Chocolate!!! There is not a single person in my family that is not a chocoholic. One of our favorite family stories is when we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa Goggins and my mom asked Braelyn, after drinking some hot cocoa, “Do you like warm chocolate?” In her then enthusiastic three year old voice she immediately replied, “I like warm chocolate. I like cold chocolate…I like ALL chocolate!!!” But really, who doesn’t?!
My mom had made these delicious Rocky Road type brownies was back when we were visiting for the holidays. They were divine because, of course, they were full of chocolate. In my true form I couldn’t wait to come home and try my own twist on her knock out recipe. Really the only thing I did differently was bake them thicker with more melted chocolate in the batter, added caramel, and drizzled chocolate on top instead of spreading chocolate frosting.
And then I had the pleasure of recreating them yet again to be gluten free! Bear with me, I’m trying to be optimistic here. There are days where gluten free is an adventure and there are days that it is…well…challenging. Today is the latter. I’ve been on a scone kick and have literally made SIX batches of scones trying to master the perfect texture. So yes, instead of blogging about those, I am choosing to go to a happy place with these brownies that were the star dessert of our Easter dinner two weeks ago. They are decadent, magnificently gooey and fudgy bars of chocolatey goodness sent straight from heaven. Don’t believe me? Try them yourself!
Hahaha! Really??? A fork in this picture? As if! You know you are going to just pick these bad boys up and shove the whole thing in your mouth, one sinful brownie at a time. Don’t lie. In all seriousness, these brownies should come with one warning label: Consumption requires a tall glass of ice cold milk!
Oh, and maybe I’ll have a scone recipe for you next week. Maybe.
Fudgy Rocky Road Brownies
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag miniature marshmallows (10 oz.)
1/4 cup caramel topping
1 cup milk chocolate chips for drizzling (can use semi sweet if you prefer)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for metal pan or 325 for glass pan (I prefer glass). Once oven is preheated spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 5 minutes, stir and toast for 3 minutes more. Remove from oven and set aside. Lightly grease and fully line a 9 X 13 glass cake pan with parchment paper and set aside. (I did not use parchment paper when making these and wish I had!)
2. In a microwave safe dish, microwave butter in 30 second intervals until melted. Be sure to cover so it doesn’t splatter. Pour in 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips into the warm melted butter and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat eggs. Add sugar and beat until incorporated.
4. In another smaller bowl combine brown rice flour, white rice flour, arrowroot starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk together.
5. Pour melted butter and chocolate into egg mixture and stir until combined. (Easy job for the kiddos. Who needs hired help these days?!) Then pour in flour/cocoa mixture and mix until incorporated. Beat for 2 minutes.
6. Pour batter into lightly greased and parchment paper lined 9 X 13 cake pan and smooth batter evenly across pan with spatula.
7. Bake for 38-40 minutes until set. Pour marshmallows on top and return to oven for additional 3 minutes until marshmallows are barely golden brown and soft.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle caramel topping over marshmallows. Add 3/4 cup of the nuts. In a microwave safe glass dish, microwave chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Stir chocolate. Microwave for additional 15 seconds and stir until all chocolate is melted. (Stir for a while since the warm chocolate will continue to melt and you do not want to overcook the chocolate chips) Continue microwaving in 15 second increments as needed until chocolate is melted. Pour melted chocolate into a Ziploc bag and cut a tiny corner off. Close bag and squeeze chocolate through the slit to make drizzling easier. Drizzle over pecans. Top with remaining pecans.
9. Let cool an additional 1-1 1/2 hours until no longer warm and completely set. Pull entire slab of brownies out of pan by lifting parchment paper from longer ends. Cut and serve with lots of milk and napkins!
Serves 20
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup brown rice flour
- ½ cup white rice flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch
- ¼ cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 bag miniature marshmallows (10 oz.)
- ¼ cup caramel topping
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips for drizzling (can use semi sweet if you prefer)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees for metal pan or 325 for glass pan (I prefer glass). Once oven is preheated spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 5 minutes, stir and toast for 3 minutes more. Remove from oven and set aside. Lightly grease and fully line a 9 X 13 glass cake pan with parchment paper and set aside. (I did not use parchment paper when making these and wish I had!)
- In a microwave safe dish, microwave butter in 30 second intervals until melted. Be sure to cover so it doesn't splatter. Pour in 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips into the warm melted butter and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat eggs. Add sugar and beat until incorporated.
- In another smaller bowl combine brown rice flour, white rice flour, arrowroot starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk together.
- Pour melted butter and chocolate into egg mixture and stir until combined. (Easy job for the kiddos. Who needs hired help these days?!) Then pour in flour/cocoa mixture and mix until incorporated. Beat for 2 minutes.
- Pour batter into lightly greased and parchment paper lined 9 X 13 cake pan and smooth batter evenly across pan with spatula.
- Bake for 38-40 minutes until set. Pour marshmallows on top and return to oven for additional 3 minutes until marshmallows are barely golden brown and soft.
- Let cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle caramel topping over marshmallows. Add ¾ cup of the nuts. In a microwave safe glass dish, microwave chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Stir chocolate. Microwave for additional 15 seconds and stir until all chocolate is melted. (Stir for a while since the warm chocolate will continue to melt and you do not want to overcook the chocolate chips) Continue microwaving in 15 second increments as needed until chocolate is melted. Pour melted chocolate into a Ziploc bag and cut a tiny corner off. Close bag and squeeze chocolate through the slit to make drizzling easier. Drizzle over pecans. Top with remaining pecans.
- Let cool an additional 1-1½ hours until no longer warm and completely set. Pull entire slab of brownies out of pan by lifting parchment paper from longer ends. Cut and serve with lots of milk and napkins!
[…] like some of my other gluten free desserts. Check out my Chocolatey Chocolate Cupcakes, my Fudgy Rocky Road Brownies, my Luscious Lemon Bars and my Mom’s Best Chocolate Chip […]