I’ve been slowly realizing that I probably should have included chocolate in my blog name so maybe I wouldn’t feel guilty about sharing so many chocolate recipes all the time. If I’d been thinking ahead back then, I would have. I know myself, and myself craves chocolate. All. the. time.
Yesterday I just needed brownies and these turned out too good not to share. So good that I ate one at 9:30 this morning when I uncovered the plate to take photos.
I don’t have any of my special gluten free flours with me right now, so I turned to a recipe from David Lebovitz that I had seen previously. Using the leftover from a bar of Trader Joe’s dark chocolate, part of a bag of generic semisweet chocolate chips, and 5 other ingredients, I produced a pan of fantastically rich and chewy brownies within an hour. In other words, chances are you can make these right now. You know you want to.
The key to these flourless brownies lies in mixing the batter well at the end until it’s very thick. Normal brownies mustn’t be overmixed; these mustn’t be undermixed.
flourless brownies
recipe adapted from david lebovitz
6 tablespoons butter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut two strips of parchment paper and place them perpendicular to each other inside an 8×8 or 9×9-inch metal pan. Lightly coat the entire pan with cooking spray, especially any exposed metal in the corners.
Bring a pot of water to a gentle simmer and place a heatproof bowl on top of the pan. Alternately, use a double boiler. Melt the butter and the chocolate together and mix until smooth. Remove from the heat.
Whisk in the sugar. Next, whisk in the eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition until well combined.
Place the cocoa powder and cornstarch into a small sifter and sift over the batter. Whisk into the batter and then keep mixing for at least one minute. The batter will be very thick, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It will lose its graininess and look smooth and shiny.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-30 minutes. The brownies will look set in the middle. It’s always best to err on the side of underbaking with brownies, if anything!
For best results, allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing. If they last, they will keep for a few days in an airtight container. I think they’re best the day they’re baked and still good the next day, but my slightly rebellious streak loves them still warm from the oven. It’s okay, really.