Brownies (Chocolate Chips and Crackly Top - Almond Flour)

These gluten free, paleo brownies are simply perfect: they're fudgy and dense with a crunchy, crackly top and chewy edges. Not only that, they're quick and easy to make. Made with almond and coconut flour, they're grain free and dairy free, too. They're topped with a sprinkle of flake salt for the perfect gourmet complement to these rich, delicious brownies..

3 large eggs
1 cup coconut sugar
⅓ cup almond flour
2 Tbsp. coconut flour
2 Tbsp. dark cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. prepared coffee or water, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups dark chocolate chips, divided
10 Tbsp. refined coconut oil (½ cup + 2 Tbsp.)

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3). Line a 9x9" baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs and coconut sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Mixture will have increased in volume and will be sticky, rather than thin or runny. Stir in almond flour, coconut flour, dark cocoa powder, cooled liquid coffee, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.

In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 cup chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave in 60-seconds bursts, stirring very well in between each round, until the chocolate has just melted. Stir until completely smooth, then pour into the brownie batter. Stir well to combine.

Fold in remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.

Pour brownie batter into the prepared pan, making sure batter fills all corners evenly. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with moist crumbs. The toothpick should not be coated in batter, but it should not be clean, either. When you see moist crumbs, remove from the oven and let cool completely on the counter or on a wire rack. When cool, lift out of the baking pan using the sides of the parchment paper. Cut into 9 equal squares.

An up-close shot of the crunchy top on these perfect gluten free brownies, topped with flake sea salt

Cook's Notes:

The measurements must be exact. This is not an "eyeball it" recipe.

Cocoa Powder: I love dark cocoa powder in this recipe, as it produces a very rich taste and dark, dramatic look. You can use regular cocoa powder here with great results, and you can try black cocoa powder, too, for an even more dramatic brownie.

Chocolate: I use Enjoy Life semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips for most recipes. However, these contain a bit of processed sugar. If you strictly eat no processed sugar, try these paleo chocolate bars from Thrive Market. Chop them to be about chocolate chip size and use approximately 7 ounces by weight, or 1 cup volume. This will result in a darker, richer brownie, since the chocolate percentage is much higher than semi-sweet chocolate chips.