To make up for a lack of posting I’m about to share something with you that is going to knock your socks off. For ages, people have been raving about the Baked Brownie; apparently it is even one of Oprah’s favorite things. All of my favorite cooking blogs from Smitten Kitchen to The Brown Eyed Baker have put their own spin on it and I’ve had the recipe stashed in my “to-do” box for ages. I was craving brownies the other night and I decided to finally give it a whirl. I made the original recipe first (gluten-filled flour and all) because I wanted to know exactly what made the brownies special in the first place. They were amazing… so amazing that I immediately had to make a gluten-free version so that everyone could enjoy them. I formulated a few different recipes that would use different types of flours but they were getting a bit complicated and it occurred to me that part of the reason I love brownies so much is that you can throw them together quickly with very little effort, sort of like a lazy person’s gooey chocolate cake. So I tried the laziest variation first and it worked!

The original recipe calls for dark chocolate, but I ran out after making the original so for the gluten-free I used semi-sweet and it was just as good. David actually liked them better than the original because he isn’t a fan of super dark chocolate (I am though and would probably always use dark chocolate if I had the choice). If you’re not gluten-free want the recipe just do a search for “the baked brownie.” Seriously, best brownie ever… I like it enough that I’m going to be buying their cookbook (Baked: New Frontiers in Baking). For my gluten-free buddies, here’s what I made the other night:

Gluten-Free Baked Brownie

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 11 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line a 9×13” glass baking dish (a light bottomed baking pan would probably work too) with parchment paper and generously butter or oil the paper (I’ve done it both ways with good results).
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix, salt and unsweetened cocoa powder and set aside.
4. In a large heat proof bowl (mine was metal, but you could use glass) combine chocolate chips, butter and espresso powder and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until chocolate and butter are completely melted. Turn the heat off and, with the bowl still set over the water, add the sugars and vanilla extract and stir until completely combined.
5. Remove from heat and allow to sit until the mixture is room temperature (this took about 15 minutes).
6. Once the mixture is at room temperature, add the eggs and stir until just barely combined (over mixing at this stage will result in cake-like brownies, so don’t do it!).
7. Fold in the dry ingredients (Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix, salt and cocoa powder) until you can no longer see the flour.
8. Pour into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top.
9. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes (my tester did not come out completely clean like it would on a muffin, but I could tell that they were done).
10. Allow brownies to cool completely before serving (I know that this is hard but it is totally worth it. Unlike most brownies, which are best hot, these are really best at room temperature).

Sorry the picture isn’t great. I totally forgot to take one until David had already served them and I made him hurry and snap a picture of his plate.