How To Make My (Gluten-Free) Prohibition Brownies

Alright, people, it’s time to level-up our gluten-free baking. I’m not what you would call a gluten-free fiend, but that’s honestly because so much of what’s out there is a little drab. The point is to chuck the gluten, not the flavor. And while the world of gluten-free baking is relatively new to me, I have SO MANY friends and colleagues with gluten sensitivities that it seemed like the right time to learn. 😀👍🏻

Looking for the regular version of my Prohibition Brownies? Click this link to get there!

After doing a thorough deep-dive into gluten-free baking on the internet I’ve discovered there are two camps. First, there is the camp that treats gluten-free baking like those auto manufacturers that rip the top off of a coupe and proudly claim that they’ve built a convertible. Second, there is the camp that prides themselves on building the metaphoric convertible from the ground up (hello, Mazda Miata, I’ve been in love with you since I was 13 😍).

I would like to take a moment to point out that I just used a car analogy. #MadProps.

When it comes to gluten-free, I fall squarely in the middle. Some recipes naturally lend themselves to being gluten-free (flourless chocolate cakes, pavlovas), while others require the rip-the-top-off-the-coupe approach. But I don’t think anyone’s grandmother was discussing her gluten sensitivity with her doctor when she was 17, so to make foods like the ones our grandmothers made we’ll need to take the top off of the coupe.

The most important thing, obviously, is to repack the flour. Now, there is an easy way — and a more challenging way — to achieve a gluten-free flour blend. Perhaps the easiest way is to buy one, and I’ve become partial to Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend (they don’t sponsor me, I just think the product is great). There is a growing trend of blending different gluten-free flours in order to achieve a “traditional flour” result, and Bob’s 1-to-1 is the closest thing I’ve found to the non-commercial version of that blend. But some people won’t want to use Bob’s, or they’ll prefer to make their own blends, so I’ve included instructions on how to do that here, too.

All that said, let’s talk brownies. I am personally not interested in dry, caky, or overly refined brownies. I want something that hits your mouth and makes you feel like a child again — albeit with some adult flavors thrown in there because, let’s face it, none of us are children anymore. I’m not going to lie to you, my Prohibition Brownies are REALLY good. They’re moist, they’re super chocolatey, and they’re JUST under-baked enough that you get that elusive fudgy quality everyone is after.

Why add alcohol, you ask? It’s not that these brownies are going to taste like your favorite memory of a frat party that happened 20 years ago. The alcohol really just enhances the flavor of the chocolate. You get a deeper, richer, “what is that flavor, I can’t quite place it” experience.

My original Prohibition Brownie recipe calls for whiskey, but whiskeys can be made from wheat and out of extreme caution I’ve swapped alcohols and replaced the whiskey with rum. Happy discovery: these brownies are absolutely delicious with rum.

Happy gluten-free baking! 😀👍🏻

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