Gluten-free Mini Egg Easter Brownies
Photography by Simeon Crofts
DIETARY - Gluten-free/Vegetarian/Nut-free
Easter is a time for eating chocolate, gathering with friends and family, and sharing lots of treats. In my family, we usually spend the Easter long weekend baking goodies for the whole household to enjoy, but now we have a coeliac (my hubby) in the mix, we need to adapt our traditions slightly. My husband’s favourite Easter chocolate is Cadbury Mini Eggs, so I decided to develop a recipe incorporating the moreish eggs into an indulgent chocolate brownie for the ultimate festive treat he and our friends can enjoy.
Brownies should be moist, fudgy and ultra-chocolatey with a perfectly cracked exterior. The best way to make a brownie is with lots of melted dark chocolate in addition to cocoa powder and a generous helping of butter. To ensure a fudgy middle every time, I have held back on the flour; there are minimal dried ingredients in this recipe, which means you’ll never get a dry or overcooked bake. Firm enough to pick up but perfectly rich and gooey inside, this recipe is everything a brownie should be, and, in true Deliciously Free style, you won’t be able to tell it’s sans gluten.
The good news keeps on coming - this recipe is even suitable for beginner cooks as it’s so simple to make. No experience required! I have recommended cooking the brownie batter for 35 minutes for a fudgy, moist finish, but if you like your brownies oozingly gooey, then reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes. You can test if the brownie is how you want it by using a knife or toothpick and inserting it into the brownie when it comes out of the oven. If there’s a generous smear of batter on the blade, the brownie will be ultra-gooey; if the knife is clean, it will be cakey with a fudgy mouthfeel. I recommend leaving the brownie to cool in the tin before turning out as it will continue to cook in the pan. So don’t worry too much if you think it’s slightly underdone.
If you don’t want to add Mini Eggs to your brownies, you can replace them with Cadbury Crème Eggs, chocolate chunks or nuts for a crave-worthy treat perfect for enjoying over Easter.
Gluten-free Mini Egg Easter Brownies
Ingredients
- 250g unsalted butter
- 275g dark chocolate
- 4 eggs
- 200g light brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 75g gluten-free plain flour
- 30g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coffee
- 250g mini eggs
- 30g milk chocolate, for drizzling
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan)/ 350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line your brownie pan with baking paper.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together slowly over a bain-marie (glass bowl set over a shallow pan of barely simmering water) or using the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring regularly.
- Once the chocolate and butter have melted, stir well and set aside.
- Using an electric stand or hand mixer, whisk the eggs with the two sugars and vanilla extract for approximately 8 minutes until pale and mousse-like.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a separate bowl and stir to combine.
- Fold the melted chocolate into the whipped egg mixture until just combined.
- Fold in the flour until smooth, then stir through 200g of mini eggs.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin and level out.
- Roughly chop the remaining 50g of mini eggs and scatter over the top of the batter.
- Put into the oven to bake for approximately 35 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin before turning out and slicing. Finish with a drizzle of melted milk chocolate.