Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies

I'm not a big fan of fussy gluten-free baking recipes. If I have to use xanthan gum or arrowroot, just forget it.  I want it simple, and I want to already have the ingredients in my pantry. So that being my rule, I found this recipe for GF brownies from David Lebovitz and altered it only slightly by adding vanilla and chocolate chips to the batter and skipping the nuts. The result is a dense, fudge brownie that is insanely good. I am debating using this as my everyday brownie recipe since it is so easy to pull together and so friggin amazing. You must make these STAT. And then you must thank me for passing along the recipe.

Best GF Brownies adapted from David Lebovitz

• 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
• heavy pinch of salt
• 8 ounces (225g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch process
• 3 tablespoons (30g) corn starch
• optional: 1 cup (135g) nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped AND/OR chocolate chips

1. Line the inside of an 8-inch (23 cm) square pan with foil so that it goes up the sides to the rim. Lightly grease the foil with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350º (180ºC).

2. Melt the butter and chocolate and salt in a medium saucepan over very low heat on the stove top, stirring constantly until smooth.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, then the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla. 

4. Sift together the cocoa powder and corn starch in a small bowl then stir them into the chocolate mixture. Beat the batter vigorously for at least one minute, until the batter is no longer grainy and nearly smooth. It will pull away from the sides of the pan a bit.

5. Add the nuts or chocolate chips, if using, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the brownies feel just set in the center. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing. After letting brownies cool, I put them in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up even more - I highly recommend you try this. 

Storage: The brownies can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days, or frozen for at least 1 month.