These gluten free brownies have it all: the fudgy, gooey centre, the intense chocolate flavour and the most perfect shiny, crackly top. This easy fail-proof recipe only takes half an hour from start to finish, making these gluten free brownies the perfect mid-week (or midnight) treat.

If you had to choose only one dessert to eat for the rest of your life – what would you pick?

For me, the answer is plain as day. There is no question about it, no doubt in my mind that I would pick these gluten free brownies, every. single. time. And I’m willing to bet my chocolate stash that by the end of this post, you’ll say the same. (And I take chocolate very seriously.)

But first, let’s talk about what makes the perfect brownie:

a fudgy, gooey centre,

the most intense, in-your-face chocolate flavour,

a sweetness that is perfectly balanced by the slight bitterness of chocolate, and

a shiny, crackly top.

And on this perfect brownie must-have list, these gluten free brownies tick every single box.

Before we get to the bits and bobs of making these delicious brownies – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest recipes and tips!

How do you make gluten free brownies?

But it’s not just their flavour, texture and appearance that makes these the best brownies you’ll ever taste. (As is that wasn’t enough already!)

It’s also the fact that the recipe – the making and baking of these lovelies – is both fool- and fail-proof. Even the most inexperienced of beginner bakers will have no trouble in producing sheer brownie perfection. (Pinky promise.)

30 minutes. 7 ingredients, all of which you probably have in your pantry and fridge this very moment. That’s it. No fuss.

To make the gluten free brownies, all you need to do is:

whip the eggs and sugar until pale, fluffy and greatly increased in volume, add in the melted chocolate + butter mixture, and fold in the flour + salt + xanthan gum mix. Then bake – until shiny and crackly on top, fudgy in the middle and smelling absolutely heavenly.

And that’s all there is to it.

Where does the crackly brownie top come from?

Ah, the question of all questions.

We’ve all pondered this mystery at one point or another, we’ve all googled “crackly top brownies” – probably at least one time too many to be considered normal. (No? Just me? Oh.)

The answer is both simple… and not. (But the appearance of the crackly top is by no means a happy accident or coincidence – just baking and science working together in clever ways.)

It’s all to do with the first step of the recipe: whipping the eggs and sugar together into pale, fluffy submission. That shiny, crackly crust you see on top of the baked brownie? That’s actually a thin layer of meringue that forms during baking because of that whipping. The thickness of the layer is directly related to how long you whip the eggs and sugar for – which is why I whip them for a whopping 5 to 7 minutes. (What can I say, I’m a sucker for texture and pretty brownies…)

(TL;DR: Science.)

But regardless of the reasons behind the crackly top… follow the recipe, and the results are simply stunning.

If there’s one dessert that anyone and everyone should have up their sleeves, it’s brownies. It’s these gluten free brownies. (And, no, you can’t “taste” that they are gluten free. All you can taste are just some darn good brownies.)

With almost any recipe out there, there are ways and tweaks to make it even better: tastier, prettier, easier to prepare. Not for this one. This one, these brownies – they don’t need extra chocolate chunks or chopped roasted pecans or a chocolate drizzle. Because they are, quite simply, perfect.

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5 from 2 votes Print The Ultimate Gluten Free Brownies These gluten free brownies have it all: the fudgy, gooey centre, the intense chocolate flavour and the most perfect shiny, crackly top. This easy fail-proof recipe only takes half an hour from start to finish, making these gluten free brownies the perfect mid-week (or midnight) treat. Prep Time 12 minutes Bake/Cook Time 18 minutes Total Time 30 minutes Servings 12 Author Kat | The Loopy Whisk Ingredients 4 1/2 oz (125 g) dark chocolate, chopped (I recommend using a chocolate with 70%+ cocoa solids)

2/3 stick (75 g) unsalted butter, cubed

3 eggs

1 cup (200 g) caster sugar

3/4 cup (95 g) plain gluten free flour blend (I've used a simple store-bought blend of rice, potato and maize flour with no added xanthan gum)

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

pinch of salt Instructions Pre-heat the oven to 350 ºF (175 ºC) and line a 8x8 inch square pan with baking/greaseproof paper. In a heat-proof bowl above a pot of simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter. Once melted, set aside and allow to cool until warm. In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer with the double beater attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale, fluffy and greatly increased in volume. I used a stand mixer on a medium-high setting for about 7 minutes. Slowly add the melted chocolate + butter mixture to the eggs and sugar, whisking constantly. Stop whisking once the chocolate has been evenly incorporated. Sift together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum and salt, and gently fold them into the brownie batter. Mix until only just incorporated and no flour clumps are present, but don't over-mix. Transfer the brownie batter into into lined 8x8 inch inch baking pan and smooth out the top. Bake in the pre-heated oven at 350 ºF (175 ºC) for 18 - 20 minutes until shiny and crackly on top and an inserted toothpick still comes out dirty. Allow to cool and enjoy! The gluten free brownies keep well in a closed container in a cool dry place for 3 - 4 days.

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