Gluten-Free Pinecone Brownies (DF, Egg Free Option, Protein Option)
These Viral Pinecone Brownies are perfect for your next holiday party and so much fun to make! This recipe is gluten-free and also offers options to make them dairy free & egg free as well. Plus there's an option to add your favorite protein powder for a fun & festive protein treat, too!
Ingredients
- 1 box gluten free brownie mix I used Simple Mills
Ingredients Needed to Prepare Simple Mills Brownie Mix
- 2 large eggs or ⅓ cup plain dairy free yogurt
- 6 tablespoon butter or ⅓ cup minus 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 3 tablespoon water
For Decoration
- 2-3 chocolate bars melted
- gluten free cornflakes or almond slices
- powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit
Instructions
- Prepare the pan. Preheat oven to 325F or according to the instructions on your box mix & line an 8x8 brownie pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the brownie mix. Follow the instructions on the box for preparing the brownies. If you're using the suggested mix from Simple Mills and would like to substitute the eggs & butter, you may use ⅓ cup of plain dairy free yogurt and about 2 tablespoon less than ⅓ cup of avocado oil (see notes in post for more detail)
- Bake. Bake the brownies according to package instructions, about 25-30 minutes. When the brownies have finished baking, allow them to cool to room temperature before attempting to mold them into pine cone shapes.
- Shape the brownie pinecone. Break up the baked brownies into a large bowl. Using your hands, shape them gently into pinecone shapes so the bottoms are large and the taper into almost a point at the top and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Be sure there are no burnt bits or crisp edge pieces in the pinecones as you won't be able to stick the almonds or cornflakes into them very well.
- Add the almonds or cornflakes. Gently push sliced almonds or cornflakes into the sides of the brownie pinecone in rows from bottom to top.
- Melt the chocolate. Using a double boiler or simply using the microwave, melt the chocolate. Drizzle the chocolate mixture over top of the pine cones until they are completely covered in chocolate.
- Let the chocolate set & decorate. Place the brownies in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set for about 30 minutes or until chocolate is completely set. Dust with powdered sugar & enjoy!
Notes
Expert Tips & Tricks
- I found Simple Mills gluten free brownie mix to be the best option and preparing it using dairy free yogurt & avocado oil instead of eggs & butter made the brownies a little bit easier to work with. They're a bit softer so they mold into the pinecone shape easier and it's also a bit easier to push the sliced almonds or cornflakes into the sides.
- If you follow the above method, opt for a bit less oil than recommended. I used ⅓ cup the first time I tested per the box instructions and I found that while the texture was super fudgy and delicious, the brownies were a bit oily. I'd recommend using about 2 tablespoon less than ⅓ cup.
- If the brownies are a bit crumbly when you're trying to shape them into pine cone shapes, I found that if you add a smidge of oil it helps them stick together better. The only time I ran into this issue was when I prepared the mix with butter & egg. You can also shape them and stick them in the fridge for a few minutes to ensure they hold their shape, just don't put them in there for too long or it will be too difficult to add the cornflakes or almonds. Ideally you want the brownies to be at room temperature for best results.
- Melt some peanut butter in the microwave & drizzle it over the brownies before adding melted chocolate for the most delicious chocolate peanut butter option!
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