Author Notes
I love these brownies not just because they are perfectly fudgey and gooey (just like any brownie should be if you ask me), but also because as delicious as they are, and they also happen to be gluten-free, refined-sugar free, and dairy-free. So unless you have any friends with egg allergies, they should cater to pretty much everyone's food sensitivities. —Sophia R
Test Kitchen Notes
A solid recipe for a gluten- and white sugar-free deep dark chocolate-y brownie with a chewy texture—just sweet enough to satisfy a craving! Though not as decadent as a traditional brownie, I would make these again when I need something gluten-free.
The recipe could have been clearer in a couple key areas: 1. Conversions to US measurements—I had to convert everything. 2. More thorough instructions—when and how to melt the chocolate, when to add the dates, and how to tell doneness? I improvised, melting the chocolate over a double-boiler, mixing all wet ingredients first, then sifting and folding in dry ingredients.
[Editors' notes: We soaked the dates for 15 minutes, and we recommend sticking with the recommendation of 70% chocolate, resist any temptation to go darker. And if you need these to be refined sugar-free, making sure you choose a chocolate made without refined sugar.] —Tracie Stamm
Ingredients
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150 grams
pitted Medjool dates (about 6 to 9 dates, depending on size)
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75 grams
almond butter
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200 grams
chocolate (70% percent cocoa), melted
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3
eggs
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1/4 teaspoon
salt
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75 grams
almond flour
Directions
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Pre-heat the oven to 350° F (180° C) and line a brownie pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over two of the sides. [Editors' note: We used an 8-inch square pan.]
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Soak the dates in boiling water.
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Drain the water from the dates and purée the dates using an immersion blender or a food processor until no lumps remain. Pass through a sieve.
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Whisk the almond butter into the melted chocolate then fold in the date purée. Beat in the eggs one by one, waiting for each egg to be completely mixed in before adding the next egg. Lastly, fold in the salt and the almond flour.
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Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake the brownies for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until just set. Leave to cool completely in the pan. For clean edges on your brownies, cut with a very sharp knife, cleaning the knife between each cut.
Hi, my name is Sophia and I have a passion (ok, maybe it is veering towards an obsession) for food and all things food-related: I read cookbooks for entertainment and sightseeing for me invariably includes walking up and down foreign supermarket aisles. I love to cook and bake but definitely play around more with sweet ingredients.
Current obsessions include all things fennel (I hope there is no cure), substituting butter in recipes with browned butter, baking with olive oil, toasted rice ice cream, seeing whether there is anything that could be ruined by adding a few flakes of sea salt and, most recently, trying to bridge the gap between German, English and Italian Christmas baking – would it be wrong to make a minced meat filled Crostata?
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