I have been making these brownies for years and the original recipe can be found in my book Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food. Over the years I have modified it a bit and gluten-free flour has come along way in the past 12 years. Now you can purchase one-for-one gluten-free flour, meaning you simply swap out regular flour for the same amount of gluten-free flour. This makes gluten-free baking so much easier than 10 years ago where you had to do a combination of several different types of flour combined with xanthan gum. Those days are behind us!
¼tspxanthan gum (omit if your gluten free flour has xanthan gum)
1 ½tsppure vanilla extract
¼tspbaking powder
¼tspinstant espresso powder
¼tspfine sea salt
4tbspcoconut oil
1cupcoconut palm sugar
⅓cupcanned pumpkin
⅔cupunsweetened cocoa powder
⅔cupfresh raspberries
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Instructions
Heat oven to 350℉ and coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray, set aside.
nonstick cooking spray
Whisk together the flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
½ cup one-for-one gluten free flour, ¼ tsp xanthan gum, ¼ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Stir together the sugar and pumpkin in a medium bowl until well combined.
1 cup coconut palm sugar, ⅓ cup canned pumpkin
Beat in the whole egg and egg white.
1 egg white, 1 large egg
In a separate small bowl, mix together the vanilla and espresso powder until the powder is dissolved and then add to the sugar/ pumpkin mixture.
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract, ¼ tsp instant espresso powder
Melt coconut oil in a medium saucepan over low heat and slowly stir in cocoa powder, stirring with a fork until the chocolate mixture resembles a smooth sauce.
4 tbsp coconut oil, ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Combine the flour mixture with the pumpkin mixture until no trace of the flour remains.
Stir in the chocolate mixture and mix until the batter is dark brown.
Carefully fold in the raspberries.
⅔ cup fresh raspberries
Spoon the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula coated with cooking spray.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool and cut into 12 brownies.
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More About This Recipe
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
8-inch square baking pan This size pan creates brownies that are thick, moist, and perfectly fudgy.Mixing bowls You’ll need a few bowls to combine the wet and dry ingredients separately before bringing everything together.Whisk or hand mixer Helps blend the pumpkin, sugar, and egg smoothly so the batter becomes light and well combined.Small saucepan Used to gently melt the coconut oil and combine it with cocoa powder to create a smooth chocolate mixture.Rubber spatula Perfect for folding the raspberries into the batter without crushing them.
Cooking Tips for Perfect Brownies
Don’t overbake. The secret to fudgy brownies is pulling them out when the center is just set. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
Let them cool completely before cutting. This step is key. Cutting warm brownies can make them crumble. Cooling allows them to set properly.
Use good quality cocoa powder. Because cocoa provides most of the chocolate flavor in this recipe, using a high-quality cocoa powder makes a big difference.
Fold raspberries gently. Fresh raspberries are delicate. Lightly fold them into the batter so they hold their shape.
Line the pan with parchment paper. This makes it much easier to lift the brownies out and slice them cleanly.