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These easy Strawberry Brownies are gluten-free and made with almond flour. Baked in an 8-by-8-inch baking pan, the brownies are topped with diced, fresh strawberries and a deliciously smooth chocolate layer made from coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. For best results, refrigerate the brownies for 1 hour before serving. Paleo-friendly.
I remember when my sister first asked me to try baking healthier gluten-free dessert recipes for her. When I was first learning how to bake eight years ago, it coincided with her discovering her intolerance to gluten. She would come into the kitchen and scoff at me for putting sugar and all-purpose flour into something. She was constantly begging me to please figure out how to make things delicious without all the sugar and gluten that I normally used. I heavily resisted, and for a long while, I held on to skepticism. Finally, my dad decided to try going gluten-free, and I acquiesced. So, the experiments began!
My first trials were definitely not successful. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out which flours I preferred to work with and their idiosyncrasies. Turns out, lots of gluten-free flours just bake differently than working with traditional all-purpose flour. I realized that my favorites in the gluten-free flour world – almond, coconut, and tapioca – are all Paleo-friendly as well!
As I experimented, I became genuinely surprised by how close I could get the taste of old faves into gluten-free + refined sugar-free versions. These Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies and Vegan and Gluten-Free Brownies have become staples in my home. I love to make them for my family, but they’re also recipes I can make for a crowd of people who normally eat gluten and not have one person complain (or really even notice) that they “taste healthy.” So, I started making all sorts of easy paleo recipes!
Even though I know exactly what goes into each of my recipes, sometimes I take a bite of a healthier gluten-free/refined sugar-free/paleo treat and I surprise myself! That totally happened with these chocolate-covered strawberry brownies. Who knew I would end up writing an entire cookbook of gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free recipes! Now, let’s get into some commonly asked questions about gluten-free brownies, and what makes these particular brownies so dang good.
Are boxed brownie mixes gluten-free?
Unfortunately, most boxed brownie mixes we know and love, like the Ghiradelli brownie mixes, are not gluten-free. Making a good gluten-free brownie can be tricky, but this one has all the things we want in a good brownie: rich, chocolatey, and fudgy, and thankfully, they’re not too hard to make either!
How do you make brownies moist?
It’s all in the chemistry! To make these gluten-free brownies moist, we make them with only 1/2 cup of almond flour. This keeps them from becoming overly dry because the almond flour has fat in it, which helps keep the gluten-free brownies nice and soft. If you follow the recipe, you’ll have perfectly moist and fudgy almond flour brownies.
What else makes these paleo brownies great?
We sweeten them with coconut sugar, keeping them refined sugar-free and bringing in the delicious caramelly taste that coconut sugar adds. Also, these brownies only use cacao powder for their rich chocolate flavor! There is no need to search for low sugar/high cocoa chocolate.
As for that gorgeous chocolate strawberry topping? We sprinkle fresh strawberries over the baked brownies. Then, we top that off with a mixture of coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. After refrigerating, it firms up to create a deliciously smooth chocolate layer. It makes for the most fabulous strawberry brownies you’ve ever tried!
You’ve got to try these chocolate-covered strawberry brownies! They’re seriously perfect as a Valentine’s Day dessert, or whenever you have some gorgeous strawberries to use up. They’re so fudgy, and the freshness of the strawberries is the perfect thing to cut through the richness of the chocolate. You won’t believe these are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and Paleo – promise! Enjoy :)
Want more delicious brownie recipes?
- Salted Almond Brownies
- The Best Fudgy Vegan Brownies
- Cookie Dough Brownies
- Ultimate Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies
Craving more strawberry recipes?
- Strawberry Chocolate Tart
- No-Bake Strawberry Lemonade Tarts
- Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Bars
- Chocolate Strawberry Fudge
Gluten-Free Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons, 130g coconut oil
- 1¼ cups (212g) coconut sugar
- ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons, 70g unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (48g) blanched almond flour
- 1 cup 6 ounces dark chocolate chunks, optional
For the chocolate topping
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
- ⅓ cup 67g coconut oil
- ⅓ cup 28g cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons 42g maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang on the sides, spray with cooking spray; set pan aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and heat on high power to melt, about 45 seconds. Stop to stir, and heat in 10-second bursts until mixture has melted and can be stirred smooth (mine took 45 seconds + 15 seconds). Whisk for about 30 seconds to help dissolve the coconut sugar into the oil.
- Add the vanilla, eggs, and stir vigorously until batter is thick, shiny, and well blended. Add the almond flour and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake until a toothpick in the center emerges slightly moist with batter, about 22-25 minutes. Check with a toothpick – it should come out with moist crumbs attached. Don’t over bake! Let brownies cool completely.
- Spread the strawberries evenly over the brownies. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. Pour evenly over the strawberries. Refrigerate for at least 1 hours before cutting into 16 squares.
- Brownies will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I have probably responded before, but I must say again…these are my go-to, often-requested treat. Delicious no matter what your diet preferences/restrictions. And they look pretty, too! Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks so much Lynne, so glad to hear you’re loving them!!
This recipe was REALLY GOOD! I don’t think I made any substitutions. My dairy free, refined sugar chocolate bar had almond bits in it so the brownies ended up having bits of almond but that’s the only difference. The recipe was very rich and chocolate-y, in a good way. You only need small squares because they’re very rich. One complaint is that I felt the time/temp was not accurate and maybe needs adjusting. I cooked for 22 mins and checked and the brownies were bubbling but still very wet looking and wet when I checked with a toothpick. Put in for a further 5 mins and they looked the same and toothpick still didn’t come up clean. Another 5 mins and I checked again and still same but I thought by this time I should just take them out. I was right. I had overcooked them I think, quite a bit. They came out really good and kind of more chocolate-y than brownie texture (after being in the fridge, of course) but no one was complaining. I would make them again cuz they are easy and yummy and next time I will only cook 25 mins and see how they turn out
Glad you enjoyed them! Every oven bakes differently, so sometimes things can be a little bit different for each person’s experience. I’ll test these again soon though to double-check time and temp :)
These are FANTASTIC! We have made them so many times. When strawberries are in season, there is no better dessert. So delicious!
So glad you love them, Dori! One of my favorites too :)
Oh my GOSH. These were absolutely divine!!! Possibly the fudgiest paleo brownies I’ve ever had. SO GOOD!
So glad you’re loving them, Jessica!