Hazelnut Gluten Free Brownies

Gluten Free Fudge Brownie

Calling all chocolate lovers! MEEE! Chocolate is the ultimate love food! Healthy unrefined dark chocolate that’s good for our heart, soul and spirit is what we love about these Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Brownies! They are one heck of a rich decadent chocolate dessert. . AND they are not only gluten free, but nearly grain free! I used hazelnut meal and King Arthur GF flour sweetened with a combo of Monkfruit and coconut sugar to make these fudgy moist and chocolatey good for us treat!  

To me chocolate is synonymous with Valentine’s day, well, and any holiday or day of the week! I wanted to share my 2 cents when it comes to chocolate… Because I am a professed chocolate lover with a sweet tooth! Chocolate has finally gotten its super food stardom! If you didn’t know this by now, well, here it is… Chocolate is rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients that protect our heart, and are a mood enhancer! Hellooo! Who wouldn’t want all that? 

So I got my inspiration for these omgaud brownies from a fellow blogger. Megan and I follow Sarah Fennel on Instagram. She is beyond inspirational, fun to watch blogger, who also is a food stylist + photographer extraordinaire. She is the queen of brownies (and a lot of other delectable desserts)! She IS the masterful baker behind Broma Bakery! I can truly binge watch her all day! Please don’t tell,  just see for yourself and comment below! I apologize is you can’t stop either.

If you are a dessert lover and haven’t followed Sarah on Instagram you are missing out! 

For this Valentine’s Day I decided I wanted to make a gluten free version of Broma Bakery’s Better than Boxed Brownies! And since I love hazelnuts, I made them using mostly hazelnut meal  plus a 1/4  cup of gluten free flour from King Arthur. Making them nearly grain free! Which I’m sure if you wanted to, you could make it completely grain free! Try using all hazelnut meal or almond meal! Oh and for another layer of decadence, drizzle them with melted Nutella. 

Simply reach for the good stuff~ dark chocolate! 

Gluten Free Brownies

Because, not all chocolate is created equal. Ingredients and how the coco bean is processed  matters when deciding which brand to buy. Note, the fewer ingredients the better, and no added chemicals or refined sugar. If you are looking for the healthiest version of chocolate, milk chocolate doesn’t count… To reap the most benefit from your chocolate experience, reach for the 70% cocoa or  higher in chocolate chips or bars to get the most bang for your health bucks. 

Good to know…Read the ingredient label to see that cocoa is. The first ingredient, not sugar. I always wondered why chocolate manufacturers added lecithin. Its optional and is added into many store bought chocolates as an emulsifier helping the cocoa and cocoa butter from separating. Lecithin is normally from soybeans, which it is listed as soy lecithin in the ingredient label. It’s a very small small amount, but if you have a soy allergen, also good to know. And one last fun fact: When you see “Dutched” chocolate, studies have found the dutching process greatly reduces the amount of antioxidants in the chocolate. I’d avoid if possible.  

What makes nutrient rich high-quality DARK chocolate so darn good for us? According to Healthline there are many reasons we want to be eating dark chocolate.  Here’s the deets…

1. Nutrient power house! YUP! Loaded with fiber, high in iron, magnesium, copper and manganese, as well other important minerals! 

2. Super high in Antioxidants! Go dark chocolate for shutting down free radical damage.

3. May help lower LDL when combines with cocoa and almonds

5. Heart healthy. Dark chocolate may improve blood flow and blood pressure. The flavonoids in dark chocolate actually can stimulate the lining of our arteries to produce nitric oxide (NO)! That’s good, because NO helps our arteries to relax and lowers blood pressure! 

6. Dark chocolate lowers oxidation, and improves insulin sensitivity.

7. Who knew! Dark chocolate also has the flavanols that increase blood flow to the skin that can help protect our skin! 

8. Improves brain function. Well Pegs loves hearing this as she is all about improving brain function! A “shtickle” of dark chocolate for an after meal treat, well, this is reason to celebrate! 

9. Makes us happy! UM meee! 

So how do we love eating and baking with chocolate besides making brownies? 

Well we have some damn good chocolate dessert recipes for you on the blog! Here are a few of our favorites: Meg’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream cake with a chocolate peanut butter ganache, its an oh my show stopper cake!  Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Chocolate Red Velvet Muffins, Chocolate Volcano Lava Cakes, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Almond Smoothie, Chocolate Mousse, , Chocolate Pudding, Salted Caramel Snicker Bites and NO-Bake Chocolate Fudge. 

You can feel good about all these chocolate desserts because we give you the options to make them specific to your. dietary preferences or conditions. Most all. Will work well using a diary free alternative butter. For those watching their sugar intake, Monkfruit has been a great option and you don’t need to use as much. Pegs loves to use half and half. Coconut sugar is our favorite go to sweetener for baking, but some desserts call for white sugar, so we use organic cane sugar. 

Hey, we fully honor the kid in all of us. Desserts are one of the most cherished foods on our planet. I find chocolate or any dessert to be emotional and with sugar, addictive. I check myself and buy the good better for me chocolate to bake with and eat.  By making them a wee bit healthier, doesn’t change the flavor, texture or taste! You will get the same deep rich chocolate goodness you know and love! 

Oh! And don’t forget the toppings, heehee.  We love topping any chocolate dessert with either freshly made whip cream or ice cream! We love our dairy free ice creams: So Delicious Vanilla goes great with chocolate! Chocolate Nada Moo for, well, more chocolate and for all us dairy free-ers.  Dairy Full options we enjoy on occasion; Cosmic Bliss hazelnut chocolate ice cream … Julies organics or Alden’s Organic dairy full and wonderful, if you can eat full fat dairy! Go for it! 

Megs and Pegs favorite high-quality brands, ethically sourced, good for us & fair trade farming*

Why are these our favorite brands? Because of their great tasting chocolates either for eating, baking or lathering…. Haha… But mostly they care about the growers. Fair trade and organic chocolate support cacao farmers and reduces their exposure, as well as ours, to pesticides and artificial  chemicals.  Also these brands use no unrefined sugars or additives. And they care about us and our bodies, no chemicals. #unsponsored

*Hu’s Kitchen, eating + baking

Askinosie Chocolate * feeding Africa and the world!  Eating!

Chocolove Eating!

Theo* eating + baking

Lilys* baking

Enjoy Life baking

Ingredients:

Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Brownies (Gluten Free + nearly grain free)

1/2 cup butter, alternative works well too

1 cup coconut sugar or monk. Fruit sugar or 1/2 and q/2. Of. Each

1/4 cup gluten free flour ( I used King Arthur all purpose)

1/2 cup hazel nut meal

1/4 cup cocoa powder

4 oz. semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate bar, finely chopped

2 eggs plus 1 yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

2/3 cup Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped raw hazelnuts

Powdered sugar to sprinkle or drizzle with melted chocolate chips 

Finish with sprinkles of flake salt

Method: 

  • Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. (less is best)
  • If you like your brownies to be chewy gooey and fudgy, Under cook them. 

Note: brownies will continue to cook once removed from the oven.

Love you all! xox

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