Double Chocolate Brownies with Macadamia Nuts {traditional, gluten free, and casein free recipes}

Can a recipe ever go wrong when it starts with the words "double chocolate?" I made these for a day at the park with friends last week and they disappeared within minutes. I loved the slightly gooey centers, combined with just the right amount of rich chocolate and nuts.

I've been playing with casein free baking lately and this recipe works well with butter or with coconut oil. I've also been trying many of my older recipes (side by side) both with and without the xanthan gum. I've found that it can be left out of a great many recipes without affecting the texture at all.

Double Chocolate Brownies with Macadamia Nuts {traditional, gluten free, and casein free recipes}  
Yield: 16-24 servings
(printable recipe)

1/2 cup butter **
2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, plus 1/2 cup reserved
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
2/3 cup brown rice flour *
1/3 cup tapioca starch *
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts, plus 1/4 cup reserved
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup reserved

* If you do not need a gluten free version of this recipe, simply substitute 1 cup of all purpose flour for the items marked with an *
** If you need a dairy/casein free version of this recipe, you can substitute 1/2 cup melted coconut oil for the butter.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper or line it with foil and grease it very well with butter. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chocolate chips and stir with a wooden spoon until they have melted. Remove from the heat, add the sugars and stir to combine.

Add the vanilla and then whisk or stir in the the eggs, one at a time. When the mixture is smooth and shiny, slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixture in the saucepan. Add the nuts (saving 1/4 cup for topping) and add most of the reserved white and dark chocolate chips (saving 1/4 cup's worth for topping).

Spread the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and then sprinkle the top with the reserved nuts and chocolate chips. Bake for 28-32 minutes, just until an inserted toothpick shows moist crumbs. (30 minutes was perfect for my oven.) Let the bars cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!






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