Fudgy Walnut Brownies (Gluten-free)

Hello, and to my Northern Hemisphere readers, happy spring! I have at least 5 recipes ready to share but I just have to find time to write up the posts to go with them! These gluten-free vegan walnut brownies are a recent favorite. I love that they make a small batch and are made with mostly-wholesome ingredients. They’re chewy in the middle, chocolatey and fudgy everywhere, and have a love crackly-crisp top.

I originally found this chocolate sunflower brownies recipe a couple of months ago and have tweaked it over a couple of trials to my preferences. I liked, but didn’t love, the sunflower flavor in the original version. And I’ve had delicious success in the past with the walnut + chocolate combination in my brownie batter freezer fudge (which is a perfect alternative to these gluten-free vegan walnut brownies if it’s too hot for the oven where you’re located!). So I made a walnut version and the results are to-die-for, as well as packed with omega-3’s 🙂

Though I must say, I have serious photography envy of Brandi’s brownies. I find chocolate to be one of the most difficult things to photograph in an appealing way and indeed, one reason this recipe was delayed for so long is that I made and photographed it several times before I was satisfied with the pictures. I’m still not about to brag about the artistry, but it doesn’t matter. You need this excellent, undetectably-gluten-free-and-vegan recipe!

I’ve been experimenting more with gluten-free baking, and in order to have consistent results, weighing the ingredients is a must. For the past couple of months I have been using this kitchen scale and it’s very easy to use, powerful enough to weigh all quantities of ingredients that I have wanted to weigh, super compact for storage, and only cost me $9. I have also been taking more weight measurements of all recipes that I develop, not just gluten-free baked goods, simply because the scale is so easy to use! So hopefully those will be popping up in more and more recipes all over the site.

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Fudgy Walnut Brownies (Gluten-free)

These wholesome gluten-free vegan walnut brownies are fudgy, chewy, and full of chocolate flavor. Naturally sweetened and made with wholesome ingredients.

Course Dessert

Cuisine gluten-free, oil-free, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 brownies

Calories 251 kcal

Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

• 140 g raw walnuts (about 1 and 1/4 cups walnut pieces)
• 36 g cocoa powder (about 6 tbsps)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp plain, unsweetened soy milk (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) (or other nondairy milk)
• 25 g white rice flour (about 2 tbsp)
• 16 g oat flour (about 2 tbsp)
• 60 g chopped dark chocolate or vegan chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life brand)

Instructions

1. Lightly grease a standard sized loaf pan.
2. Add the walnuts to a food processor and process into a meal. Add the baking powder and salt and pulse a few more times to mix. (You can also use a blender, but preparing the batter will take longer due to frequently stopping to scrape the seeds).
3. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and nondairy milk, and blend continuously until the mixture is completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. In my high-speed blender it took about 90 seconds and in my food processor it took around 3 minutes.
4. Add the flours and blend again until smooth.
5. Transfer the batter from the blender and fold in the chocolate chips or chunks. Spread it out into an even layer in the loaf pan. It should be quite thick. I just add the chocolate chips straight to the loaf pan to save dirtying an extra bowl.
6. Let the batter rest for 20 minutes while the oven is preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This step is needed for the best texture - rice flour can be grainy if it doesn't have sufficient time to absorb liquid.
7. Bake for 34-36 minutes, or until the edges are starting to pull away from the pan slightly and the brownies feel somewhat firm.
8. Let cool for at least 60 minutes before slicing. As with many baked goods of this persuasion, the first one that you slice may not be the most attractive but all of the subsequent brownies are easier to slice. 🙂

Nutrition Facts

Fudgy Walnut Brownies (Gluten-free)

Amount Per Serving (1 brownie)

Calories 251 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 8g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 83mg 3%

Potassium 140mg 4%

Total Carbohydrates 27g 9%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 16g

Protein 5g 10%

Vitamin A 0%

Vitamin C 4%

Calcium 4%

Iron 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I hope you give these gluten-free vegan walnut brownies a try. I’ll be back soon with something savory and green!