5 Ingredient Flourless Miracle Cocoa Brownies (Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Brownie recipes are a dime a dozen, but with a super short ingredient list and extra simple to make, these 5 Ingredient Flourless and Nut-Free Miracle Brownies really are a miracle of baking. Praise be, indeed. If you're looking for a killer reward:effort ratio, these are your brownies. These are the brownies to make if you have cocoa powder - or cacao powder - in your pantry and you're all out of chocolate.

Sometimes the simple recipes actually take a bit longer to get just right. I love the simplicity of these brownies...less ingredients also means a more intense chocolate hit!

These brownies have a bold chocolate flavour so they're like dark chocolate in brownie form! If you prefer a lighter chocolate flavour, or you're serving to people who may not like dark chocolate, you can replace a third of the cacao/cocoa powder with almond flour by weight - details in the post. Almond flour is not really a flour, but just finely ground skinless almonds.

As with many of my recipes, these flourless brownies are gut microbiome friendly! You can also check out more of my microbiome friendly recipes.

🍫 Here’s what you’ll love about these Miracle brownies:

• 1 bowl
• No special equipment
• 5 simple ingredients you most likely already have - this is the recipe for you if you have cocoa or cacao powder in your pantry and are craving brownies!
• Fuss free - just dump and mix!
• Gluten free, Nut free*, dairy free**
• Not overly sweet - these brownies are sweet but certainly not overpowering, so the cacao really shines
• Flourless - actually flourless!
• Chewy and a bit fudgey
• Only 5 minutes prep
• A small batch option has been provided in the Notes of the recipe card below
• Suitable for many different diets - Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, low starch

*nut-free unless you mix in nuts or use some almond flour in place of the cacao/cocoa 😉
**dairy-free unless you use butter or ghee in place of the olive oil

For the full instructions, head to the recipe card further below.

🥣 Ingredients you'll need

• Cacao powder or natural cocoa powder* - for that chocolate flavour!
• Raw sugar (aka turbinado, demerera) - for the perfect amount of sweetness, you can use another type of sugar if you prefer**
• Gluten free baking powder - for just a little lift
• Cooking salt - complements the chocolate flavour and the sugar...don't leave it out!
• Coconut oil, ghee or olive oil- Coconut oil and ghee give a firmer result; quality olive oil is amazing in chocolate recipes with its fruity notes, you could also use butter if you tolerate and like it - browned butter even better! - although it's not dairy free
• Large eggs (not XL), at room temperature - eggs help with rise and chewy results
• Optional: 2-3 tablespoons of your favourite mix-ins such as hazelnuts, sour cherries, dried ginger
  
• *I don't recommended Dutch-processed cocoa powder as the flavour reminded me of cheap chocolate cake - go with the cacao powder if you can
  
• If you prefer a less bold-flavoured brownie, you can replace some of the cacao powder with almond flour - eg. use 72 grams cacao powder and 30 grams almond flour for the full size batch and use 54 grams cacao powder and 23 grams almond flour for the small batch
  
• **Don't try to reduce the sugar as it provides texture, structure and moisture alongside sweetness - these brownies are not overly sweet, but you can use coconut sugar if you prefer a slightly less sweet taste

💡 How to get the best results from this recipe

• Always use room temperature eggs - if your eggs have been in the fridge, sit them in a small bowl of hot water for 5 minutes
• Getting the best results in baking often requires using the weight measures as it's more accurate, especially for a recipe with a short ingredient list - digital scales are very affordable
• Don’t cut the brownies until completely cool! I warned you! You can steal a little from the tray before they’ve cooled, but don’t try cutting the whole tray. I prefer to put my brownies into the freezer still in the pan after 30 minutes on the bench. After an hour or so, they’re usually ready to cut.
• Since they freeze so well without losing taste or texture, I highly recommend making the larger batch. No one ever regrets making more brownies.
• I don't recommend changing any of the ingredients since this recipe has been tested for best results. The exception here is that if you prefer not to use olive oil, you can alternatively use melted ghee or butter, or even melted coconut oil.
• Have fun and feel free to turn up the song above while making your Miracle Brownies!

🧁 Since you're here, check out some of my other baking recipes...

Spiced Pecan Banana Bread with no added sugar!
Two Ingredient Pistachio Biscuits/Cookies
Gluten Free Baked Pancake with Fig, Blueberry and Pistachios

Miracle Flourless Cocoa Brownies

Miracle Flourless Brownies are the easiest brownies you will ever make. Simple ingredients, quick prep and extra indulgent.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, australian

Keyword: baked, baking, brownies, chocolate, dessert, flourless, Gluten Free, Paleo, treat

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 9

Calories: 170kcal

Author: Allison Jones

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Sifter
• Digital scales
• Whisk
• Spatula
• Measuring spoons
• Baking pan - either a 20cm x 20cm (8" x 8") square pan for standard size or 22cm x 17cm (8.5" x 7") glass dish for the small batch
• Baking/parchment paper
• Cooling rack

Ingredients

Standard Size Batch

• 180 grams brown sugar
• 65 grams coconut oil, ghee or olive oil melted
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 102 grams cacao powder
• ¾ teaspoon gluten free baking powder
• ⅓ teaspoon cooking salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven 170C/340F (or 145C fan forced).
• If your eggs aren’t at room temperature, you can add them to a bowl of hot water for a few minutes before cracking them open.
• Line your baking dish with baking paper.
• Mix the eggs, sugar and melted oil/fat - mix well with a whisk until the eggs aren’t visible.
• Sift the dry ingredients in to the wet and mix well until there are no dry spots or lumps in the batter. Ensure you are mixing the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl too. Add mix-ins if using.
• Pour the batter into the baking dish, push into corners and even out the top. You can shuffle the dish around to help.
• Bake for 10 minutes, turn and bake for a final 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven, let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to set for an hour or so, uncovered.
• Brownies are easiest to cut when they are completely cool (trust me) and the knife is hot. Pour boiled water on to the knife, shake off excess water and push the knife down in to the brownies in one movement to cut. This minimises waste.
• If you like your brownies with some extra chew, you can store the brownies uncovered in the fridge.
• Brownies can be stored in the fridge for up to a week and also freeze perfectly. Defrost at room temp or heat up in the microwave.

Notes

• If your eggs aren’t at room temperature, you can add them to a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before cracking them open.
• If using coconut oil, measure it out and heat it gently to liquid form - set aside to cool.
• If you prefer a less bold-flavoured brownie, you can replace some of the cacao powder with almond flour - eg. use 72 grams cacao powder and 30 grams almond flour for the full size batch and use 54 grams cacao powder and 23 grams almond flour for the small batch

Small Batch Ingredients

Use a 22cm x 17cm (8.5" x 7") Pyrex glass dish (or even a metal loaf pan) for the small batch. Follow the baking instructions as per the regular batch. 

• 135g brown sugar
• 43g melted coconut oil, ghee or olive oil
• 3 L eggs (not XL), at room temperature
• 77 grams cacao powder
• ½ tsp gluten free baking powder
• 3 generous pinches of cooking salt
• Optional: 2-3 tablespoons of mix-ins such as hazelnuts, sour cherries, dried ginger

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Hello! The photos of this recipe and the content above are copyright protected.

Please do not use the photos without prior written permission from Allison Jones. If you wish to share this recipe, please provide a link back to the recipe on my website - social media sharing sites like Pinterest will do this automatically. If you make significant changes to the recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and provide a link back here for credit. Thank you!

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g

Hello! The photos of this recipe and the content above are copyright protected.Please do not use the photos without prior written permission from Allison Jones. If you wish to share this recipe, please provide a link back to the recipe on my website - social media sharing sites like Pinterest will do this automatically. If you make significant changes to the recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and provide a link back here for credit. Thank you!

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