Brookie Pie – Gluten-free
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This Brookie Pie is made with a chewy, gooey almond cookie layer and baked with a fudgy brownie layer on top.
The almond cookie layer is made from whole almonds with skins intact you can use salted or unsalted whole almonds or a mix of these two.
The cookie layer is chewy and gooey and is one of my all-time favorite Norwegian cookie dough recipes, known as kranskekake, normally baked into cookie rings.
For the almond cookie dough layer, I prefer using whole almonds with the skins intact, It tastes so much better and gives a nice texture to the cookie crust.
The fudge brownie layer is made with both unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate and has a fudgy interior and a shiny, glossy crackle top after it is baked. It is a perfect combination together with the chewy almond cookie layer.
This Brookie Pie is quite rich; I like to chop it into bite-sized pieces, place it in a zip lock bag, place it in the freezer, and save it for a special occasion or enjoy a small piece with my coffee.
I hope you like it as much as I do.
Before you start
It’s very important to read through the entire recipe before starting and read the *notes below.
That’s the best way to avoid mistakes and make sure you have everything you need.
For all the step-by-step, pictures scroll to → Notes and click on the clickable link.
For questions related to my recipes, ask me in my inbox on Instagram @passionforbaking to reply to you with an audio message.
*Note
→For the almond cookie dough layer, I prefer using whole almonds with the skins intact, It tastes so much better and gives a nice texture to the cookie crust. You can also use store-bought natural almond flour. I can recommend the brand Bob´s Red Mill use the one that is called Super-fine Natural almond flour from whole almonds.
→For the brownie layer, use a good quality unsweetened cocoa powder and a good quality dark chocolate. If you are going to use grocery store cocoa powder/chocolate. Your brownie might not be as dark and fudgy as mine. I use Valrhona 66%
Almond Cookie Crust
- 250 gram whole almonds with skins intact or super-fine natural almond flour made from whole almonds with skins intact *note
- 250 gram powdered sugar/confectioner`s sugar, sifted
- 65 gram egg whites ( about 2 large egg whites)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, optional
Brownie
- 100 gram salted or unsalted butter, diced
- 150 gram best quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped or callets 66 %
- 2 large eggs, straight from the fridge
- 165 gram white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract ( optional)
- 50-gram white rice flour + 1 tablespoon cornstarch or 60-gram almond flour or hazelnut flour or 60-gram all-purpose flour ( for non-gluten-free version)
- 1-2 tablespoon best-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder ( optional)
- Pinch of fine sea salt, omit if using salted butter
Almond Cookie Crust
- Preheat the oven to 175C°/350F °
- Grease the bottom and sides of one 23 cm (9-inch) baking pan, Cut out a circle of parchment paper and place it on the bottom of the springform. Add a tablespoon of white rice flour ( or all-purpose flour for non-gluten-free version) and tap it around the inside ( the side) of the pan until all the buttered surface is covered, then turn the springform upside down over a sink and tap out the excess rice flour (or flour)
- Use a nut grater for the almond cookie dough to make 250 gram finely ground almonds flour from whole almonds with the skins intact.
- If you don’t have a nut grater and need to use your food processor, do not over-grind, or it will knock out the oil from the almonds. If using storebought almond flour skip this step.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, add the 250-gram super-fine natural almond flour and 250-gram powdered sugar, mix at low speed until you see everything is blended well. About 1 minute.
- Add 65-gram egg whites and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, mix on medium speed for 3 minutes until everything is well combined and forms a dough.
- Stop the mixer, scrape the side and bottom and scrape everything off the paddle attachment.
- Then attach the paddle attachment again and mix for 3 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
- Scrape the dough ( It´s a stiff cookie dough) out of the bowl. Sprinkle your kitchen counter with some extra powdered sugar and work the dough until it forms a nonstick cookie dough.
- You can prepare the almond cookie dough 3 days in advance, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble and bake together with the brownie batter.
- For the Brookie Pie – Gluten-free, Place the almond cookie dough into the prepared springform, and press it down firmly on the bottom and up 2,5 cm (1 inch) on the side of a 24 cm (9-inch) springform pan. I like to use my spatula to help pack the cookie crust down and on the side.
- Refrigerate while you make the brownie batter.
Directions for the brownie layer
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 50-gram white rice flour + 1 tablespoon cornstarch ( or 60-gram all-purpose flour for the non-glutenfree version), 1 to 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon espresso powder set aside for now. If not using salted butter, add a pinch of fine sea salt.
- In a small saucepan, melt 100 gram salted or unsalted butter over low-medium heat. As soon as the butter is melted, increase to medium heat and let it simmer, stirring with a spatula, the butter will first hiss and pops. Just continue stirring until the butter has a beautiful golden yellow color and is silent.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the 150-gram dark chocolate. With your spatula, slowly stir until the butter and chocolate are combined. Set aside for now.
- Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, Add the cold 2 eggs.
- Whip on low-medium speed for 3 minutes, then slowly add the 165-gram sugar. I add a tablespoon at a time.
- Continue to whip on medium speed until thick and fluffy, about 8 minutes.
- Reduce to the mixer to low speed and slowly/carefully pour in the warm chocolate butter. Mix on low just until combined.
- Stop the mixer. Remove the bowl and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- In two additions, sift in the flour/cocoa mixture with a spatula carefully combine.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl again with a rubber spatula to make sure the batter is well mixed from the bottom up. ( don't overwork the batter at this stage, fold the cocoa/flour until just combined)
- Pour on top of the almond cookie layer, bake in the center of the oven until the top of the brownie is glossy and just barely firm, about →15 to 17 minutes. Mine took 17 minutes It gives a perfect fudge brownie and the cookie layer is gooey and chewy and tastes a bit like raw cookie dough.
- Cool to room temperature.
- Then refrigerator until firm and cold. (about 3 hours) preferably overnight. The brookie pie is best served cold and cut into bite-sized pieces to enjoy a little piece with your coffee.
- Before serving, remove the brookie from the fridge, remove the parchment paper underneath, and cut small slices. For neat slices, wipe your sharp knife clean between each cut.
- Store leftover in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- Leftover brookie pie can be chopped into bite-sized pieces and frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
For step by step pictures of how to make the
→Brookie Pie – Gluten-free
Click → here
