These brownies have secrets! I baked them, passed them out to my family, my neighbors and my friends to see what they thought. I didn’t say anything, just asked for their honest opinions and this is what I got… “they are so RICH,” “beyond decadent,” “Amazing,” “Great, can I have another one?” (he is 9) and on and on. Not a bad review in the bunch. No one guessed that they were gluten free and from a King Arthur Flour mix.
Yep, two things I rarely play with are gluten-free desserts and mixes. The reason for this tasty little experiment has to do with a young boy I met in upstate NY when I was teaching classes at the Battenkill Kitchen. He suggested that I make them and I couldn’t refuse. I added some dark chocolate ganache, blackberries and possibly the best Mint Leaf Ice Cream I’ve ever had. Gluten-free or not this is one fabulous dessert!
If you want to make brownies from scratch, here’s my brownies recipe.
I’ll start with my ice cream which actually tastes like fresh mint, because that is exactly what it is made with. No hyped up extracts that resemble Trident Spearmint Gum, just natural, summery mint.
Brownies with Ganache + Mint Ice Cream
To make the Mint Ice Cream:
I used a Mortar & Pestle to muddle (mash) the mint. You want to release the oils and essence of the leaves, so they will flavor your ice cream base. *this lovely mortar and pestle was designed by my friend Suvir Saran.
Mash the mint in a couple of small batches to make sure all the leaves are broken up.
Add the mint to the cooled down ice cream base and refrigerate overnight. I prefer to add it when the base is cold so that the mint doesn’t have a cooked leaf flavor.
Once you are ready to churn the ice cream you want to strain the mint leaves out. I used Chinois Strainer
How I came to bake King Arthur Flour’s Gluten-Free Brownies…
Last month I was invited to teach classes for the non-profit organization Battenkill Kitchen, which supports local farmers and educates children about the importance of great food. It was a community event and King Arthur Flour (just a few towns over in VT) donated the flour, baking stones and pizza peels for the classes. We went to pick up all the donated goods from Mike, the GM of flour at King Arthur. As we were loading up our 50 pound bags Mike’s son arrived with a tower of boxes in his hands. He presented them to me and said “you have to try these, they are REALLY good!” By the look on his father’s face I could tell his son had come to this plan all on his own and Mike couldn’t have been prouder. I had to explain to the young lad about the airline’s cruel weight limit and that I wouldn’t be able to get that tower of boxes in my suitcase. He said he’d get his dad to ship them to me and that is exactly what he did.
He sent me their entire line of KAF Gluten-Free products to try, so far I’ve only had a chance to make the brownies. Based on that mix alone, my sons are eager for me to try them all. There are also flours and other ingredients to create the breads from our GF chapter in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The recipe for our Gluten-Free Crusty Boule is a perfect match for the new line of KAF flours, give it a try!
One bowl, a couple of eggs, butter and water is all you need to get the job done. I used an 8″ non-stick cake pan to bake them in.
After they were cooled off I made the ganache. Heat the cream and salt in a medium sized sauce pan to just barely a simmer, turn off the heat and dump in all the chocolate and the butter, swirl the pan so the chocolate is all submerged in the cream, allow it to sit for about 3 minutes then gently whisk the ganache until smooth. Pour the ganache over the brownies and spread it smooth. Allow it to set up. If you refrigerate the brownies they are easier to get out of the pan in nice shape. You can eat them cold or let them warm up to room temperature.
Add a big scoop of the mint ice cream and some berries.
Ingredients
- 1 box King Arthur Gluten-Free Fudge Brownie Mix
Ganache
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
- 6 oz heavy cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter cold
- pinch salt
Mint Ice Cream
- 1 cup mint leaves
- 1 batch Ice Cream Base
Instructions
- Prepare your brownies and your ice cream base. Chill both.
Mint Ice Cream
- Mash the mint in a couple of small batches to make sure all the leaves are broken up. I used a mortar and pestle for this.
- Add the mint to the cooled down ice cream base and refrigerate overnight. I prefer to add it when the base is cold so that the mint doesn't have a cooked leaf flavor.
- Once you are ready to churn the ice cream you want to strain the mint leaves out. I used Chinois Strainer so that the ice cream would be free of leaves, but any fine mesh sieve will do the trick. Freeze according to your Ice Cream Maker's directions.
Ganache
- Heat the cream and salt in a medium sized sauce pan to just barely a simmer, turn off the heat and dump in all the chocolate and the butter, swirl the pan so the chocolate is all submerged in the cream, allow it to sit for about 3 minutes then gently whisk the ganache until smooth. Pour the ganache over the brownies and spread it smooth. Allow it to set up. If you refrigerate the brownies they are easier to get out of the pan in nice shape. You can eat them cold or let them warm up to room temperature.
Wow, I just love all of the pictures, and your guiding tips! I would love to reach through my computer screen and grab one of these brownies! The topping looks sooo rich! Would go great with my cup of coffee!
MMmmmmm……I love brownies!
Your brownies/ice cream look fabulous! I am absolutely going to try the ice cream. It sounds wonderful.
Chocolate and mint is one of my most favorite dessert combination. These look heavenly.
They look yummy. I would be willing to “try” them.
Hmmmm, I’m very skeptical of boxed mixes. I find they have an after taste that’s less than pleasing. It would be impressive if they are as good as you say as baking gluten free can be expensive by the time you purchase all the specialty items.
Hi Maria,
No one that I gave them to detected any aftertaste and they were unaware that they were from a box. You may have a greater sensitivity to certain flavors, but the general consensus I got was great. I agree with you about the mixes, but that is also because I get such pleasure from baking from scratch. These are easy and good for someone in a real hurry!
Thanks, Zoe
Brownies aren’t something I usually make, not because no one likes them. However, the ganache layer and ice cream well,……….. I just may have to try that!
I’ve never had any gluten free baked goods. Must say I’m skeptical!
oh those are soooooooooooo tempting!!!!
I work with a woman who has many health problems and now found out she can’t eat gluten. I would love to make these for her.
I think that King Arthur should replace its brownie picture on the new package with the one that you took with the mint ice cream. It looks delicious!
I haven’t wanted to make brownies recently as my kids are gone and I know that I would eat all the brownies myself!
Hope I can find this new product at my grocers here in Louisville.
They look terrific. I can almost taste them from the pic.
I would love to try these brownies!!
Your photos are beautiful!
I’m not gluten free, but I am wheat free so I rely on a lot of GF products. I’ve still never tried a GF cake mix though. 🙂
I’m working up to going GF to see if it makes me feel better. Delicious brownies sound like a good place to start!
My mum is wheat intolerant, and we don’t tend to have a squillion different gluten-free flours in the house, so I’d love to try these mixes!
I have a gluten free friend coming to visit. I would love
to win!
I’ve been a huge fan of KAF for years but have not seen any of the gluten free products in my local stores. I’d love to try it as my in-laws follow a gluten free diet and I’d like to make a treat for them that they can enjoy at our next family gathering!
I’m going to make this for my hubby’s b-day tomorrow. I don’t have an ice cream maker so I will cheat and buy mint ice cream but I am looking forward to making the Ganache topping. 🙂
I really need to buy some of the new gluten-free items from KAF. I just found out that someone new at work can’t eat wheat, and I’d love to make these brownies for him. =)
I love King Arthur Flour products and would be more than happy to try this mix!!
These brownies look amazing. I love King Arthur products and would love to try the brownie mix!
They look great. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
I just started eating gluten free and have been craving brownies SO much!