Prepare for deep, dark, chocolate decadence! These are gluten-free almond butter brownies, and I've made them many times since posting. Read on for the recipe.
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Food & Wine Magazine arrived in the mail yesterday, and while I don’t usually start tearing recipes out of magazines until I’ve read the whole thing, I tore Hazelnut Brownies by Chef Stella Parks from Kentucky out immediately with no regard for what was on the following page. The recipe was for gluten-free brownies made with ground hazelnuts, cocoa, chocolate, butter, eggs and coffee. I could not wait to make these, but since I didn’t have any hazelnuts, I went off on my own and swapped them for almond butter. The brownies were fantastic!
Gluten-Free Almond Butter Brownies
Just so you know, this recipe varies greatly from the original. Because packaged almond butter has sugar and salt added, I had to reduce the quantities of both in the original recipe. I also halved the recipe (lest my experiments didn't work out!) and quick cooled the brownies in a water bath because I wanted to eat one SOON. I'll let you know when I try Stella's recipe from Food & Wine. Also, if you are lucky enough to find hazelnut butter (the type with salt and sugar added) in a jar, you could probably follow these directions verbatim and just swap the almond butter for hazelnut butter.
Recipe
Almond Butter Brownies
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter (228 grams)
- 6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (170 grams)
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder I used half Hershey’s Dark, half Hershey’s Natural
- ½ tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in ½ tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (250 grams)
- 5 ¼ ounces ½ cup plus a generous tablespoon commercial almond butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square metal pan with nonstick foil.
- In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium, swirling every couple of minutes, until the butter foams and eventually starts to turn brown around the edges. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Let the chocolate sit in the hot butter for about 2 minutes to melt, then stir until smooth. Stir in the cocoa powder, coffee/water mixture, salt and vanilla.
- In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the eggs. Gradually add the granulated sugar, beating constantly. Beat for about 5 minutes. Mixture should almost triple in volume (though I ‘m not sure mine did!). Beat in the almond butter until smooth.
- Add the chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture in the pan. Bake on center rack for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then chill for about 2 hours or until firm and cold. Lift from pan and cut. Alternatively, as soon as you take the brownies from the oven, plunge the pan into a roasting pan with ice water to quick cool. Put them in the refrigerator.
Anna says
Jo, thanks for the nice comment and I'm glad you like the brownies. If you like peanut butter, you may want to also try the version my friend Bev made. Here's a link. https://www.cookiemadness.net/2018/02/19/bevs-gluten-free-peanut-butter-brownies/
Jo Sigmund says
These are the BEST brownies ever--not the best gluten free brownies; the best brownies EVER. I've made the recipe many times and ALWAYS have people beg for the recipe. They are fudgy, deliciousness.
differentbeautifully says
Hey! Just made these today with skippy natural peanut butter and ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips. They came out fabulous! I upped the time to 55 minutes because I used a glass dish. Can't believe these came out so well without any flour. Of course brownies use more butter and sugar than flour anyway:)
Sue says
I made these yesterday. I didn't love the crispy edges as much as Gloria did but they are very good brownies. I took them to a dinner party and served them with Coconut milk ice cream and chocolate sauce. I think the brownies are better today than they were yesterday. The texture is improved today.
Anna says
Thanks for documenting all your changes and giving a thorough report. I'll bet a lot of people will be interested in trying these with Swerve or whatever sugar substitute is popular these days. I'm glad you chilled the brownies, too. I almost always chill brownies before cutting and serving because I like how it changes the texture.
Nout says
Hi Anna,
I ended up making your recipe. here are the substitutions I used:
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used half Lindt 85% chocolate bar and half Lindt 90% bar, which is what I had on hand)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used Hershey's regular - not dark)
1 packet Starbucks Via or ½ tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in ½ tablespoon water (I used the instant coffee in water)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (I used 1.25 cups Swerve and 15 drops liquid sucralose EZ Sweetz)
5 1/4 ounces (1/2 cup plus a generous tablespoon) commercial almond butter such as Maranatha (I didnt realize you couldnt use unsweetened almond butter but I ended up using it anyway.
2 heaping TBSP psyllium husk powder (I added this for additional 'bulk')
I baked them less, in a pyrex dish (so less heat), for about 35-40 minutes.
OK so I was really worried about this recipe. When I made the batter, it was gritty and weird. When I baked the brownies, I couldnt tell if they were done or not. And lastly, when I took them out after guestimating that they were finished, the batter had 'seperated' and left about 1/4 cup oil/butter just floating on top of the brownies. I panicked and poured off the grease. Then I put the brownie dish in a larger dish with ice. After much waiting, and nervousness, I made sure the brownies had cooled down considerably. I cut 2 pieces for Hubs and I to try. He LOVED it. I was still "meh"... the texture was still strange.
I stuck the rest of the brownie dish in the fridge, covered, overnight. The next day (today), I cut another piece to try and OH MY GOD. THEY ARE AMAZING COLD! NOT chemically or fake tasting at all. The Swerve is sooooo good here. Chocolatey, rich, amazing... almost like a fudge and a ganache had a baby. SO SOOOOO GOOD, but a tiny weee bit dry and crumbly.
Here's what I'll do different next time, LEAVE the 'seperated' oil, cool the brownies down, and refrigerate OVERNIGHT. I think they really are MUCH better the next day.
Thanks again, Anne, this is a WINNER in my book.
Anna says
Hi Nout,
I wish you would try it and let me know. Sugar doesn't just add flavor to this recipe, but provides structure. If you take it out, you take out a big chunk of mass. If you use an artificial sweetener with a weight of about 8 or 9 ounces, it might work (Fibrelle, for instance, has a similar weight and volume as sugar). Swerve measures cup for cup and can be used interchangeably for sweetness, but I'm not sure how much a cup of Swerve weighs or if it would actually provide enough structure for the brownies. But it might! This is a really good one to test with an artificial sweetener. I'll make a note to do that in the near future.
Nout says
hi there, this recipe looks amazing. do you think it will be good with a sugar substitute such as Swerve (erythritol) instead of the regular sugar? I am on a low carb diet but still would love to make these!
thanks!!
Anna says
I think the rule of thumb is that when using Pyrex, reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees. That should work.
Alplily says
I am looking forward to making these, but only have glass/Pyrex baking pans (not metal). Any tips on getting them to come out properly? Thanks for the recipes!
Anna says
Thanks for the review! I appreciate it.
Anonymous says
Made these yesterday for a get together and they were a hit!
Gloria says
I forgot to rate these! They won First Place at Anoka County Fair this year!!! I only made minor adjustments.
Katrina says
Just bought some almond butter with making these in mind. I'll let you know when I do.
Juju@getfitwithjuju says
I cannot wait to make this! I bookmarked this for the weekend baking, and am so excited! Thank you for sharing this with us! =]
Sarah says
I'd like to suggest these brownies are a miracle cure for insomnia... I made a batch before bed with cashew butter, half coconut oil, and other coconut/cashew substitutions and add-ins (I seem to be incapable of leaving a recipe alone). I virtuously/foolishly left them MOSTLY alone fresh out of the oven and went to sleep. After spending a very early morning hour inexplicably (or not -- there were fresh brownies in the kitchen!) wide awake, I got up, ate one, and promptly fell asleep until the alarm went off. A miracle indeed...
Gloria says
Just making another pan of these!!! Going to serve them warm with vanilla ice cream...can't wait!
Anna says
Thanks for the comment, Stella! You are officially my new favorite pastry chef.
And I'll definitely try the hazelnut version just as soon as I remember to pick some up at the store.
Stella says
Hi Anna! I'm so glad you liked the recipe and put your own twist on it with the ingredients you had on hand. They look fabulous, especially the paper-thin crinkle crust on top. I hope you give the hazelnut version a shot too, the ground hazelnuts give the brownies a bit of a fluffier quality (though by no means cakey!) that offsets the richness. Cheers!
Anna says
Hi Gloria,
Thanks for trying them! I think my almond butter was crunchy as well. About the edges, I'm glad you're an "edge person" because the 8 inch pan size does give you more edges.
Gloria says
I made these last night and I'm going to post them. They are fantastic!! Plus, the crispy edges are to die for!!! I did make a few changes, but nothing too significant. I had a happy accident and purchased crunchy almond butter. They still turned out great and I didn't need to add any nuts for texture..they were already there!!!
thelittleloaf says
OMG these look incredible! I've got a really good friend who's a coeliac so this would be the perfect treat for her. And for me, you wouldn't even miss the flour for a second!
Karen says
I shared this recipe with my cousin who has Celiac Disease. She misses out on lots of goodies at family events since she is the only one with celiac. I made sure at our wedding that the communion bread was gluten-free and she was very touched. Anyway, a relative is having an 80th birthday party coming up and I think I will make these brownies to take along.
Sue says
Another fantastic recipe from you!! Chocolate and hazelnuts have always been one of my favorite flavor combinations.
Katrina says
Ooh, those DO look really good! Glad to have you back in the kitchen again sharing all the yum with us! I haven't had almond butter in the house for a while, but just might have to get some!
karen says
Wow! These look terrific and also perfect for Passover, which is this week. Thanks! I will definitely give them a try, I'm going to look for Hazelnut butter because I'm a little almonded out this week.
Anna says
Hi Meredith,
I'm not sure. I've never tried chocolate almond butter. It might be worth a shot, though!
Meredith says
How do you think that these would work with chocolate almond butter? I have some trader joes cocoa almond spread in my pantry......
Anna says
Jessica, I am really anxious to hear what you think of the original recipe and will be waiting for your post.
Mary, I wouldn't recommend using sugar free almond butter oz for oz here. If you want to go that route, I'd recommend using 3.5 ounces of almond butter and adding an extra 1/4 cup sugar. That, or buying a jar of almond butter with sugar in it. Not that I'm the boss of you ;).
Kathryn, let me know when you make them. I take it you don't care much for hazelnuts, eh?
Gloria, it is 2 sticks of butter. The original 13x9 inch version uses 4 sticks (1 pound). These are gluten-free, but they're not light.
Gloria says
Love the shiny top!!! Do you really use 2 sticks of butter in an 8" pan? These must be wonderfully rich!!!
Kathryn says
These look so perfect. The whole hazelnut craze leaves me baffled but almonds are wonderful. I love baking with almond butter and almond meal. The combination of chocolates and the addition of the via sound ideal. Can't wait to make them!
Chewthefat says
I have several gluten-free friends and I always feel bad bringing baked goods they can't eat! I love your version with almond butter because I'm not a huge Nutella person. The almond butter I use doesn't have sugar, but I like the idea of a rich, less sugary brownie.
Jessica "Su Good Sweets" says
Ooh, thank you! I'm going to try the original because hazelnuts + chocolate = Nutella.
j3nn says
It blows my mind that brownies can come out so well without flour! Almond butter is a really great flour alternative. Yum!