This post is more than just a recipe for gluten free brownies. Don’t get me wrong, the recipe is awesome.  You can make them with the reccomended gluten free flour blend or all purpose if you don’t need them to be gluten free.  The result either way will be the same: fudgy, rich brownies!  If you served them without mentioning they are gluten free no one would ever know. But what I love about this recipe is where it came from.

Chef’s careers are built on blood, sweat and reputation. For a chef, pastry chef especially, this “reputation” is usually built from desserts based on recipes that have taken countless hours to perfect.  They are the lifeline of a pastry chef’s career. I should point out that an amazing recipe left in the hands of an uninspired chef won’t yield the same result; it takes years of training to make a series of simple (or complicated) recipes combine into one plate in perfect balance.  But at the start of it all, is a great recipe.

When it comes to gluten free cooking I have spent lots of time reading about it but not a lot of time executing it.  Not because I don’t want to, because it’s hard to find the time. If you follow me on Twitter you know that I often tell people to follow @ideasinfood. They send tweets throughout the day that get your creative juices flowing, share ideas and techniques  and even their recipes on their website and in their book (which you should get right now!). They are the kind of chefs that I aspire to be: they willingly share what they have learned, inspiring new ideas, and ultimately, greatness from cooks and chefs all over the world.  The internet is an amazing thing!

Their gluten free flour blend is what I used as a base to make these brownies and because of it, I now have a product I can proudly share with guests at Buzz Bakery. I only had to make one small adjustment.  I substituted the arrowroot for 1.5 times the amount of cornstarch.  Sometimes great ideas just give you a jumping off point and you run with it from there.

A few days after trying this recipe out my sous chef tested out a gluten free brioche, again using an Ideas in Food gluten free blend, a little extra xantham gum and my brioche recipe.  It turned out amazing and now we can offer great gluten free french toast for brunch at Birch & Barley. Stay tuned for that recipe as well!

So now you can see why this brownie recipe is so much more than just another gluten free brownie recipe. It is proof that one great recipe or idea can inspire another and that there are extremely talented chefs out there willing to share ideas to move food forward.  I know this soundy cheesy but I love this part of my job!  Enjoy!

PS-  This recipe is sized down from the giant size we do at Buzz to a more manageable size that can be made at home.  It is however in gram measurements.  Don’t fret!  If you are a serious home cook and you don’t have a scale yet it’s time to invest!  Here is a link to the scale I have at home (and at work for smaller projects.)  I just LOVE this model…  Reasonably priced and very accurate.

GLUTEN FREE (or regular if you like) BROWNIE RECIPE

340 grams butter

198 grams 100% unsweetened chocolate

57 grams dark chocolate (I like 72% E. Guittard)

450 grams sugar

1.5 tsp salt

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp espresso powder

6 eggs

150 grams sugar

265 grams  Ideas in Food GF Flour Blend, substituting the arrowroot for 1.5 time the weight in cornstarch  (or equal parts All Purpose Flour)

2 cups toasted walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1) Place the butter, 100% chocolate and dark chocolate into a bowl over a double boiler.  Keep the heat on low and stir occasionally to prevent scorching.

2) While the chocolate is melting place  the eggs and the smaller amount of sugar (150 grams) into a bowl and whip until nearly at the ribbon stage (light and foamy but not super thick)

3) Once the chocolate is meted remove from heat.  Add the larger amount of sugar (450 grams,) salt, vanilla and espresso powder.  Whisk to combine.

4) Fold in the whipped eggs.  Sift the all purpose or gf flour blend over the chocolate mixture and stir in until smooth. Add the toasted walnuts last.

5) Spread into a sprayed quarter sheet tray lined with parchment and sprayed.  (If you are making these at home a traditional 11×7 brownie pan should do the trick but may require a few additional minutes to cook.)  Bake at 300 degrees in a professional convections oven (325 degrees at home) checking after 20 minutes (it may take up to 30 minutes depending on the oven and fan speed.)  A small pairing knife inserted into the center of the brownies should come out clean when the brownies are done.  Cool before cutting (if you can wait that long!)

These are great so many ways.  At the shop we serve them in individual pans with all kinds of fun things in or on them.  Just remove the espresso powder and walnuts and you’ve got a great base recipe.  Nutella cheesecake swirled on top.  Peanut Butter cookie dough baked right in.  But the best way to eat them is warm with a scoop of ice cream on top. Oh, and thanks Ideas in Food, you are an inspiration, as always!