Double Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies (GF!)

My apologies in advance if you started the new year thinking you were going to detox from sweets, because this is a recipe that you have gotta try. I mentally prepared for my own nutrition and health challenge by making these LAST weekend because my detox starts next week (no, seriously it does). Actually, who am I kidding? I’m not sorry – these are delicious! The good news is, that if your resolution was to cut back on gluten – you can still eat these. And by eat, I mean cut a little square every time you walk past the pan in your kitchen… oh, hopefully that’s not just me?

These brownies use tofu instead of egg to bind the mixture. The tofu, in combination with less flour than your cake-y brownie, leads to the dense chocolate-y goodness that will have you coming back for JUST one more bite. Be sure to pulse your tofu in a food processor/blend along with the chocolate. When I pulsed the tofu separately and just added it to the chocolate, I got weird tiny chunks of tofu throughout the brownies.  They still tasted delicious and I’m sure most people wouldn’t even notice. However, I am type A so I’ll have none of that chunky nonsense if I have any say in the matter.

For the chips, I like to use dark chocolate baking chips from Whole Foods because I like the chunk and texture that they give. If you are seriously worried about allergens or cross contamination, then substitute with your favorite alternative. I suggest the Enjoy Life brand for that area, which I like to buy in bulk from Amazon. Buying six packages at a time saves you a couple bucks and if you know you’re going to use them, then why not?

I’ve also added some black cocoa to bring this recipe to what I would call the “next level”. My good friend, Audrey, gave be a bag of Black Cocoa from King Arthur Flour, as a gift and said she had read about it on smitten kitchen. If you can’t find black cocoa, just use 2 TBSP of cocoa powder instead of 1 TBSP cocoa powder and 1/2 TBSP black cocoa. If you haven’t been to smitten kitchen, Deb does a great job taking photos of the entire process so if you’re uncertain about the in-between steps, fear no more – there’s a photo for that. Audrey also swears by her chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Okay tangent over, back to brownies.

If you aren’t too big on the sea salt flavor then 1) you’re crazy and 2) no worries – it’s super easy to take out. Substitute the sea salt for 1/2 tsp of regular table salt and you’re good to go.

Last but not least – oat flour. Does it need to be gluten free? No, you can use regular oat flour if you do not have any allergies or dietary preferences. They will be just as delicious. You can make your own oat flour by pulsing oats (gluten free or regular) in a food processor or Vitamix – I use the dry attachment. Just be sure to do small batches at a time to ensure that it’s not grainy else that texture will transfer over to the brownies. Because I have had difficulties in the past achieving the desired consistency by making my own oat flour, I like to buy it since it usually lasts a while in my kitchen.

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Double Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies (GF)

Servings: 16 brownies

Time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gluten free oat flour *
• 12 oz, 1 bag dark chocolate baking chunks
• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, dark or light
• 1 cup pureed tofu
• 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 TBSP black cocoa **
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt ***

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line 8×8″ square pan with parchment paper and grease lightly with coconut oil. I use the spray from Trader Joe’s in my kitchen almost every day and find that it works well with all types of recipes.
2. Melt butter and 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chunks in saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously to ensure even melting. After the butter and chocolate are fully melted, add the sugars and stir to combine. After the sugar is fully combined, remove chocolate mixture from heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
3. Combine pureed tofu, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of chocolate mixture in food processor. Pulse until there are no chunks of tofu remaining in the mixture. Pour tofu mixture and remaining chocolate in a medium sized bowl and whisk together.
4. Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt to chocolate and whisk to combine. The mixture should be somewhat thick but still easy to stir. It will also be very, very dark. To not be alarmed, this is from the black cocoa. Add remaining chocolate chunks to mixture and stir together. Pour batter into your greased pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
5. Bake brownies for 35-40 minutes until the batter is firm and doesn’t wiggle when lightly shaking the pan. Once brownies are firm, ensure complete cooking by inserting a toothpick until clean once removed. If batter sticks to the side of the toothpick, pop it back in the oven for a few more minutes. My oven required 38 minutes, but all ovens are different.
6. Allow brownies to cool for at least 1 hour before serving. I would recommend making these 1 day before serving since they firm up best after 12+ hours. Sprinkle with additional sea salt if desired.

* You can make your own oat flour by pulsing oats (gluten free or regular) in a food processor or Vitamix – I use the dry attachment. Just be sure to do small batches at a time to ensure that it’s not grainy else that texture will transfer over to the brownies.

** If you can’t find black cocoa, just use 2 TBSP of cocoa powder instead of 1 TBSP cocoa powder and 1/2 TBSP black cocoa.

*** If sea salt’s not up your alley, substitute sea salt for 1/2 tsp of regular table salt.