These quick + easy fudgy brownie bites have a ganache and freeze-dried raspberry topping and can be made gluten-free, dairy-free or 100% whole grain – or even with all-purpose flour. Thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for making today’s post possible!
Today I’m interrupting my New Orleans series to bring you a treat that’d be great for Valentine’s Day! The base for these brownie bites is adapted from my best gluten-free brownies. If you don’t need these brownie bites to be gluten-free, they work just as well with whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. The only difference is that you’ll need to use a tad less butter or coconut oil if using teff flour for the gluten-free version (which is noted in the recipe).
To decorate them, I used ganache and some crushed freeze-dried raspberries. I much prefer using those for my Valentine’s Day treats over food coloring. And I just love how bright and pretty they are. My single regret is not adding a fresh raspberry to the top of each brownie bite in addition to the freeze-dried ones. The only way you can really mess these up is if you overbake them, which isn’t all that hard to do. I always bake these fudgy brownie bites for 11 minutes but once I left them in there for 13 while I was finishing something up. They were pretty cakey, which is a quality I definitely don’t like in my brownies!
I remember coming across a few teff recipes before I started my food blog and thinking something along the lines of, “Who the heck even knows what that is, much less has it at home to bake these cookies with?” So naive I was back then. ;) While it’s not as versatile as totally neutral tasting flours like all-purpose flour or ivory whole wheat, it’s an awesome little grain – and literally the world’s smallest! It’s so tiny that it’s almost impossible to grind in a home grain mill. Luckily, Bob’s Red Mill has us covered with their whole grain teff flour.
By the way, did you see this picture of what I brought back from the US with me? 80 pounds of Bob’s Red Mill flour. 50 in a suitcase and 30 in my carry-on. I always do this when visiting the US and after going through security and the X-ray machine, my carry-on is pulled aside for a check 100% of the time because of how densely my bag is packed (at least that’s what the TSA tells me). I liked how the last lady told me that I needed to find myself an officer gentleman friend (her words) who can buy me flour from an army base in Germany because it seemed like such a hassle. And it is. But it’s so worth it because I currently have 80 pounds of Bob’s Red Mill flour sitting in my pantry! :D
But back to teff. It’s a great source of fiber, protein, iron and it has more calcium than any other grain – one serving has about the same amount as 1/2 cup of cooked spinach. It’s also high in a newly discovered resistant starch, which is a type of fiber that isn’t digested by the body. This type of starch is said to help with blood sugar management, colon health, weight control, and to help alleviate some digestive conditions.
Teff has what some describe as a faint chocolate or hazelnut taste. To be honest, I think the chocolate comparison is a bit of a stretch but I’m on board with nutty! It’s not something I’d use in a lightly flavored dessert like lemon cookies or vanilla cupcakes but in chocolate goodies like these gluten-free brownie bites? It’s perfect.
Thanks again to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring today’s post! As always, all opinions expressed are my own. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out some of their other gluten-free flours! They have a HUGE selection.
Fudgy Brownie Bites (gluten-free, dairy-free, 100% whole grain options)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 32 brownie bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup (158 grams) teff flour for a gluten-free version or 1 cup (125 grams) whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (86 grams) Dutch-process cocoa, sifted if lumpy (regular cocoa powder works, too, but I prefer the darker, more chocolaty taste of Dutch-process)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- if using teff, use 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (182 grams) unsalted butter or refined coconut oil, melted
if using whole wheat or all-purpose flour, use 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (196 grams) unsalted butter or refined coconut oil, melted - 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar, raw sugar or coconut sugar (if using coconut sugar, I recommend weighing it out or very tightly packing the cups)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (128 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons whipping cream or full-fat canned coconut milk
- freeze-dried raspberries, for decoration
For the brownies:
For the ganache:
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C) and line 2 mini muffin pans with 32 liners.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted fat, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and stir just until combined. Do not over mix!
- Fill the mini muffin liners about 4/5 full and bake for 11 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the side (and not the center) doesn't come out with raw batter on it. It may have some moist crumbs on it – just not totally raw batter.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the brownies have completely cooled, prepare the ganache.
- Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the cream just until steamy and on the verge of simmering. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Stir until all the chocolate chips are melted. Let cool for about 15 minutes or until thickened a bit before pouring over the brownies. Top with crushed freeze-dried raspberries.
- Cover and store at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days. If you used coconut milk in the ganache, I recommend refrigerating them from day 1 to be on the safe side. For fudgier brownies, refrigerate.
Notes
- For dairy-free: use coconut oil, dairy-free chocolate chips and coconut milk.
- I prefer to use refined coconut oil because it doesn't have any coconut taste. If you don't mind a little coconut flavor in these brownie bites, you can use unrefined coconut oil.
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62 comments on “Fudgy Brownie Bites (gluten-free, dairy-free, whole grain options)” — Add one!
these look amazing ! is there a sugar free substitute?
i have stevia , but its not the same sweetness gram per gram.
Thanks! I haven’t tried a sugar-free version yet. I just bought my first low-carb sweetener but I’m finding baking with it difficult as I don’t like the aftertaste. Sorry I couldn’t be more of a help!
Can you use an all purpose GF four instead of teff flour?
I haven’t tried it but I think it’d work since regular whole wheat and all-purpose flour work in this recipe.
I tried the recipe with GF and Ener-g Egg Replacer. It didn’t bind very well and was quite greasy.
I wouldn’t recommend any egg subs in this recipe. Three eggs is a lot to replace! I normally don’t replace more than 2 per recipe. Sorry that they didn’t work out for you!
Do you know the nutritional info on these delicious looking brownies?
I don’t but you can copy and paste the recipe here for that info, if you like. :)
Oh my word! These are so good! They just came out of the oven (not frosted yet) and they are so gooey. Some of them just a little on the underdone side and they are like a mini molten lava cake.
I’ll tell you, I made these earlier in the week because we have a valentine party tomorrow and I wanted to test out the recipe. So I halved it and I never know what to do when I halve a recipe and it calls for 3 eggs. I should have used 1 but I used 2 and I was pretty skeptical. They were not fudgy and they fell apart and they were SO unbelievably rich. But I made the recipe again today and here were my changes. First time I used coconut sugar, this time brown sugar. I cut back on the cocoa because I am using the dark and they were REALLY chocolaty. So I used 1/2 cup cocoa powder. I went with the coconut oil to make them dairy free. And added a bit more salt to cut the richness some. Also I forgot to get canned coconut milk at the store so I may make a frosting out of non-hydrogenated shortening and powdered sugar and I love the freeze-dried raspberry idea so I have some of those to decorate the brownie bites. I think this will now be my go to recipe for gf/df brownies. AWESOME! Thank you for the recipe.
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!!!
Yay! I’m thrilled that they came out well for you, especially with your changes. :) I almost always halve or fourth recipes when testing them, which means I use a lot of 1/4 or 1/2 eggs. The content of a large egg is 50 grams. So I whisk it together and use 25 grams for a half egg. I’ve never had any issue with it! The other half goes to my husband for breakfast the next morning. I hope the kids will enjoy the brownie bites tomorrow. Thanks a bunch for your great feedback. It made my day! :)
I love that you garnish these with freeze dried raspberries — what a great idea! And wow on all the flour you took back with you!
Haha. I did what I have to do. ;)
Hi Erin, I don’t own mini muffin tins so I’m wondering if you think the recipe would work with normal sized muffin tins? Obviously they’d need to be baked longer but thought I’d get your insight before I experimented with my son’s Valentine’s day party treats. :-) Thanks!
That’d definitely work! I have no idea how long they’d need to be baked for, though. I suggest doing a test brownie and cutting into it if necessary to make sure they’re cooked enough. It’s easy to overbake these so be careful! I hope your son and his classmates will enjoy them. :)
These look incredibly rich and fudgy…and that ganache on top…heart stopping!
Thanks a bunch, Renee! :)
All about fudgy and those freeze dried raspberries!
Same here! :)
I love that you pack your suitcase full of Bob’s! Whenever I travel with food products, I always wonder with TSA thinks. These brownies look incredible, perfectly fudgy and that ganache on top is just the right finishing touch.
Haha. The ladies always seem curious. I’ve only had one or two who just didn’t get it. ;)
These look super fudgy!! I will be craving these bites all day!
They are, indeed! :)
Oh my gosh Erin, these look so fudgy and irresistible! I love the pop of color that the freeze dried raspberries add, too.
Thanks so much! I absolutely love freeze-dried raspberries for that very reason. So much natural color!
Um hello look at that thick amazing brownie bite! Looks like it’s a great nibble and a perfect mid-day sweet treat.
Agreed! They also work nicely for breakfast. ;)
I love this recipe so very much. I’m a huge fan of brownie bites. These are super cute. I could see these flying off the table at any bake sale. So adorable.
I love Bob’s Red Mill and can totally relate to filling suitcases filled with products. I’m in Canada and some things aren’t available here, so any time I travel I fill an extra suitcase with food. Ha.
I need to try their GF products. It’s on my to do list.
What can’t y’all get there? But that’s awesome that you’re close enough to get things easily! I even brought back butter this time. Lol. Such a pain.
These fudgy brownie bites look awesome! I love that you decorated the tops with freeze dried raspberries. I love the freeze dried strawberries (and the pineapple!) but need to get some raspberries on hand. These little bites are so perfect for Valentine’s Day.
I’ve tried decorating with freeze-dried strawberries and they’re not nearly as poppy! Definitely get yourself some raspberries. :)
I’ve never heard of teff flour! Being such an obsessive baker, I’ll have to find some because these brownie bites look so ridiculously fudgy! The freeze dried raspberries are a sweet touch.
I hope you’ll get a chance to try it out! :)
I have a huge weakness for ganache and brownies. Huge weakness. I want to reach into the screen and grab one of these!
Haha. Same here!
Wow, these really are incredibly fudgy, YUM! Teff is a really fun grain, I use it for Ethiopian injera and have used it occasionally for baking but want to experiment further with it.
I hope you will! It’s so great in chocolate goodies. :)
These are just absolutely darling! And oh my gosh … that photo of the fudgy goodness inside?? So awesome! Even better though are all the great options to adapt the recipe however readers might need – I really love the whole grain option, and I’m sure many others will appreciate the gluten-free and dairy-free suggestions. So wonderful to have so many adaptions!
Aww, thanks, Shelley! It took me forever to come up with all those options so I definitely appreciate you noticing. ;)
These brownie bites look delicious and I love a recipe that more people can enjoy. You do need to get another means of buying your flour honey. That’s a lot of weight ?. But I guess when you find a brand you love and trust….. Great post as always I’ll be trying these out. Sammie x
I hope you’ll enjoy them! The problem with flour is that there are types that don’t exist here (white / ivory whole wheat, whole wheat pastry flour, etc.) and some that do exist here but are inconsistent (like almond flour). So I have to bring those flours over. But I do like them. ;) Thanks for your comment!
Darn, these look amazing!!!
Thanks, Gerry!
These look great! Especially as my physician has suggested I might try leaving out all dairy for a way and see whether my digestion improves … hate getting older! :-/ Anyway, next I will be making these. Nothing can stop me!
Haha. Aww. I’m so happy to hear that nothing can get in your way of making these! That’s true dedication. :D And good luck with going dairy-free!
wow a suitecase full of bob’s red mill..actually that’s what I am gonna do too.I live in Iran and I don’t have access to many of healthy baking ingredients such as white whole wheat flour,spelt flour and many other.we don’t even have coconut oil and coconut sugar here,so I’m travelling to Dubai next month and I thought I could stuck up as much as I can there!I’ve found a few stores there that have a selection of bob’s red mill products and I’m so exited to go shopping in those stores.
These brownie bites look gorgeous by the way
That’s awesome that you found a place that sells Bob’s Red Mill in Dubai! I just found a German website that sells a few things at crazy prices, but they’re not too absurd. A year ago, I couldn’t even find that! Does Vitacost ship to Iran? They changed their shipping rates to Germany last year and it’s not that expensive to buy flour through them (at least compared to if my parents send me something through USPS). Definitely check them out! Vitacost has all things Bob’s Red Mill and all the other healthy baking ingredients you could need. Have fun in Dubai and good luck getting everything. Thanks for your comment! It always nice to hear from people who deal with the same ingredients issues. :)
I had seen iHerb before,and I just checked out Vitacost website now and OMG they have everything that I dream of everyday.but unfortunately neither ship to Iran.I just hope some of these products would be available here soon,cause travelling to another country to fill your suitcases with baking ingredients is not a thing that I could do every year! :)
Aww. I’m sorry to have shown you! I had hoped that they shipped to Iran. You should check back every now and then! Vitacost didn’t use to ship to Germany (or at least not at the crazy good rates they do now) but that changed recently. And I’m totally with you on wishing for these products to be available to us soon. Although I imagine it’s a lot much difficult for you in Iran than here in Germany! Good luck on getting everything you need during your next trip. :)
These are beautiful!! Loving that ganache and the dried raspberries on top! And that suitcase of flours, I love it!!
Thanks so much, Serene! :)
Those look amazing! I love the fact they are frosted. Now I am craving brownies!
Thanks! I liked the topping, too. :D
YUM!! My husband would sure like these. He loves dark chocolate.
But what about you? I always wonder what you like. :)
Too funny!! I guess when I see chocolate and things I know he loves I just automatically think he will love that. I like some of the same things but he really likes a lot that I don’t. We don’t eat GF but I do make some GF things for family members at times. I love coconut, peach desserts, strawberry desserts and love ice cream. HA!! I also love whole wheat, spelt, and whole grain recipes.
These brownies are gluten-free but there’s also a 100% whole wheat option! I try to offer both options whenever I can. :) And hmm… peach, strawberries and ice cream. I guess you’ll have to wait another 4 months before I post anything that like. ;) I put down “peach dessert” in my calendar for June!
These look so insanely good!
Thanks, Jennifer!
These look wonderful! I’ll have to try them out!
I hope you will! :)
Frosted brownies! What a fantastic idea! You’ve totally made my day with this recipe :)
Aww, thanks! What a nice thing to say. :)