Decadent Dark Chocolate Brownies

Hurray for gluten free and dairy free dark chocolate chip brownies! A success!! After being a cranky for 2 week because I couldn't bake or eat "real" desserts and breads, I decided this weekend I would venture off into the gluten and dairy free baking world.

Let me start off by saying, it is expensive to bake gluten free. These 4 ingredients alone cost ~$25 and the xanthan gum was $12.50. I only had to use the brown rice flour for the brownie recipe but that's besides the point...

Regardless of price of ingredients, I decided to bake this weekend. It's my stress relief outlet and makes me feel good. And did I mention that I LOVE to eat! I have often been told I should be 200 lbs relative to the amount of food I eat and I should be 300 lbs relative to the amount of times I talk about food. Going gluten free and dairy free is tough but I keep hearing from others that it gets easier. I'm still waiting for the day...

Dark Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ingredients

5 oz of dark chocolate (I used Trader Joe's.)

1/2 cup Smart Balance Organic shortening (I preferred margarine over shortening but they didn't have it at the market. You can substitute the shortening for margarine or butter if you please.)

2 eggs

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup almonds, ground into a fine meal

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1) Melt dark chocolate and shortening and set aside.

2) In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs on medium high until frothy. Add the brown sugar and beat until mixture is smooth.

3) Add melted chocolate mixture a little at a time and beat until chocolate looks smooth and glossy.

4) In a separate bowl, combine almond meal, brown rice flour, sea salt and baking soda. Add dry mixture into chocolate mixture. Add vanilla and beat for another minute or so.

5) Stir in nuts. Pour brownie mixture into pan and press chocolate chips into batter. (I do this so the chocolate chips don't all fall to the bottom.)

6) Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes and viola...

Gluten free dark chocolate chip brownies