These healthier almond flour brownies are fudgy, gluten free and have been topped off with a delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting!
Jump to RecipeI never thought that I'd love brownies as much as I love these almond flour brownies! If you subtract the cream cheese frosting and chocolate chips, it would be an ALMOST guilt-free brownie but who wants to do that?!
Is almond flour healthier than regular flour?
Almond flour is notably lower in carbs than regular all-purpose flour and makes for a wonderful, gluten free alternative. It also has a higher protein content as well as being rich in vitamin E and antioxidants.
The frosting
With the added strawberry frosting, I'd say that these chocolate delights are the brownie version of chocolate dipped strawberries. Am I right? These would be so perfect for a Valentine's Day party. Side note: these brownies are super delicious and can stand on their own without the frosting (yes, they're that good). I just thought it would be fun to add in this pop of color for the upcoming holiday.
The color
Want to achieve that vibrant pink color for your frosting? Add in a minimal amount of pink gel icing to the frosting and mix well in your stand mixer. I found mine at a local Wal-mart store.
Baking time
When baking these, keep in mind that a toothpick inserted at the 20 minute mark will not come out clean. That's ok! The last thing you want to do is dry these babies out. They will continue to bake for a bit after removing from the oven. Not baking them past 20 minutes will ensure that you get perfectly fudgy brownies! I suggest letting them rest on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before digging in.
These small batch almond flour brownies are perfect for:
A small family or gathering. I listed the serving size as 9 but you can honestly get away with cutting them into 16 servings. This recipe calls for using an 8"x8" baking dish.
Substitutions
If you're looking to make these brownies dairy free (which can easily be done), swap out regular cream cheese for a dairy free alternative. Below are a few brands you may want to look into:
- Daiya
- Miyokos
- Tofutti
Also, swap out your semisweet chocolate chips for dairy free ones. Endangered Species brand makes really great (and delicious) oat milk chocolate chips.
Storage
I recommend storing these in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Only store in the refrigerator if you add the cream cheese frosting. If you skip it, these can be stored in a container at room temperature. They will keep fresh for 5-6 days.
If you love this recipe, I'm sure you'll love The Best PB and Avocado Gluten Free Brownies which are made with coconut flour! Below is a link to the almond flour that I used for this recipe.
Let me know in the comments if you give this recipe a try! This recipe was updated on May 25, 2022.
The Best Almond Flour Brownies
Equipment
- stand mixer
- 8"x8" baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 7 tablespoon coconut oil at room temp (not melted)
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips for melting
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips for folding into batter
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 ¼ cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 oz freeze-dried strawberries
- pink icing gel very small amount if you'd like frosting to be more vibrant
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together almond flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, melt coconut oil and ½ cup of chocolate chips together. Stir every 20 seconds to keep from burning. Once that is melted together, whisk in brown sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk in your eggs and try to do this for 2 minutes straight (I put a timer on my phone for this). Lastly, whisk in the cocoa powder. Photo shown is what the coconut oil should look like before you melt it with the chocolate.
- Pour batter into baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Toothpick inserted in the middle will not be clean and that's ok! You don't want your brownies to be too dry or cake-like.
- After removing from the oven, let brownies cool to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before adding frosting. Once cool, add frosting. After adding frosting, you can remove them from the baking dish and cut into desired amount of squares.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Run strawberries through a food processor for a few seconds to get smaller pieces. In stand mixer, combine cream cheese anf sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla extract, freeze-dried strawberries and icing gel if desired. Combine well. Frost brownies. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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