Chocolate Brownies Made With Oat Flour {Gluten Free Brownies}

With flour being so difficult to get hold of during the lockdown, I decided to experiment making brownies with oat flour. The results have been quite pleasant. I found that oat flour gives brownies a more interesting texture and an almost nutty flavour. Using oat flour also makes gluten free brownies - just double check your oats if you’re baking for someone with a very severe allergy.

It’s really easy to make your own oat flour out of regular porridge oats, which are cheap and easy to get hold of. Blitz the oats up finely in a food processor and then sieve them to remove any chunky bits. You can also tip the oats into a bowl and use a hand blender to blitz them up - my husband actually prefers this method.

If you follow me on Instagram you might have seem my boys making these as part of our #gourmetmumcookalong series which are fun food tech lessons for the lockdown. You can find the video of my boys baking them on my Instagram story highlights.

Here’s some of my favourite brownie making tips. I always add a pinch of chilli powder to brownies as it gives a greater depth of flavour, as well as warmth (like a nice hug when you eat them) but leave it out if the thought of that scares you. A pinch of salt in any chocolate dish will always make the chocolate taste more chocolately, but it’s not essential. I also add a little cocoa powder to brownies because it makes them taste more chocolately and rich without them becoming overly sweet.

This recipe makes 16 squares but you could also make 32 small triangles. I find a 20cm square tin works best for a good thickness and an even bake.

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Chocolate Brownies Made With Oat Flour {Gluten Free Brownies}

• Makes: 16 squares

• Prep time: 10-15 minutes

• Cooking time: 25-35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 200g dark/plain chocolate, broken into squares

• 200g unsalted butter

• 275g caster sugar

• 4 medium eggs at room temperature

• 25g cocoa powder

• 1 tsp good quality vanilla extract

• ¼ tsp each of salt & chilli powder (optional)

• 165g oat flour (blitz 165g of porridge oats in a food processor to make this - see notes)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 160 fan / gas mark 4.

2. Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper and grease with butter to stop it sticking.

3. Place the chocolate and butter in a pan over a low heat and stir frequently until melted.

4. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt & chilli powder.

5. Pour the melted chocolate & butter into the bowl and whisk again until smooth.

6. Finally add the oat flour and whisk again until well combined.

7. Pour the brownie mix into the tin and spread it out evenly pushing it into the corners.

8. Bake for 25 minutes, then open the oven and give the tin a little shake. If it is very wobbly, bake for another 5-10 minutes. When the brownies are ready they will be “set” but still squidgy with a paper-like surface.

9. Allow to cool in the tin before using the baking paper to carefully lift the brownies out of the tin and onto a chopping board. Use a sharp knife to cut them into 16 squares. For super sharp squares, chill in the fridge before cutting.