I’m starting out my day with dessert today. Yep, seems like the most practical thing to do, right? I can’t help it, though. I’m in love. Well, in love with chocolate that is. It’s something I just can’t help myself with. I wasn’t a chocolate kid growing up, I really preferred vanilla instead. But brownies were always the exception. Okay, anything sweet really was the exception for me (my first words were more sugar). Wait, did you just read that right?? Yeah, my first words… more sugar. My parents should be so proud!
Chocolate is true comfort food to me. I’m really a healthy person, and cook very fresh for myself. I stopped eating junk food in college and rarely eat dessert. I also don’t buy baked goods in stores (I’m very limited now on options anyways). So every once in a while when I’m feeling like something sweet, I treat myself to it by making it myself. And brownies are just one of those things that are so easy to make. Sometimes, I don’t have all the ingredients I need to make a dinner the way I had planned. But somehow, I always seem to have all the ingredients to make brownies. Not a bad coincidence to have!
Ever since I picked up a container of mascarpone cheese a few weeks ago, I’ve been completely obsessed. I love putting cream cheese on just about everything, but this stuff… it’s like I’ve been missing out my whole life! Creamy and thick, yet just slightly sweet. It goes perfect on toast, my chocolate zucchini bread (coming soon), and even thickens and mellows out sauces. But what does it go even better with? You guessed it… BROWNIES. Now, I’m not talking about any old brownie here. I’m talking about seriously fudgy and delicious brownies.
Okay, let’s be honest – brownies are pretty good either way. The addition of mascarpone cheese just adds extra moisture and thickness that I couldn’t get with anything else, yet keeps the batter feeling a little bit lighter. Yeah, I may have just contradicted myself a little bit. But I’m serious. These are brownies are fudgy without being super dense. I whip the mascarpone into the wet ingredients to incorporate a little air (but not too much), and the whole thing looks almost like a wonderful light mousse. Then fold in the flour, and you’ve got some SERIOUSLY fudgy batter on your hands.
This batter is so thick and fudgy, it makes me feel like a 10 year old again… where I’d come home from school just in time to lick the bowl of brownie batter my mom whipped up for us. Alright, I don’t need to feel like a 10 year old again to lick the bowl. But if I even tried taking a quick taste of this stuff, it wouldn’t even make it into the oven.
These brownies are seriously the good stuff. I made them in a 9 in square pan, so they are on the thinner side. If you like thicker brownies, you can use an 8 inch square pan – just increase the baking time by a few minutes before testing them with a toothpick. I let them cool for a while so they can set up before cutting. It seems like it takes forever, but it’s definitely worth the wait. Because the second you take a bite into this chocolatey goodness, you won’t be able to hold yourself back from taking seconds… or even thirds!
Gluten Free Mascarpone Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur multi-purpose flour)
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour already contains it)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter at 20 second intervals until melted. Remove from microwave and add cocoa powder, stirring until combined. Set aside and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, mascarpone, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Do not over whisk once combined (just about another 5-10 seconds after its all combined). Add cooled chocolate and butter mixture, and whisk until all ingredients are combined and the mixture is thick but smooth.
- In a small bowl, mix flour, xanthin gum, and baking powder. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just until incorporated. Do not over mix once the flour is added.
- Butter a 9 inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper (if using an 8 inch square baking pan, increase bake time a few minutes before checking with a toothpick). Pour the batter into the baking dish, and bake for 30-33 minutes until the edges start to pull away from the pan, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it. The brownies will continue to cook slightly as they cool.
- Allow to cool completely (I usually allow for 30 minutes or so). Sift powdered sugar over the top. Makes approximately 9 brownies, or more if you cut smaller squares…but who wants a tiny pice of brownies anyway?!
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