Oat Flour Brownies

Attention chocolate lovers – these oat flour brownies are for you! They're the thickest brownies ever and bake up super moist and fudgy. To make them even more rich and chocolatey, they are full of delicious, dairy free chocolate chunks.

This recipe is a little different than a traditional brownie recipe because it uses melted butter and involves dissolving the granulated sugar into the butter. Both of these things help keep these oat flour brownies incredibly soft and moist. It is sure to be your new go-to brownie recipe!

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Why this recipe is the best!

I love these oat flour brownies because they are the perfect balance between cakey and fudgy. Here are a few more great things about this recipe:

• It’s perfect to satisfy your chocolate craving (chocolate fans, also check out these chocolate chip cookies!)
  
• It can be made with store-bought or homemade oat flour
  
• The batter only needs to rest for 10 minutes
  
• It’s both gluten and dairy free
  
• It makes 12 super thick brownies

Pro tips for making the perfect brownies

Because gluten free baking can be a bit tricky, there are some important things to consider when making this recipe. Here are a few baking tips to guarantee your oat flour brownies turn out perfect every time.

1. Measure by weight

Using a digital scale to measure the ingredients by weight is the best method of measurement in gluten free baking. This is a vital step in this recipe because it ensures the ingredients are measured accurately. More on why that's so important here.

2. Heat the specified ingredients on a stovetop

In this recipe, the butter is melted on a stovetop and is used to dissolve the sugar. The cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and eggs are then mixed in to the warm butter mixture. This process keeps the brownies moist and fudgy and helps bring out the rich chocolate flavor. Note that the butter and eggs do not need to be at room temperature since they are heated in this recipe.

3. Use a sturdy spoon to mix

To make mixing a little easier, you will want to use a very sturdy spoon when combining the dry ingredients with the liquid cocoa mixture. Because it will be on the thicker side, it may be slightly difficult to stir.

4. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes

Giving the batter time to rest before baking allows the dry ingredients to fully absorb the liquid ingredients. It also gives your brownies the perfect soft texture!

5. Cool the brownies for 30 minutes after baking

After pulling your brownies out of the oven, let them cool for about 30 minutes to set up before cutting into them or else they may be a bit crumbly or fall apart.

6. Helpful tools

These tools will help you to effortlessly prep your oat flour brownies: 

• Digital scale
  
• Medium saucepan
  
• Sturdy spoon
  
• Whisk
  
• Large mixing bowl
  
• 8” x 8” baking pan

How to make this recipe

Ingredients & substitutions

• Vegan butter - This recipe was tested using Earth Balance vegan butter. Regular butter also works well for these brownies. Coconut oil may be another good dairy free substitution, however, it has not been tested in this recipe.
  
• Granulated sugar - I would not recommend substituting the sugar in this recipe because it plays an important role in the overall texture of the brownies. I have not tested any sugar alternatives so I am not sure how the outcome would be affected.
  
• Cocoa powder - I use Hershey’s brand cocoa powder. I would not recommend any substitutions in this recipe.
  
• Pure vanilla extract - This recipe was tested with Simply Organic pure vanilla, but any high-quality vanilla extract will work great.
  
• Eggs - I do not recommend using a substitution for eggs in this recipe. Because oat flour tends to be more crumbly, the eggs are needed to act as a binder in these brownies.
  
• Oat flour - I use Bob’s Red Mill certified gluten free oats to grind my own oat flour. Any store-bought or homemade certified gluten free oat flour can be used in this recipe.
  
• Flax seed - Flax seeds also act as a binder in this recipe. They can be substituted with chia seeds if desired. Find out more about chia and flax seed in this article.
  
• Baking soda - There are no substitutions for baking soda in this recipe.
  
• Espresso powder - There are no substitutions for espresso powder in this recipe, however, it can be left out if needed.
  
• Salt - There are no substitutions for salt in this recipe.
  
• Dairy free chocolate chunks - The Enjoy Life brand dairy free chocolate chunks work very well in this recipe. They're delicious and no one will ever guess they're dairy free!

Mixing the batter

Mixing up the batter for these oat flour brownies can be easily done in about 20 minutes. First, add the butter to a medium saucepan and heat on medium low until melted (step 1 above). Add the granulated sugar to the melted butter and stir over low heat until dissolved, about 30 seconds (step 2). Then, remove the mixture from the heat and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until fully combined (step 3). 

Next, add the vanilla extract. Add in the eggs one at a time, whisking between the addition of each egg until completely incorporated (step 4). Scrape the chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the oat flour, flax seeds, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt to the bowl and use a sturdy spoon to stir the mixture together for 1 minute (step 5). Finally, mix in the chocolate chunks (step 6) and then let the batter rest for 10 minutes before adding to the pan and baking.

Baking & Serving

Once it's done resting, scrape the batter into a greased 8” x 8” baking pan. Bake the brownies at 350°F for 35-42 minutes – you can use a toothpick to test doneness. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

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