The universe must have really been listening to me on Wednesday, because it delivered some serious fall weather AND I LOVE IT. Big thunder storms, cooler temperatures — enough so that I actually got out my favorite sweater and spent the evening in it. Hallelujah! Keep it coming!
Also: I totally cracked open the pumpkin a day earlier than planned. I just couldn’t wait!! I’ll share what I did with it soon!
These oat brownies are something that have been on my list for a long time. It just sounded like a great idea to me: ground up oatmeal (the secret to these delicious cookies), mixed with chocolate and baked to perfection. I was psyched to try!
I’m happy to report, it worked wonderfully! Now I can make gluten-free brownies without worrying they’ll be weird, or having to use a strange ingredient. Maybe someone out there would consider oatmeal to be a strange ingredient, but I certainly don’t.
I based this recipe off of my favorite fudge brownie recipe, beefed up a little bit and translated to oatmeal-land. The oatmeal does give a distinct texture — a bit more substantial feeling (dare I say, healthy?). I’m a fan — even if I’m not gluten-free, although I suppose my posts this week have been leaning that way.
- 1½ - 2 cups gluten-free oatmeal
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp espresso powder
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1¼ cup chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and lightly grease an 8×8″ pan.
- In a food processor or blender, grind the oatmeal to a fine powder. Measure out 1⅓ cups oat flour, and combine with the baking soda and espresso powder. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
- Once melted, add the sugar and cook for another minute.
- Remove from heat and add the cocoa and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the vanilla, and then the eggs one at a time. Whisk fully so that the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips (if you want them fully intact, let the mixture cool 10 minutes before doing this step).
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and cook for 30-35 minutes – the top should have a thin crust, but the center will still be quite moist.
- Let cool 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
0
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
I love the idea of oat brownies, I have got to try this!
Leeann says
Sounds delish! What if I don’t have espresso powder. Can it be omitted?
Mary says
Absolutely!
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
Saw these on Pinterest so I had to check them out. They look fantastic! 🙂 I can’t wait to try them myself. One word of caution to folks who are truly gluten free (eating gluten free for health reasons), the oatmeal/oat flour has to be certified gluten free. Mainstream oat products (e.g., Quaker, McCann’s, Country Choice) contain gluten. You might want to add “(gluten free)” after that ingredient since you’ve labeled the recipe gluten free.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Shirley
JB says
I’d love to make these GF brownies but I am confused about the amount of oat flour. Is it supposed to be 1-1/2 cups according to the list of ingredients, or 1-1/3 cups according to the directions? Please, let me know as soon as possible. Thank you!
Mary says
Hi JB – sorry for the confusion! Use 1 1/3 cups oat flour. The 1 1/2 is in reference to the oats, which condense a bit after grinding into oat flour. Have fun!
Liz says
Mary this was awesome. I recently was found to fructose intolerant and have been experimenting with non wheat alternatives. Oat flour… Fantastic recipe, simple yet delightfully moorish. I added half a cup of smooth peanut butter and a handful of peanuts. This is going to be a regular. Many blessings.
Mary says
Thanks, Liz! I’m so glad you liked it — and I love your addition of peanut butter!! YUM! xo
MK says
My elder daughter is celiac. Tried it. Came out fantastic. While house is enjoying them. Don’t feel as if eating any GF stuff.
Thanks a lot for sharing
Looking for GF sponge cake recipe as well for tiramisu and chocolate mousse cake for my daughter which doesn’t have after taste like most of GF cakes and texture is also more granular like regular cakes so whole family including my daughter can enjoy them. Pls share it if possible
Once again thx:)
Mary says
MK – glad you liked them! I know cooking for celiacs can be a challenge. I don’t have a GF sponge cake recipe yet, but I’ll certainly let you know if/when I do!
Jennifer says
If you replace 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/2 of brown sugar the brownies are even better!
Daniela says
Just made these brownies and they are delicious! Although maybe I’ll use a bigger pan the next time, as I prefer them a bit flatter
Aishah says
it was soooo good! i felt good eating it cos there was no flour at all!
mine wasnt really gluten free cos i just blended up my oatmeal.
it wasnt as fudgy looking as yours, maybe my oatmeal flour wasnt as finely blended. but it was really good. it tastes so much better the next day, so moist and rich! thanks for the brilliant recipe!
Meghan Larmore says
How do I make these with just egg whites?
Mary says
Hmm. I think leaving out the yolks (and therefore the fat) would drastically alter the texture of the brownies. If you DO go that direction, I would make sure to really whip the whites with the sugar to be quite fluffy/firm, then fold it into the chocolate. Let me know how it goes if you experiment!
sunitha says
these brownies are simply awesome thanks for sharing your recipe my kid’s absolutely love these
Mary says
Glad to hear it!
Abby says
Excellent! A brownie recipe, finally, that uses only oat flour (because some add some other flour, like whole wheat, AP, spelt, etc…which I don’t have on hand, except for AP when I’m into some serious refined ingredients baking). Thank you for this! All of these ingredients I have in my cupboard.
Angela says
DO you have the nutritional info for these?
Mary says
I don’t, sorry!
Elsie Gasper says
Hi; for what it’s worth…I once calculated the nutritional value per piece of a “doctored” 9×13 carrot cake by using the nutritional values from the respective packaging of each ingredient in my cake. Maybe not a bull’s eye but close. Hope this helps.
Chris says
Could u do anything to cut down the amount of butter in recipe ? Maybe cut something else with butter ?
Mary says
I haven’t done it any other way – but let me know if you try it with anything else!
tasha says
I made mine with coconut oil instead and instead of cocoa powder I substitued organic chocolate hemp protein. Came out lovely, thanks!
Melissa says
applesauce is a good alternative to use to cut down on butter
Kelly Galloway says
I have substituted a significant portion (over half) of the butter in choc muffin or cupcake recipes with ripe avocado. Works wonderfully!
Mary says
Awesome — thanks for the tip, Kelly! xo
Normajean Slagel says
You sure could try coconut oil or better yet coconut butter!
Heather says
Can you use a sugar sub like stevia? If so how much?
Mary says
I’ve never used stevia, so I can’t answer you with certainty! I’m sure a google search would tell you the ratio for subbing! Good luck!
Claudette Floyd says
I would try this recipe and I would used stevia too . And also coconut oil . Thanks for the recipe, and the post.
aishah says
yay to no flour! i made this twice and it turned out alright. just that it wasnt an fudgy as yours. mine was more like a rich cake. i wonder why.
Lisa says
You can replace the butter completely with coconut oil. Coconut oil acts like butter but is way better for you.
Gill Kim says
Amazing! How do I make espresso powder? Is it as simple as it sounds. i.e. From grinding coffee beans?
Mary says
I don’t think it’s quite the same – I get the instant powder from the coffee aisle at the grocery!
Sean says
This was a little too fragile/crumbly for me. Perhaps I’ll try a chia seed binding agent next time.
Mary says
Perhaps some flax + boiling water would work, too! Good luck!
Liz h says
I’ve made these several times and they never disappoint. This last time I swirled in a little peanut butter- yum! Thanks for a recipe my whole family can enjoy together!
Mary says
Woohoo! So glad to hear you like them! Pb sounds like a great addition 🙂
Manuel says
I only eat egg whites: so how much egg whites would I have to use instead of the whole egg?
Mary says
Hi Manuel! Generally, 2 egg whites = 1 whole egg. Subbing like that WILL reduce the fat content drastically, which will really change the texture of these brownies. To compensate, I’d recommend adding about 1 tsp of some sort of oil for each egg!
Evie says
i am intolerant to cow’ s milk’ would goat butter work instead or would it leave a strong goat taste? Or is oil an ok substitute? Thanks. E
Mary says
Hi Evie! I have absolutely zero experience with any of that, so I can’t really advise! Let me know what you end up trying, and how it works. Good luck!!
Sara says
Maybe it does make a difference, but I always use oil and mine came out perfect.. I did add 1/4 of almond milk because it was too dry for my taste.. 🙂
Mary says
Thanks for the tip, Sara!
Kerrie says
Mine too have come out dry and crumbly so do you suggest just a bit more liquid? Also I can find baking soda so I’m using 4 x the quantity of baking powder. Otherwise there so good just trying to get them a good consistency any other suggestions ?
Mary says
Hi Kerrie! I think the quadrupling of baking powder is probably the culprit here! Since these aren’t super leavened anyways, I wouldn’t worry about it too much — just use the normal amount (soda would be ideal, but the same amount of baking powder will be fine for this purpose!). Good luck!
Michelle says
These are so good! Best gluten free brownie I’ve ever had. Will definitely be my go to recipe
Mary says
Thanks, Michelle! I’m glad you like them!
Mathilde says
Hey Mary – thanks for sharing! Unfortunately mine did not turn out like yours, but I did make a few changes. Instead of all of that sugar, I replaced it with coconut palm sugar and only 3/4 cup. I used cacao powder instead of cocoa. When mixing it, it seemed very dry, so I added some mixed frozen berries. I only baked it for 32 mins and it still came out really dry. Next time I would keep the full amount of sugar too and maybe use coconut oil instead of butter in the hope that it gives it that extra moisture?
Mary says
I think the change in sugar is a huge factor here — palm sugar acts pretty differently than white sugar, and reducing by 25% is significant! I’m not a scientist, so am not sure exactly how to instruct you… But keep trying! Good luck!
Marcia says
I have been looking to parrot a ‘breakfast brownie’ I had earlier this summer. I’m hoping for good results with this recipe (the batter tasted great :- ). Subbed dried cherries (found them at Aldi’s) for half of the chocolate chips (ghiradelli 60% cacao), and ground some instant coffee to a powder for the espresso. Thanks, Mary!
Mary says
What a great idea! Sounds delicious! Thanks, Marcia! xo
Marita says
I just put them on the oven, replaced the butter with canola oil, no coffee, and chop some pecans…amazing!!
Mary says
Yay! I hope you loved them, Marita! Thanks for sharing! xo
Nikki Kratzer says
I replaced the eggs with 3 tablespoons of corn starch disolved in 9 tablespoons of water. These are awesome, I missed brownies.
Mary says
Yay! Thanks for the tip, Nikki! Welcome back to brownieland! Xo
Joey says
I tried them today and they are sooo yummy. I used dark chocolate instead of chocolate chips and the result was incredible. Thanks for the recipe!
Mary says
Thanks for the feedback, Joey! I’m glad you liked them! xo
Irina says
These were the first brownies I ever made! They ended up lovely, I did not put so much sugar as I simply run out, and mixed white sugar with brown, but i liked them being not too sweet! Also used a bit of olive oil with butter and white chocolate chips together with dark chocolate ones. People didn’t realise they were gluten free!yumyy! Thank you for the recipe!
Mary says
Thanks for your comment, Irina! I’m so glad you liked them! xoxo
Rachel says
HI, I love these brownies! They are definelty my favorite recipe! I think you need to edit the recipe though because you called for vanilla and then the instructions never told my to put it in. I didn’t it with the rest of the wet anyway. 🙂
Mary says
Hi Rachel! I’m glad you enjoyed these! The instruction to add the vanilla was at the beginning of #6! xo
Christine Peterson says
I used applesauce instead of eggs. I also used a cup of maple syrup instead of sugar and used 1/12 cups of oat flour and 1/2 cup of hemp. I used a grass fed butter and cocao nabs. its so delicious. My girls cant tell the difference. Delicious brownies that are somewhat healthy. Thanks
Mary says
Thanks for the notes, Christine! I’m glad it’s a hit! xo
Jemima says
I substituted butter with some water for extra moisture, cut the sugar by 1/2 cup, and cut the baking time by 10 minutes. Much better than the first round that turned out extra dry and crumbly!
Mary says
Hi Jemima! I’m glad this round was better for you — thanks for the feedback! xo