Frosted Gluten Free Gingerbread Brownies

After tasting these Frosted Gluten Free Gingerbread Brownies, you won't want to go back to regular boring brownies.

Gingerbread is my obsession this year. From gingerbread lattes to gingerbread-spiced nut butters, I'm tossing my homemade gingerbread spice in everything under the sun. Naturally, gingerbread brownies were bound to happen.

Like most of the desserts I create, I go for rich over sweet. Too many treats are overloaded with sugar - and frankly, I want to taste something more than just sweetness in my food. So instead I try to lean into the dark, bittersweet richness of chocolate, the touch of buttery fudge, and the distinct warmth of molasses and gingerbread spice.

When you're making super-rich brownies, using melted chocolate is the only way to go. Cocoa powder alone will simple not get you to the level of chocolate explosion that I craved for these gingerbread brownies.

After hitting on a texture that I liked for the brownies, I decided that they needed a little extra oomph. It's the same approach I had with my Dark Chocolate Pots de Crème with Marshmallow Crème: a lighter, sweeter topping contrasts with the deep, dark, rich underbelly beneath.

The icing on the cake, as they say (pun totally intended), to add an extra dose of sweet to balance the dark chocolate of the brownies themselves. I highly recommend not skipping the frosting for that reason - it just helps to balance these rich brownies!

Now that I'm thinking about it, my photography style seems to adopt the same concept. Rich shadows, contrasted with slivers of bright whites and highlights. At least, that's generally what I try to accomplish.

Who knew that dessert choice could say a lot about photography style? Hmm...maybe that's a Buzzfeed quiz waiting to happen. Or is it the other way around - my photography style has bled into my preference for sweets? I might never sort through that conundrum.

Back to the gingerbread obsession.

I adore warm spices. Cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, star anise... you find them in almost all "fall" spice blends, in different combinations. Pumpkin pie spice, chai spice, and gingerbread spice are all some combination of those. Pretty wild when you think about it, isn't it? Just goes to show how endless the spice possibilities are.

So, for this recipe, I put together my go-to combo of gingerbread spices. I've included that recipe here, too! You'll have lots of gingerbread spice leftover, so get creative with it - add it to cookies, quick breads (like my pumpkin banana bread!), your morning coffee or tea. Or make these brownies. Again and again and again. I wouldn't blame you!

Did you try this Gluten Free Gingerbread Brownies recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.

📖 Recipe

Frosted Gluten Free Gingerbread Brownies

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• Author: Chelsea Joy
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 16 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

These rich gluten free brownies feature the warm flavors of gingerbread thanks to a homemade spice blend. This recipe makes extra gingerbread spice, so you can use it for more brownies, Homemade Gingerbread Marshmallows, or other gluten free treats!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Gingerbread Spice

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons ginger
• 2 tablespoons allspice
• ½ tablespoon clove
• ½ tablespoon nutmeg
• ½ tablespoon cardamom

For the Brownies

• ¼ cup ghee
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup cassava flour
• 3 eggs, lightly whisked
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons gingerbread spice mix
• 3 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap)

For the Frosting

• ½ cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons ghee

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Instructions

1. Add all of the gingerbread spice ingredients in a small bowl or jar and mix until completely combined.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cassava flour, cacao powder, baking soda, and gingerbread spice mix. Set aside.
4. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the chocolate, ghee, and applesauce to a heat-proof bowl (or a saucepan) and place over the pot of boiling water, being careful that the bottom of your bowl doesn't touch the water. Bowl too small for your pot? I put a colander on top of the pot of boiling water and set my bowl inside, so it's suspended over the water! Gently stir the mixture while the chocolate melts. Once the mixture is completely smooth, turn the burner off and remove the bowl from over the pot. Let cool for at least 5 minutes.
5. Stir the coconut sugar, molasses, and eggs into the chocolate mixture, mixing until completely smooth.
6. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until it's all wet and evenly combined. Pour into the 9x9 square baking pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the brownies comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
7. To make the frosting, add the chocolate chips and ghee to a heat-safe bowl. Either melt the chocolate using the same method as the brownies (suspend the bowl over a pot of boiling water), or microwave for 20 seconds at a time until the chocolate has completely melted. Only frost the brownies after they've cooled! Let the frosting set before slicing the brownies and serving.

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