Fudgy Gluten-Free Blackberry Brownies

Name: Fudgy Gluten-Free Blackberry Brownies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup salted butter; 70 grams 70% chocolate (chips or chopped); 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 1/3 cup tahini paste; 3 tbsp. milk ((I used almond milk)); 1 tsp. vanilla extract; 1/2 cup cacao powder*; 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend; 2 large eggs; 1 egg yolk; 1/2 cup frozen blackberries** ((thawed and drained)); 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

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Last Updated on May 4, 2020 by Priscilla

side angle of stacked blackberry brownies on marble surface with glasses of milk in background

Chocolate and berries of any kind are such a wonderful combination. I’ve made my share of many types of brownies, but these are a new favorite. They combine chocolate, blackberries and tahini paste and are so decadent and fudgy. They’re also super easy and gluten-free!

What’s the secret to EXTRA FUDGY brownies?

I made many a batch of brownies, but only recently learned the secret to extra fudgy ones. After reading one of Alton Brown’s brownie recipes, I saw that he essentially baked his brownies twice: essentially baking half way, resting at room temperature for a bit, and then finishing the brownies off in the oven again. I was intrigued, so I started making all brownies that way, and they definitely live up to the hype. By only baking the brownies halfway and letting them sit for a little, the outside “crust” of the brownies cook at a lower temperature, preventing the crust from puffing up or cooking too quickly. As someone who loves fudgy brownies all of the way through, this was a huge win to me!

flat lay of blackberry brownies arranged in a rectangle, bottom left brownie has a bite taken out of it

What type of chocolate should I use?

This recipe uses chocolate in two different ways – chocolate is melted into the batter, and the batter is also studded with mini chocolate chips. This helps yield a super fudgy and chocolatey brownie. For the chocolate in the batter, I used 70% chocolate. For the mini chips, I use Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips. If you want a sweeter brownie, you can add even more mini chips to the batter.

Making Substitutions to this Recipe

Cacao Powder vs Cocoa Powder in Brownies

While both cacao and cocoa powder are derived from the cacao plant, they are a little different. Cacao powder comes from raw and then fermented cocoa beans, while the beans for cocoa powder also get roasted. The cocoa powder is therefore stripped of some nutritional benefits in the roasting process, but also ends up with a richer, chocolatey flavor. Cacao and cocoa behave a little differently in recipes, and cacao powder is also a little more bitter than cocoa powder, which can change the flavor profile of some sweets. I have Not tested this recipe using cocoa powder, but if that’s all you have on hand, you can try to substitute it for the cacao powder 1:1, and add ½ tsp baking soda to the recipe.

Do I have to use Tahini?

Tahini isn’t a shelf-staple in everyone’s homes (although it should be!!) so you may not have any. I really like using tahini paste and highly recommend it for this recipe, but you can also use almond butter in its place. Make sure your almond butter doesn’t have any extra additives like palm oil, which may change the texture of the brownies.

Interested in more easy gluten-free sweet treats? Try your hand at these:

Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookie Bars

Butternut Squash Olive Oil Cake

Paleo Date Caramel Cups

3 process photos for blackberry brownies. 1st is batter with a spoon in it, second is batter pull with a spoon, third is flatlay of batter with blackberries and chocolate chips

Making Extra Fudgy Blackberry Brownies

This recipe is super simple and requires the following ingredients:

Salted butter
Chocolate chips/chopped chocolate (semi-sweet and 70% chocolate)
Coconut sugar
Tahini paste
Almond milk
Vanilla
Cacao powder
Gluten-free flour
Eggs
Blackberries

First, you will melt the butter and chocolate over a double boiler or in a microwave until it becomes smooth and velvety. Next, you will whisk in the coconut sugar, tahini paste, milk and vanilla extract.

After that, add the dry ingredients, the cacao powder and flour, and stir to combine. Whisk in your eggs and fold in the blackberries and chocolate chips. I used frozen blackberries that I thawed prior to adding to the batter. If you plan to use fresh blackberries, give them a rough chop before adding to the brownie batter.

You will pour the batter into a 8”x8” baking dish and bake for 12 minutes. Then the secret step to the fudgy brownies – you’ll remove the pan from the oven and let it rest on your counter for 10 minutes. After that, the brownies go back into the oven for another 10-12 minutes. These brownies taste even better after they’ve fully cooled and been refrigerated!

*Also a recipe “oops” here: I didn’t add baking soda when I was initially testing these. It actually turned out for the best and I really enjoyed how dense they were without the baking soda!