Gluten Free Brownie Tart with Dark Chocolate Glaze and Whipped Coconut Cream

Holy chocolate. I’ve been making this giant fudge-y brownie, from Jacques Pepin’s Fast Food my Way, for over a year now, and with good reason. It’s gluten free, although I’m not so sure it was designed with nutrition in mind. For a recipe authored by a Frenchman, it’s unexpectedly simple, quick, and easy. It also falls into one of the few flavor categories of desserts that my fiance will consume. On the no-no list: berries, cherries, apple pies or tarts, caramel, and marshmallows. I know (love you honey).

I suppose it works out, since I can protect my dessert from intruders by ordering or making, say, rocky road blondies or dulce de leche cheesecake.

Most of the time, though, it’s more fulfilling to share, especially when it’s something you made. While this recipe was originally found in a fancy-sounding Frenchie’s cookbook, I encourage you to make (and share) it, whenever you need something sweet. Most of the ingredients are commonplace. If you don’t keep a decent quality bittersweet, semisweet, and unsweetened chocolate in your baking pantry, I’d encourage you to start. It’ll open up whole new worlds of desserts at the drop of a hat. But mostly lots of brownies. Whenever I see the 4 or 8 ounce bars, oftentimes Ghirardelli, on sale at whatever grocery store I’m at, I just grab a bunch. Target’s also a good bet. (The Amazon prices I linked to are decent, if you can’t find good chocolate in a store near you.)

Being so close to Valentine’s Day, I took some liberties and decked this brownie out. It’s not as if all that sweet chocolatey-ness needs anything, but I read half of the Icings chapter in Joy of Cooking (yes, kind of for fun), and I learned that a bittersweet or dark chocolate icing can be a nice contrast with a super sweet chocolate dessert. Kind of obvious when you think about it, but I guess I just hadn’t. Then, for whatever reason, I felt possessed, amidst all the richness, to go all healthy with the whipped cream. Does it really matter when I have a cup of sugar in the brownies and almost a pound of chocolate in the finished product? Maybe not, but I’m actually more likely to have coconut milk on hand than heavy whipping cream, seeing as it’s stored in the pantry. Despite cooking my way through the gratins in one of my new cookbooks, I’m trying to limit my dairy intake at other times. I used to be more all-or-nothing when it came to healthy eating, and if I was having this much sugar and chocolate, I would have just taken the junk food hit and gone all the way with the whipped cream. Not as much lately, as I shift to the mindset that every little step does count. If that’s almost a quarter cup of animal products that I can exchange for coconut cream, then by golly, I’m goin’ for it.

As long as you’re making conscious choices, though, I’ll by no means judge you for going with “real” whipped cream. Or even fake whipped cream. Or–ICE CREAM. Genius. Or coconut milk ice cream, which I paid dearly for the other day at Whole Foods but is turning out to be pretty tasty. The brand is Luna & Larry’s, and I’d buy it again.

Jacques’ original brownie recipe calls for hazelnuts. I’ve made that variation, and it’s quite good, but those things are expensive. So unless you live in hazelnut country (the pacific northwest, where I consumed many of them once upon a vacation), I suggest going with walnuts, or even branching out to something you have, like pecans, macadamias, or shelled pistachios. Oh, pistachios, why did I not think of that until now? Yum.

Valentine’s is a weird time. It’s like I want to get into the theme and offer up some ideas, but I don’t want you to read this post with burning resentment if you’re single. Do you have a parent? A sibling? Some amazing besties (yes, just used that word)? Cool coworkers (lucky you)? Okay then, share this brownie with them! Really, I’m so happy to be at such a feel good place in my life with a fiance who has planned Valentine’s Day for me already, and maybe it’s all the yoga talk, but I think everyone deserves some happiness and good people in their life and brownies most of the year. Chances are, there is something, or more specifically someone in your life that you’re grateful for, even if it’s a small bit in an otherwise stressful or difficult time. I know it’s easier said than done, but my life has not always been as peachy as it is right now, and I think in those times it would have served me well to look for the good (definitely not often what I did) and make brownies. Try it!

Note: this page may contain affiliate links. It does NOT contain sponsored content. Affiliate links (to products I recommend, on Amazon) offset my food and website maintenance costs, so I can keep bringing you chocolatey recipes like this one. Thanks!