Gluten-Free Brownie Sandwiches

Oh man, you are going to LOVE today’s Chocolate Monday treat! These Brownie Sandwiches may just go to the head of your list. We can never have too many brownie recipes, and sometimes we just “need” some chocolate! 

Instead of an ordinary brownie, I decided to go vertical with these, creating a double-decker dessert. The whipped cream helps lighten these, making them perfect after any meal. And adding a little chocolate to the whipping cream never hurt anyone, right?!

I ran into a challenge when I tried to remove these from the pan and that caused a big crack down the middle. Instead of slipping out easily I wound up with something I wasn’t expecting. OK, it was time to punt.

As I looked at the now broken slab of brownies, I suddenly was reminded of the ice cream sandwiches I grew up eating as a child. Instead of making a ganache or frosting, what if I created a filling and turned them into sandwiches instead? The perfect solution!

Isn’t it funny how something that seems to be a failure can turn into a delightful new idea! I never would have thought of creating brownie sandwiches when I looked at the original recipe, but now I can’t imagine this recipe being made any other way. If you want to get more servings out of this recipe, serve the brownies open-faced, without the second brownie on top. They will be easier to eat, less filling, and will serve more people. The brownie sandwiches are quite rich, so I doubt people will be disappointed at a slightly smaller serving.

I usually don’t get a chance to make my Chocolate Monday recipes until Sunday night and am often under pressure to get it made, plated, photographed, and written. If anything goes awry, it can get quite tense. Thank goodness The Artist can often help me work through the issues to create the treats you see. I will throw ideas around to see if it sounds tempting to him. If you like the recipes I create for you, chances are you can thank The Artist for many of them! 🙂

When you want a rich, chocolate dessert that is satisfying without being too filling, this is the treat for you. Full of chocolate flavor, sugary enough to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth, and messy enough to be perfect for a casual meal, I think these will be on my menu next weekend!

Have a wonderful Chocolate Monday!!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing from you!

Key Ingredients for Brownie Sandwiches:

• Butter, sugar, brown sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs
• GF flour blend or all-purpose flour, cocoa powder
• Baking powder, salt
• Heavy cream, powdered sugar

How to Make Your Own Whipped Cream?

Make sure the cream is very cold and use the whisk attachment for your mixer. In a heavy-duty mixer this will take just a few minutes – a hand mixer will take a bit longer. Get the whipping started before adding any other ingredients. Once it is foamy you can add sugar and vanilla or any other flavorings you want. Once they are incorporated, turn the speed up to high and whip until the beater leaves deep lines in the cream.

Stop the mixer and lift the beater to see how stiff the peaks are. You can always beat longer, but if you beat it too long it will turn to butter. It is always safer to stop a couple of times to check rather than let the mixer run too long. If it does get too thick just pour in a little more cream and beat it in.

PRO Tip:

These brownies are fragile, so handle them gently. If they crumble on you, turn this into a trifle. Get out a clear glass bowl and make alternating layers of the whipped cream and pieces of brownies. Your guests will never know it wasn’t intentional!!

How to make Brownie Sandwiches:

1. Mix together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla; slowly add the eggs, beating until smooth
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients and gradually add half of them to the egg mixture, beating until smooth then fold in the second half until completely incorporated
3. Pour batter into a buttered and parchment-lined 9×13-inch baking pan; bake at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs; cool completely
4. Whip the cream until foamy then slowly add the sugar; when whipped to stiff peaks, whisk in the cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt
5. Cut brownies into 16 pieces, top half with a large dollop of the cream, add a second slice of brownie and top with another small dollop of the cream
6. Decorate if desired and serve immediately

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Saucepan
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Large flexible spatula
• Offset spatula
• Cooling rack
• Large sharp knife

Gluten-Free Tips:

Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to make the batter. It is easier and you do not have to worry about developing gluten by over-beating it! By using an all-purpose style of gluten free flour blend, you don’t have to worry about adding anything extra. I like either my homemade blend or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 or King Arthur Measure for Measure.

Continue to Content

Yield: about 8 sandwiches or 16 open-faced treats

Gluten-Free Brownie Sandwiches

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When you want a rich, chocolate dessert that is satisfying without being too filling, these Brownie Sandwiches are the treat for you. Full of chocolate flavor, sugary enough to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth, and messy enough to be perfect for a casual meal. This recipe makes a lot of cream, so be generous in the filling and topping and if people want more, you will have it to offer. The cream also makes a wonderful topping for coffee, hot chocolate, or chocolate chip pancakes and waffles!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Brownies

• 1-1/2 sticks (170g) butter, melted and cooled a bit
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour - OR - 1 cup GF flour blend plus
• 1/3 cup almond meal (or use all GF flour blend)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (gluten-free if needed)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Chocolate Whipped Cream Filling

• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar (to your taste)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• Pinch of salt

Garnish

• Chocolate jimmies, grated chocolate, or other decoration

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper long enough that it overlaps on two ends (creating a “sling with handles”) and butter well. Set aside.
2. Make the Brownies: In the bowl of your standing mixer, whisk together the melted and cooled butter, sugar, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. You can also use a hand held mixer if you prefer. When the ingredients are blended, slowly add the beaten eggs so you temper (warm) them a little at a time and don’t wind up with scrambled eggs. Beat until completely smooth.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, almond flour (or more flour blend), cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until all ingredients are blended. Beat half the dry ingredients into the wet until combined. Fold in the second half with a flexible silicone spatula.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. This is a heavy batter and will take a little nudging with an offset spatula to get it into the corners. Try to get as even a layer as possible. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with few moist crumbs. (Note: in my oven, it took 27 minutes for the gluten-free version to be fully baked.) Remove from the oven and place the pan onto a wire cooling rack; let cool completely.
5. While the brownies are cooling, chill the bowl of your standing mixer in the refrigerator.
6. Make the Filling: Place the cream in the chilled bowl and beat on medium until foamy. Turn off the mixer, add half the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. With the mixer on low, slowly beat until the sugar is incorporated. Turn the mixer off, add the remaining sugar, and beat, starting on low and working up to high speed, until you have stiff peaks. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt and beat until there are no streaks remaining.
7. Assemble the Sandwiches: Remove the cooled brownies from the pan by lifting the paper sling and place it on a cutting board. Carefully invert the brownies onto the cutting board and peel off the parchment. Cut into 16 pieces. Place half onto each plate, top with a large dollop of the chocolate whipped cream, place a second brownie on top of the filling and press down gently. Add a small dollop of the cream to the top of the sandwich. Sprinkle the top with chocolate jimmies, chocolate shavings or other garnishes if desired. Serve immediately with forks for eating (don’t try to eat them by hand because the cream will squish out).
8. Make Ahead: You can bake, cool and cut the brownies, and then store them, individually wrapped, in the refrigerator. Do not fill them with the whipped cream until just before serving. You can make the brownies a day ahead and the cream can be whipped an hour ahead. Store the cream in the refrigerator and re-beat with a whisk before serving if needed to lighten it up again.
9. Recipe Source: The Heritage Cook

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 590Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 127mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 4gSugar: 17gProtein: 13g

 

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Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This page may contain affiliate links. This post was first shared in April 2016. The article was updated in 2021.