Our dear friend PeteA has coeliac disease, and a pre-diagnosis history of passionate chocolate brownie consumption. For the past fifteen years, I’ve been trying to bake him a really good gluten-free brownie.
I didn’t want something which was nearly as good as, or a reasonable substitute for, a regular brownie. I wanted a recipe that was moreish, irresistible and absolutely delicious in its own right.
By substituting chestnut flour for the plain flour in our fudge brownie recipe, I think we’ve finally succeeded!
The litmus test was my husband Pete. The fudge brownies are his personal favourite, yet he felt the chestnut version was as good as, if not better than, the original. The chestnut flour adds a subtle nuttiness and richness which we both found very appealing.
Please remember that this recipe works best with 50 – 60% cacao dark chocolate – anything higher than that, and you could end up with an oily brick. I discussed this in depth in the original post here.
The batch I baked for PeteA had chocolate chips stirred through the batter, but the recipe should work equally well with added nuts instead.
The reworked gluten-free version is as follows:
- 90g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 225g (8oz) 50 – 60% cacao semisweet chocolate (I used Callebaut 54%)
- 150g (¾ cup) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large (59g) eggs, at room temperature
- 40g (¼ cup) chestnut flour (sifted)
- 135g (1 cup) toasted and chopped nuts, OR 150g (1 cup) chocolate bits (Note: for the all chocolate version, I used 100g Callebaut 44% bake stable sticks, broken up AND 50g Callebaut 70% callets)
1. Preheat oven to 175C/350F or 160C/320F with fan.
2. Measure out all your ingredients and have them ready to go. Line a 20cm (8″) baking pan with parchment paper.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then add the chocolate and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla until combined.
4. Stir in the eggs one at a time. Add the sifted chestnut flour all at once and stir vigorously until you can feel the batter “snap”.
The batter starts out grainy and fairly loose. As you beat it by hand, it will initially feel like nothing is happening, and then it will suddenly feel a bit stiffer – that’s when you’ll know a state change has occurred. This might take one minute, or it might take several. Stop occasionally to check how it’s going. Unlike true fudge, it’s not a huge “snap”, but the texture will definitely change noticeably – it will feel stiffer, look smoother, and pull away from the sides and bottom of the pan.
Edit Jan 2019: It’s been eight years since I wrote this post, and my hands are eight years older as well, so these days I use a handheld mixer to beat the batter. It only takes a minute or two, but it’s just easier.
5. Gently stir in the inclusions.
6. Scrape the batter into the lined tin and smooth out the top. Bake for 25 minutes until just firm. Do not overbake. Allow the brownies to cool completely before lifting them out of the pan and slicing. Enjoy with gluten-free abandon!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
This could almost tempt me to fork out for a bag of chestnut flour! I know the original is excellent! I’ll pass this on to the gluten free poeple I know if I may. Can I tweet it?
Thanks for doing that, Jo! It only uses a tiny bit of chestnut flour, but I’ve also found the flour works well in sourdough bread.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Natalie@Bao/Bread, Joanna @ Zeb Bakes. Joanna @ Zeb Bakes said: Celia has a great recipe here gluten free and chestnut flour too! Gluten-Free Chestnut Brownies: http://t.co/RoLUqrO […]
I’m going to try those. Chestnut flour is everywhere here. The area is famous for it. Chestnut trees are all over the hills around me. I’ve collected and cooked the little critters.
Deb, the chestnut flour I’m using is imported from Italy – it probably comes from your part of the world! :)
Celia I feel like I need to go for a run before I even look at things like that! Glistening there on the plate and looking at me with it’s come hither chocolatey eyes.
Hahahaha…come thee hither, O chocolate lover.. :)
Great, more recipes for chestnut flour – I have some that needs using up!
Oz, it’s great stuff – try it in bread as well! :)
Geraint, a Welsh baker who tweets, just pointed out this site with lots of chestnut recipes . Worth a peek maybe?
http://www.chestnutsonline.com/recipes.htm
Joanna, thank you, that site has some fantastic ideas! I like the idea of making chestnut puree from chestnut flour! :)
Celia I’m so trying these! I have a packet of chestnut flour that I need to use up and this looks amazing :o
Thanks Lorraine!! :)
I love Brydie’s comment about “chocolatey come hithery eyes”! LOL!!
We haven’t finished the butterscotch bars, yet! But this looks good and gluten-free- maybe I’ll make some for my friends with g-f diets.
Thanks for the recipe, Celia!
Heidi, the flour content is so small – just 40g – that you could substitute any sort of gluten-free flour and the recipe would probably work. Having said that though, I’ve only ever tried it with regular flour and chestnut flour, and the latter does seem to make a very nice change to the recipe!
Hmmm brownies – yom! Every since I made GF brownies at Christmas I haven’t gone back. Ground almonds is what Nigella’s recipe calls for. I’ve not heard of chestnut flour but must investigate.
I haven’t tried the Nigella recipe, but it does look delicious, Gill! At first glance, this one has more chocolate and much less butter, and I think it probably produces far less brownie too – the fudge ones are quite thin compared to regular brownies…
It looks like you’ve come up with THE gluten free brownie recipe! I am really intrigued about the chestnut flour…will definitely be keeping an eye open for it on my travels.
Chris, I had to make another batch today, because Pete was a bit sad that we’d given all of the first batch to PeteA. I think it’s a very good sign when he’s actually asking for the gluten-free version! :)
Gosh Celia they look and sound amazing. You know I love those brownies so a chestnut flour one is something I am going to have to make (and you know I have a bag of that flour too since you gave it to me! :)). I like to see a true commitment to the chocolate brownie. It is worthy of a proper quest…to be taken seriously and approached from many angles until a worthy candidate is found. As you can tell, I too had a serious chocolate brownie addiction in my yoof well before gluten was a word I was even conscious about. Well done you!
SG, I knew you’d understand the quest – it had to be perfect, otherwise it was just a “good substitute”, which isn’t what I wanted at all! :)
These sinful looking pieces of deliciousness don’t look as though they are substituting for anything at all and clearly warrant a trip to confession in their own right!
I’ve never used chestnut flour, but I’m off on a foodie shopping trip tomorrow and will be hunting some down.
Oh dear. I’d better make this one…… it really does “look” better than the original & if Pete says so ;)
And
….. its chocolate isn’t it!! :)
They look every bit as good as their gluten-packed counterpart. I’ve never seen chestnut flour but I guess I’ve never been looking. I’ll have to keep my eye out.
Amanda, Claire, I hope you can find the chestnut flour! Italian delis might have it if you can’t find it in mainstream supermarkets.
Anna, yes, it’s certainly chocolate – my batch had 375g of chocolate in total in a thin 20cm/8″ square slab! :)
That was certainly an inspired addition! Chestnuts are wonderful. They make a meal a mystery! One of my favourite soups (it’s so simple) comprises potato, chestnuts and onion (plus stock of course). The chestnut makes it unctuous and complex.
Just trivially, Coco Chanel’s family fortunes declined when disease decimated the local stands of chestnut trees where here family lived, so she drifted into fashion.
Mixed, baked and riotously well received! Thanks Celia! x
Vix, I adore chestnuts, so I’m really happy that we now seem to be able to buy easy-peel ones here. Lots of work, but just delicious! I’ve made chestnut bread too – it was diiivine…
Frances, thank you – interesting piece of trivia! :)
Lorraine, wonderful, thanks for trying out the recipe!! Glad it worked well for you! :)
Wow Celia, Chestnut flour rarely pops up in gluten-free baking circles – well not that much – it looks like you’ve made many more people happy.
Craig
Celia, thanks so much for making a REAL brownie, not just a satisfactory substitute. There is NO substitute for flavour and quality.
Heres to striking a blow for gluten free’s and us InTolerants everywhere!
I’ll go searching the delis for chestnut flour, I’m having trouble finding sorghum flour here though but have a hot tip for an Indian supermarket.
Chestnut flour is perfect to make gluten-free cakes. I had never realized that till a blogger made me notice it. These brownies look amazing and I think I have some chestnut flour left from castagnaccio. I’d love to try! :)
Celia, I will definitely search for chestnut flour this weekend. I bet it costs an arm and a leg, but these brownies are making me dream…. plus, I could try your sourdough/chestnut bread too
great post!
These sound absolutely mouth-watering! I prefer g-f so this recipe is perfect!
Can’t wait to try this recipe, Celia! Hubby has a coworker who is gluten-intolerant and she can never eat the treats he brings in. I’ve wanted to try something for her, but didn’t want a so-so recipe…this one looks like the perfect thing! =)
Aaah Craig, you’re always so lovely, thank you! :)
Becca, you and SG understand! I think coeliacs have to make so many dietary compromises, so I was delighted to find something for PeteA that didn’t feel like one! :)
Rita, Maria, thank you! I hope you enjoy the recipe! :)
Sally, the chestnut flour was expensive ($7 for 750g), but not prohibitively so. It was a nice indulgence and I’ve had quite a lot of fun with it!
Abby, thanks – I hope your friend enjoys it! I made a batch today and it was all eaten by people who have no problem with wheat – so I’m sure all your hubby’s other coworkers will enjoy it too! :)
Hi Celia, You really cracked it with this recipe !!!! I bought some chestnut flour today and made these. Really excellent, although confess to using Coles brand cooking chocolate 50%, not the good stuff.
Now, to see what other recipes I can convert to gluten free using chestnut flour!!!!
Thanks so much for posting.
Yaay, thanks so much for letting me know!! Have fun with the chestnut flour! :)
Yummmmmmmm! Gotta go get me some chestnut flour!! :)
We have a friend who will love this GF brownies, thanks so much for putting this up! Not just any old GF brownie, but one that brownie lovers approve of too! 8)
Mrs Bok, hope you enjoy them!
Soy, thanks darling, yes a proper brownie, so the gf eaters don’t have to feel ripped off. :)
I’m wary of overused and/or grandiose superlatives and so to call these The Best Brownies Ever is beyond my comfort level and perhaps devalues them in the minds of others. They are SO good it doesn’t matter if they truly are The Best Ever, just One of The Best Ever or even only Truly Fabulous. Try them – you won’t be making comparisons or assessments; you’ll be lost in the joy of eating them.
My son’s reaction “I want to buy Celia to have her making these on demand”. :) Unfortunately for him, fortunately for society in general and Celia in particular, outright purchase of humans has properly been illegal for almost 2 Centuries in most countries. He’ll have to be content in counting his blessings – knowing Celia being one the major of them.
Aah, this makes me happy, Pete. And I do so love that boy of yours! :)
hi celia…i could do with one of these right now…i’m gluten intolerant and i have broken my arm and these would indeed bring comfort…great post, dzintra
Dzintra, I’m so sorry to hear about your arm!! Get well soon!
Well done Celia! Sounds yummy and 2 happy ‘A’ men too :-) x
Hi Vick, yes, they were very happy boys! :)
[…] this, I am going to give you the hard sell on these brownies. I saw them one morning on my friend Celia’s site and knowing of her obsession with perfecting things (among them brownies and biscotti) I was […]
I found chestnut flour today Celia! Very expensive at $20kg, but worth it for the ‘best brownies ever’
Bugger Becca, I should have sent you some, it’s cheaper than that here (although with postage I guess it would have worked out about the same). I hope you enjoy the brownies – did you have to buy a whole kilo? The recipe only needs 40g, although I’m sure you’ll find lots to do with the chestnut flour – have a look at the link Jo mentioned in one of the comments above – lots of ideas there!
[…] I was inspired to used chestnut flour after discovering Fig and Lime Cordial’s fabulous adaption of a chocolate brownie recipe by David Lebovitz. These brownies melt in your mouth and are one of the best I’ve ever had (gluten free or not). Here’s the link […]