Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies Recipe with Pecan Meal

A rich, gluten-free chocolate brownie with pecan flour.

Everyone needs a rich decadent brownie treat now and then. Especially if you wake up to snow and ice and no electricity. Which means of course, no heat. No hot water. No shower. Which translates into one very bad hair day. And one prickly, cranky goddess. I'm serious.

What does Mother Nature think this is, December?

Oh. Wait.

I've been deep in denial, I admit it. I've been distracting myself tweaking blog color schemes and rustling up pumpkin waffles and cozy soups and watching old Humphrey Bogart movies and downloading music pretending Autumn Shade is forever. But winter, I hate to tell you, is only twelve days away, inching closer every shivering second. It's a good thing we have a kiva fireplace and a stack of pinon outside the door. With nothing to do, I bundled up and settled in to read (long overdue) Temple Grandin's amazing book Animals In Translation.

When the power finally flickered back on (after sputtering on and off and torturing our electricity deprived souls for hours) I heated up some leftover quinoa with artichokes and cranberries.

And Steve decided to make brownies.

I have an idea, I told him. Would you experiment? For the sake of our Wonderful Readers? Absolutely, he responded. What's it gonna be?

Pecans, I told him. Belgian chocolate brownies made with pecan meal.

That's the moment, Dear Reader, when he smiled.

Unfortunately for my vegan and egg-free readers, this brownie recipe contains eggs. Because all my tests and valiant efforts to create an egg-free brownie at high altitude has only led your plucky noshing goddess down a path of bitter disappointment and oily boiling chocolate slabs of gunk that in no way whatsoever resemble a brownie you might actually like to bite into- which- in a tender baker's dreams, one would wish for, fervently.

But. No.

Add eggs- and you get these beauties (pictured above).

Sometimes life isn't fair.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies Recipe

If those of you living at a friendlier altitude care to veganize this recipe- and wish to share your results- please do. I plan on trying this recipe egg-free (for me) when we eventually return to sea level. But for now I'll simply share the recipe with you and trust Steve when he tells me, Yeah. Damn good.

Ingredients:

5 ounces dark chocolate
1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
2 large organic free-range eggs
1 cup firmly packed organic light brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons ground pecan meal
1/4 slightly rounded cup sorghum flour
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract
1/2 cup extra semi-sweet chocolate chips for the top, if desired

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line an 9x11-inch baking pan with parchment or foil and lightly oil the bottom.

Using the microwave (or double boiler), gently melt the dark chocolate and shortening. Stir together to combine. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs on medium high till frothy. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Add the melted chocolate mixture into the egg-sugar mixture a little at a time - incorporate it slowly- and beat well for a good minute. The chocolate will look smooth and glossy.

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: pecan meal, sorghum flour, sea salt and baking soda; whisk together. Add the dry flour mix into the chocolate mixture and beat well for a minute. Add the vanilla, beat another half a minute or so.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Shake the pan a little bit to even out the batter.

Layer the semi-sweet chips all over the top of the batter and press them in slightly, if adding.

Bake in the center of a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the brownies are set. Do not overcook. *Now- here I must give you a BIG note- we bake at high altitude so these took extra-long for me to bake. But traditionally, a recipe like this one comes in at around 25 to 35 minutes.

So please, I beg you- watch them like a hawk- take them out when you know they are done- and test for doneness in the center- they should be firm but give slightly when touched.

Cool on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy. Freeze leftovers wrapped in foil and bagged.

Freezing gluten-free treats keeps their just baked texture and taste intact.

Makes 18 servings.

Enjoy sugary treats in moderation. 
Gluten-Free Goddess advises consuming no more than 2 tablespoons of sugar a day.