Gluten-Free Espresso Brownies {vegan, nf}

These Simple Gluten-Free Espresso Brownies are thick, dense, and fully fudgy with chocolate chips.  15 minutes to make, 15 minutes to bake that is also vegan, nut-free, totally delicious, and made with a hidden veggie!

These Gluten-Free Espresso Brownies are the perfect treat for people who love the taste of dark chocolate, but cannot have a lot of chocolate.  These brownies use Carob and chocolate to create a lovely medley of flavors, especially espresso.  Espresso lovers unite!  These brownies are rich in taste and rich in nutrition with a hidden veggie inside.

Believe it or not, black beans are the magical ingredient and you would never know if I didn’t tell you because they are just that good!

The exciting part of these gluten-free espresso brownies is that they take 15 minutes to make and 15 minutes to bake. All you need is a food processor and an oven!  These are real food ingredients that you already have in your pantry!  How psyched are you? Please don’t knock a bean brownie till you have tried mine!  I swear you’ll change your mind on hidden veggies in brownies.

Let me tell you a little story about using espresso in brownies and how I never knew the power of espresso in carob and chocolate…

A few weeks ago I read in a cooking magazine that expresso brings out the flavor of chocolate in baked goods.  Naturally, I was intrigued and wanted to give this a shot.  By adding this one ingredient I could create an even deeper, and more decadent brownie.  Who knew!

I was planning to make brownies for Father’s Day and I was going to make my Black Bean Brownies recipe sans espresso but last minute decided that this espresso idea needed to happen immediately.

So I went to the market and searched out the darkest organic bean I could find thinking that the darker the bean the deeper the flavor of the espresso.  I got a small bag of very, very finely ground decaf espresso.  Decaf, because I had a feeling I would be eating more than one Gluten-Free Espresso Brownie, and I didn’t need to be more wired then I already was.  It was such a smart move on my part.

The espresso really amped up this recipe!!  It made the espresso the STARLET.

They were SO decadent.  So dense.  So dark, like eating fine dark 100% cacao or smoking a fine cigar.  It’s a brownie you will always remember.

These Gluten-Free Espresso Brownies are perfectly paired with biscotti, cappuccino, a little dessert liquor, or a full-bodied red wine. These brownies are that decadent.

They were a hit on Father’s day for all the serious and TRUE chocolate and coffee lovers, especially my dad and sister.

I found that they were amazing both cold and at room temperature.  The colder they were the more you could taste the espresso and the warmer they were the more you tasted the chocolate.  Really, It was a win-win either way.

And guess what? By changing the oil, the flavor changed too!

Made with grapeseed oil, the original oil chosen for this recipe – it was sweet, decadent, chocolaty, and rich with the taste of espresso.

Made with avocado oil, this brownie was more subtle.  It had hints of espresso, hints of chocolate BUT it was less sweet and less rich.  Where grapeseed brings out the flavor, avocado oil blends flavors and I found that by using avocado oil, I needed more espresso (over sugar).  But even as subtle as they were, they were still a lovely and delightful brownie.  I loved both so much, that I am giving you both recipes!  The difference between the two is a minor tweak that you can find in the TIPS area below.  This version is perfect for someone that wants a more subtle brownie flavor.

Overall both versions were delicious, heck if they were in front of me right now – I’d devour them all.  I really have no shame when it comes to healthy desserts.

Not a fan of espresso?  Check out my other brownie recipes with hidden veggies that are just as delicious:

• Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies
• Chocolate Chickpea Brownies
• Turmeric Spice Blondies

Ready to make beautiful music together?

Print Recipe

Gluten-Free Espresso Brownies

These Simple Gluten-Free Espresso Brownies are thick, dense, and fully fudgy with chocolate chips.  15 minutes to make, 15 minutes to bake that is also vegan, nut-free, soy-free, totally delicious, and made with a hidden veggie!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, healthy, Nut-Free, Vegan

Keyword: beans, brownie, carob, chocolate, dense, Espresso, fudgy

Servings: 9 brownies

Author: Julie Rosenthal

Equipment

• food processor

Ingredients

• 1 can organic black beans
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp quick-cooking gluten-free oats
• 2 tbsp carob powder gluten-free
• 2 tsp raw cacao or cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 tbsp finely ground espresso
• 1/2 cup dark gluten-free chocolate chips
• 1 handfuls dark gluten-free chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Using a food processor pulse the gluten-free oats and the ground flax till its a fine blend.
• Then add the sea salt, baking powder, black beans, maple syrup, oil, carob powder, chocolate powder and espresso and blend well until all particles are well blended and the mixture is smooth.
• Transfer mixture to a bowl and fold in the chocolate chips.
• Grease an 8×8 brownie pan add mixture into the pan, using a spatula or your hand to spread the mixture. If your hands get sticky simply wet your hands and push the mixture into the entire pan. You can even add a few extra chips on top.
• Place in the oven on the center rack and bake for 15 minutes.
• Let cool for at least 10 minutes! They need their cooling time.
• Store in the fridge for up to a week. (Since black beans are used it is important to store in the fridge when not eating).

Notes

LESS SUGAR option: If you want a brownie that is less sweet use 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil instead of using only grapeseed oil. For this version, you will need 2 tablespoons of ground espresso. // MUST! You must allow these brownies to cool for at least 15 minutes otherwise they will fall apart and be too mushy. //

Love, Espresso & Chocolate,