Chocolate Brownie Pie with Orange Zest

Mary Fran from Franny Cakes is hosting this month's Gluten Free Ratio Rally for brownies, so check back there for a full listing of all the brownie posts - I've also tried to include a complete list at the bottom of this post.

I'll admit, I really struggled with this month's rally. My initial goal was to create a chewy but not too fudgy dairy free brownie with macadamia nuts, coconut flakes, and orange zest. I tried and tried and ended up throwing out batch after batch. Perhaps my expectations were set too high with all the delicious boxed gluten free brownie mixes out there like King Arthur. So eventually I threw in the towel and went about recreating a family favorite recipe; Chocolate Brownie Pie. I would describe it as somewhere in between a brownie and a chocolate cake with a delicateness to it, but not at all like a cakey brownie - does that make sense? Anyway, I had much more success with chocolate brownie pie and the dairy free version actually tasted even better!

The ratio I ended up with was 3 parts sugar: 2 parts chocolate, flour, and eggs: 1 part non-dairy milk and coconut oil. 

Chocolate Brownie Pie with Orange Zest for the Gluten Free Ratio Rally

Ingredients

300 grams sugar

150 grams gluten free all purpose flour blend

3 eggs

75 grams almond milk

75 grams coconut oil

150 grams semisweet chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life for a gluten, dairy, and soy free version and just melt them in a small pot on the stove - si)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp orange zest (from about 1 medium orange)

Make

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a pie dish with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), mix together the sugar and flour.

In a small microwavable bowl or pyrex measuring cup, melt the coconut oil and set aside to cool.

In a small non-stick pot, melt the chocolate on low. Stir constantly and remove from heat immediatly after melting and allow to cool.

In a seperate bowl, whisk the eggs and then add to the stand mixer bowl and mix to combine.

Add the almond milk and coconut oil and mix until incorperated.

Add the melted chocolate and mix until incorperated.

Add the vanilla extract and orange zest and mix until incorperated.

Pour the batter into the lined pie dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool before enjoying with a topping of your choice - I prefer a scoop of goats milk vanilla ice cream or coconut milk vanilla ice cream.

Makes about 8 servings, sliced up like a pie.

How do you make brownies? From the box or from scratch?

 

Angela | Angela's Kitchen | Gluten & Dairy Free Cream Egg Brownies

Brooke | B & the Boy! | Triple Chocolate Brownies

Caitlin | {Gluten Free} Nom Nom Nom | Peppermint Brownie Bars

Caleigh | Gluten Free[k] | White Chocolate & Marshmallow Brownies

Caneel | Mama Me Gluten Free | Triple Chocolate Brownies

Charissa Luke | Zest Bakery | Slutty Gluten-Free Brownies

Claire | My Gluten Free Home | PB&J Brownie Whoopee Pies

Claire | This Gluten-Free Life | St. Patty's Day Marshmallow Swirl Brownies

Erin | The Sensitive Epicure | Mexican Cocoa Brownies with an Almond & Pepitas Crust

Gretchen | kumquat | salted carmel brownies

Heather | Discovering the Extraordinary | Nutmeg Blondies

Irvin | Eat the Love | Blueberry Citrus Marble Brownies

Jean | Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes | Blue Ribbon Brownies

Jenn | Jenn Cuisine | Grain Free Brownies with No-Bake Ricotta Cheesecake Cream

Jonathan | The Canary Files | Vegan Marbled Banana Walnut Brownies

Karen | Cooking Gluten Free! | GF Chewy Crackled Top Brownies with Raspberry Puree

Morri | Meals with Morri | Oaxacan Brownies & Mesquite Cacao Blondies

Mrs. R | Honey From Flint Rocks | Black Bean S'More Brownies & Fudgy Coconut Flour Brownies

Pete and Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem | Carmel Mexican Chocolate Mesquite Brownies

Rachel | The Crispy Cook | Co-Co Nut-Nut Blondies

Tara | A Baking Life | Mint Chocolate Flourless Brownies

TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies | Gluten Free Berry Fudge Brownies

Comments

[Jenn]

I love the idea of a brownie pie, and the zest is the perfect garnish to a rich chocolate flavor!

[Caneel]

This looks delicious! Orange is always a great flavor with chocolate - and I love the pie idea. Yum!

[Janae Wise]

So pretty! Do you know if it works replacing the eggs with something like flax, to make it vegan?

Thanks for all the links. I'm excited to browse what's out there. It makes me happy to know there are so many GF options out there.

[Caleigh]

I love anything with chocolate and orange in it and your brownie pie looks delicious!

[Rachel]

Orange and chocolate always go so well together. Love that you tailored a family recipe for this Ratio Rally challenge.

[Caitlin]

Looks delicious! My husband and mother in law both love chocolate + orange so I'll need to give this a go.

[maryfran | frannycakes]

This looks fabulous! Brownies are a tricky beast, even though they are so very simple.

Great job this month!

[Adina Marguerite]

Thanks for the kind comments all! I've become a big fan of the chocolate and orange combo after finding some yummy equal exchange dark chocolate bars that mix the two.

@Janae - I didn't get a chance to fully veganize the recipe, I had a bunch of trouble just trying to get a dairy free brownie. My gut feeling says it will work, but might be slightly more chewy (which in my opinion would be a good thing) and I might have to give it a try. If you end up trying it out before me I'd love to hear how it goes!

[Jonathan]

In my own trials, I discovered the wonders of a brownie pie. Ended up using my pie tin for one of my trials when my loaf pan was still occupied with the previous trial. Loved serving up little triangles of it - such an unexpected way to enjoy a brownie. Your recipe sounds wonderful - Thanks for sharing!

[Morri]

Great job on a very delish dairy free (and gluten free, of course) brownie! I usually have to be in the mood for the combination of orange and chocolate, but this recipe definitely made me a lover.

[nyc catering]

I made some last week and the whole family loved it, thank you very much for sharing this recipe.

[Adina Marguerite]

Hooray! I'm glad!

[Suzanne]

These look delicious! I really like the taste of orangy chocolate, so I'm going to definitely have to try these out. Coconut oil is meant to be very healthy and good for weight loss, so perhaps that will reverse the fattening affect of the brownies? (or maybe wishful thinking!)

[Adina Marguerite]

Thanks Suzanne. Well, maybe we can pretend in our minds that because it's got coconut oil in it, this brownie pie is actually quite healthy ;-).