Gluten Free Brown Butter Brownies

These gluten free brown butter brownies are the ultimate decadent dessert. With a rich and fudgy texture and that signature crackle top, this is a recipe you’ll keep coming back to!

I’ve been obsessed with brown butter everything lately. My brown butter chocolate chip snickerdoodles are an absolute favorite – it just creates a richness in any baked good that I can’t resist.

These brown butter brownies are gluten free (of course), super fudgy, perfectly rich and have those gorgeous crackly tops we all love! They’re made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand If you love this recipe, try my flourless brownies or gluten free oreo brownies next!

Before we get started…

You can use salted butter instead of unsalted, just omit the added salt to the brownie batter!
Be sure to let the brownies cool completely before slicing so they slice nice and clean! The texture really sets as they cool, so this is key to avoid crumbly brownies!
A good quality chocolate makes all the difference here. I like semi-sweet which we will melt into the butter and then add to the batter. You can opt for a darker chocolate but I don’t recommend milk chocolate.

How to make brown butter brownies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Cut the cold butter into cubes and add to a sauce pan. You ideally want to use a light colored pan here.

Turn the stove to medium heat and heat until the butter melts. Once the butter melts, it will start to foam a bit. Stir regularly (and don’t leave the stove as butter burns quickly!). It will take about 5-8 minutes to brown nicely, keep stirring throughout this process.

Once the bottom has browned (you will see visible brown bits) pour the butter into a heat safe bowl. It’s important to do this so the butter doesn’t burn.

Immediately stir in the 4 ounces of chocolate. Keep in mind this is 4 ounces by weight, not volume. Stir regularly until the chocolate is fully melted. Set aside.

two images showing how to make the recipe

Add the white sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla to a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture becomes a pale color and looks light and fluffy. This step is key for those crackle tops! Beat in the butter/chocolate mixture until combined.

Add in the flour, cocoa and salt and mix together. Fold in the extra chocolate chips if using.

Transfer to the prepared baking pan and spread the top out. Add additional chocolate chips on top if desired.

Bake for 32-38 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. All ovens are different so keep an eye on them. These brownies are designed to be fudgy, but you can take them out early if you like them really fudgy. Let cool fully, then slice and enjoy! Try my brownie cookies next!

two images showing how to make the batter

Key ingredients & swaps

Eggs. Three eggs not only help bind all ingredients together, but they also react with the sugar to help create that crackly, shiny crust. We’ll beat them together for several minutes which creates an almost meringue like topping as they bake. Unfortunately, eggs are a key ingredient here and I don’t recommend any swaps!

Sugar. We’ll use white and brown sugar which will help with that crackle top but also add a nice rich flavor because of the molasses in the brown sugar.

Chocolate/cocoa. We’ll need both chocolate chips and cocoa powder to create a super rich and fudgy texture.

Flour. A little bit of gluten free all purpose baking flour will absorb some of the excess moisture here. I like Bob’s Red Mill GF baking flour, but any kind should work as long as it has xanthan gum.

Butter. They wouldn’t be brown butter brownies without butter! I don’t recommend a dairy free butter here as those don’t tend to brown well.

How to store and freeze

Once prepared, these brown butter brownies will store for about 3-5 days. Allow them to cool completely before transferring to an air tight container. I store them at room temperature, but they’ll keep for longer in the fridge!

To freeze, allow to cool completely, then slice and place in a ziplock bag or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container. Reheat in the oven at 300 until warm through the center and enjoy!

brown butter brownies cut into squares with crackle tops

Tips for fudgier brownies

Use melted chocolate in addition to cocoa powder. Many brownie recipes call for just cocoa powder, but I find for these brown butter brownies, using melted chocolate yields the best texture.

Shorten the bake time! A longer bake time means the brownies will dry out slightly and won’t be as fudgy. For reference, I baked mine for 35 minutes and they were fudgy without being too gooey. Feel free to go up or down in time!

Keep the baking powder/soda to a minimum. This recipe doesn’t use any baking soda or powder! Because we are using three whole eggs, that will already cause the brownies to rise quite a bit and adding baking soda or powder would give the brownies more of a cakey texture which are trying to avoid.

one bite taken out of the brown butter brownie to show texture

More recipes for the chocolate lover!

If you try this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out! Be sure to follow me on instagram and subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes.