrigerate them for 2 hours before cutting. Store the brownies lightly covered at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or up to 1 month in the freezer.
Video
Notes
*These are intended to be indulgent, classic, decadent, crackly top brownies. We tested with less coconut sugar but found 1 ⅔ cup produced the best result. Using less sugar makes it harder to achieve a crackly crust, and we recommend against using less than 1 ½ cups. For lower sugar, more wholesome brownies, check out our Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies.
*If not gluten-free, you can replace the gluten-free flour blend with 1 scant cup all-purpose flour. We recommend including the almond flour for best results, but if you opt for all-purpose flour, use less because it’s much more absorbent.
*Almond flour sub: The next best option is cashew flour. If nut-free, you could try sunflower seed meal or possibly extra GF blend (use less because it’s more absorbent than almond flour — we recommend 1 ⅓ cup flour TOTAL).
*A chocolate bar or chocolate chunks would likely work in place of the chocolate chips, but you’ll need to finely chop them first or they won’t fully melt in step 3.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*If not gluten-free, you can replace the gluten-free flour blend with 1 scant cup all-purpose flour. We recommend including the almond flour for best results, but if you opt for all-purpose flour, use less because it’s much more absorbent.
*Almond flour sub: The next best option is cashew flour. If nut-free, you could try sunflower seed meal or possibly extra GF blend (use less because it’s more absorbent than almond flour — we recommend 1 ⅓ cup flour TOTAL).
*A chocolate bar or chocolate chunks would likely work in place of the chocolate chips, but you’ll need to finely chop them first or they won’t fully melt in step 3.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 16 servings)
Serving: 1 brownie Calories: 221 Carbohydrates: 36.2 g Protein: 2.9 g Fat: 8.9 g Saturated Fat: 4.1 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9 g Monounsaturated Fat: 1.9 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 94 mg Potassium: 110 mg Fiber: 2.8 g Sugar: 24.4 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 32 mg Iron: 1.4 mg