Super Chocolatey Gluten-Free Brownies

I have always loved baking and find it to be a largely relaxing activity. However, being diagnosed as a celiac almost 10 years ago put a temporary damper on one of my favorite pass times.

Those familiar with the gentle chemistry associated with baking know recipes should be followed to the letter. This is even more so with gluten-free baking. Gluten, the protein that binds the baked product together, making lovely, malleable, stretchy dough that can be rolled, formed, and kneaded. Gluten free dough tends to be sticky, unwieldy, and frustrating to work with. Bread can be dense and resemble bricks and cookies and cakes crumble and fall apart on the way to your mouth making for a messy dining experience.

After years of looking for existing brownie recipes and finding none that satisfied my craving for the thick, rich, moist brownies of my youth, I decided to try my hand at making my own. Taking existing recipes and tweaking them to reflect what was currently in my cupboards (necessity is the mother of invention), and eating several pretty bad batches, I finally got what I was looking for; super chocolatey brownies that gluten-free and, non-gluten-free, folks could enjoy.

Super Chocolatey Gluten-Free Brownies

1/3 c. millet flour
2/3 c. cornstarch
1/3 c. tapioca starch
1 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. melted butter or coconut oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3-5 T. milk or milk alternative (or enough to make a crumbly batter stick together)

• Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9×9 baking dish
• In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients.
• In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredents.
• Slowly add combined wet ingredients to the dry mixture.
• Beat with electric mixer on med to low speed until all ingredients are blended well. Scrape sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula dipped in water (water keeps the batter from sticking to the spatula). Consistency should be pliable, but not pourable.
• Transfer batter to greased baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes or unlit a knife comes out cleanly.
• Allow bownies to cool, cut, and enjoy!

*Note: you can eat these sweet babies warm, but be warned, they will not hold together. As the brownies cool, they will become more stable.