Cinnamon Almond Flour Brownies

This past Thursday night, I was able to sneak away to the kitchen for quiet time to myself.  Amongst the normal nightly routines of bath time, laundry folding, paying bills, answering work emails, etc, etc - this was quite the luxury for me.  There just never seem to be enough hours in the day.  And these little "me" times are few and far between.

So while I pitter-pattered in the kitchen, I let my mind wander.  And where did it wander?  Well, to chocolate of course!  I have been craving brownies for about a month now.  But with this grain free and dairy free diet, a good brownie just has always seemed unattainable.  But that Thursday night, for whatever reason, I was extra determined to make it happen.

And I did make it happen.

Grain free and dairy free and delicious... this is like a baking unicorn in my world of dietary constraints.  I can not express to you the happiness that these little brown squares have brought to my life.  I finally have a good brownie dessert that is good enough even for those that are not forced to eat grain-free.  These brownies will now become a go-to dessert for special occasions or just the random Thursday that needs a little extra something to liven it up.

Cinnamon Almond Flour Brownies

3/4 cup almond flour

1/4 heaping tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

3/4 c sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the almond flour, salt, cocoa powder, cinnamon, allspice, and baking powder.   In a separate bowl, melt the chocolate chips with the butter.  You can do this in microwave or on the stove top.  It does not make a difference.

While the chocolate is melting, in a different bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla.  Once the chocolate is melted, slowly pour the chocolate into the egg/sugar mixture while whisking.  NOTE: Don't pour too fast or you risk cooking the eggs on contact.

Once the chocolate and wet ingredients are all mixed together, they are ready to be added to the dry ingredients.  Mix well so that everything is incorporated and there are no lumps in the batter.

Pour the batter into an 8x8 greased pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.  Let the brownies cool before cutting.

NOTE: The first night that the brownies came out of the oven, they had a cake-like consistency.  Good, but cake-like is not my favorite.  However, one night in the fridge and they transformed themselves into the fudge-like brownie that I truly crave. In fact, I may or may not have eaten 4 for breakfast that morning. Please don't judge me.