Almond Espresso Brownies...12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies and Sweets

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Brownies are one of my favorite chocolate treats, especially gooey brownies.  No Christmas cookie platter is complete without something chocolate, so I thought this was a great recipe for the 12 Weeks of  Chrstmas Cookies and Sweets linky.  Since going gluten-free, I haven't had brownies...well, no, I have, but I haven't a good brownie, until now.  I will grant that you may not have almond meal in your pantry or freezer, but these are so good that you may just want to buy a bag.  Yes, somewhat expensive; however, I make my own with blanched almonds, and it's much more affordable and quite easy, too.  Just toss your blanched almonds into your food processor, give'em a whirl until they are finely ground, and voila, almond meal!

These are dense, rich, and deeply chocolate.  Everything a brownie should be.  I did use coconut palm sugar, which is a low-glycemic sugar that tastes close to brown sugar, but you can use regular brown or granulated sugar.  I didn't add any extra nuts, but I plan to glaze these next time and add toasted pecans to just push them over the edge of chocolate blissdom.  If you are now craving brownies, but have no need or desire to make them gluten-free, please take a look at my espresso brownie recipe - heavenly. Enjoy!


Almond Espresso Brownies

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons strong black coffee, cooled
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup almond meal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter or spray an 8x8 baking dish; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; mix together for 3-4 minutes, until thickened. 
Add cooled coffee.
Melt chocolate chips and butter together in microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth and creamy.  You can also melt the chips and butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  
Add melted chocolate and butter to egg mixture, mix in almond meal.
Pour into prepared baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Allow to cool before cutting into squares.


Frost with espresso glaze, if desired.
Espresso Glaze

• 2 teaspoons espresso powder 
• 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2 cups powdered sugar 

In a microwave-save bowl or measuring cup, stir espresso powder and 3 tablespoons cream together; microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds, or until espresso has dissolved.

Stir into powdered sugar, adding additional cream if necessary.

Add vanilla and pour over brownies.

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