Gluten Free Mini Brownie Bites
These rich dark chocolate Gluten Free Mini Brownie Bites are a practically guilt-free treat from Fran Costigan’s Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts.
You don’t need to eat gluten-free to love these fudgy, deeply chocolate brownies. The mini size means built-in portion control, and prune purée adds a healthy dose of fiber.
Makes 24 Mini Brownies
Tip
It is very important to read the label on the gluten-free mix you are using to check whether xanthan gum is one of the ingredients. If xanthan is not listed, add the optional ¼ teaspoon in this recipe.
Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (89g) gluten-free all-purpose baking mix
1/4 cup (25g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup (75g) organic coconut sugar, powdered in a blender
3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (See Tip)
1/4 cup (2 ounces) mild tasting extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (2 ounces) any non-dairy milk
1/4 cup (2 ounces) prune purée (recipe follows) or one 2-ounce jar of organic plum baby food
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract
1/4 cup (2 ounces) mini gluten-free, vegan chocolate chips
Plating Lots of fresh berries, maybe drizzle some chocolate ganache, and/or gold luster dust- flowers.
Directions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325˚F. Spray the cups of a 24-cup or two 12-cup mini muffin tins with organic non-stick cooking spray or oil them thoroughly using a pastry brush dipped in oil.
- Place a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Add the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the strainer and stir with a whisk to sift the ingredients into the bowl. If any small bits remain in the strainer, add them to the mixture in the bowl. If your mix does not include xanthan gum, add the ¼ teaspoon now. Stir with a whisk to sift into the bowl. Whisk to mix and aerate the ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk the oil, non-dairy milk, prune purée, and vanilla and chocolate extracts until thoroughly combined. Immediately pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until no traces of dry ingredients are visible. Expect the batter to be thick and glossy. Stir the chocolate chips into the batter.
- Fill each cup two thirds of the way full. Bake the brownies 12 to 13 minutes, or until risen and set. Don’t over bake. A tester inserted into the center of a couple of brownies will look sticky but not wet.
- Cool the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a small offset spatula to lift each brownie onto the cooling rack. Warm brownies are soft, but should be easy to lift out from the tins. Cool completely. For the best flavor, allow the brownies to chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Dip the tops of the cold brownies in the ganache and allow to set.
Storing
Like all lower-fat baked items, these brownies keep best stored in the freezer, in an airtight container, or zipper-lock bag. They stay fudgy when frozen up to 2 months.
Prune Purée
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
½ cup (3 ounces) pitted dried plums, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) boiling water, or more as needed
Procedure
- Put the prunes into a small saucepan. Pour the boiling water over the prunes. Cook to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Check the prunes. They are ready to be drained when they are very soft. Simmer as long as it takes to get the prunes to almost fall apart.
- Set a small mesh strainer over a heatproof cup and drain the prunes. Reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid to make the purée.
- Purée the prunes and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid with an immersion blender or in a blender. Add more of the cooking liquid, a little at a time if needed, until the purée is absolutely smooth with no bits of prune skin. The finished purée should be the consistency of a thick mayonnaise.
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