Noturaverage Grinch Brownies with Gluten & Dairy Free Option

For me, Christmas time means lots of baking. I grew up helping my mom make everything homemade from Santa cookies to pies and breads. Naturally, I have followed in her lead, but to the max. I begin baking just before Thanksgiving and don’t stop until New Years. It is my absolute favorite thing to do, I look forward to it all year and plan my recipes out during the “off season”.

This year I decided to make a new recipe that incorporates our year of bad luck into our Christmas treats. Grinch Brownies! They turned out even better than I had imagined so I ended up making multiple batches since the neighborhood kids are always hanging at our house. 

Most of you know that I try to eat completely gluten and dairy free and organic. I did incorporate that into this recipe by using organic, cage free eggs, gluten free flour and plant-based butter. The changes in my recipe turned out amazing. The flavor is wonderful! I found gluten free oreo knock offs at Sprouts, along with gluten free icing for the topping.

Throwing everything together was super easy and simple. I basically mixed dry ingredients separately and then combined it all. The first thing I opted to do was combine the butter and chocolate chips. The butter I used is Country Crock Plant Based.

Next, I mixed together the flour, salt and cocoa powder and set aside. I already had organic table salt and Simple Truth Cocoa powder. I did purchase extra Bob's Redmill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour, I already use this frequently so it wasn't a new product for me. 

Once that was done, I measured the hot water and espresso and mixed it up. I just set this aside while I combined the sugars and eggs. I used the store brand organic, cages free eggs. Beat this until it gets fluffy then add your other ingredients. Begin with the chocolate mixture, then the espresso and add the vanilla at this time. Last, combine the flour mixture to your brownie batter.  

I spread it in my pan (I actually used 2 small glass pans; size unknown, too lazy to measure). Make sure to grease these pans! Chosen Foods makes an amazing avocado spray that I use. It was perfect for the Grinch Brownies. I watched it closely in the oven (preheated to 350 degrees). It took 40 min to bake, keep in mind I am aprox 6,000 feet elevation so be sure to watch yours around the 30 min mark. 

Once the brownies had cooled, I added my white frosting to a bowl and mixed in a few drops of green food coloring. I found a good premade frosting at either Sprouts along with an oreo type cookies. Red hots were probably the most difficult thing to find. I found the good old sugar filled.. unhealthy version at Walgreens. 

ENJOY! Be sure to tag me if you make them!

-Laura