Snow always has me craving hot cocoa. There's just a cozy feeling you get when you're sitting inside, under a toasty blanket, and sipping a warm beverage while white cascades from the sky. And if there's also a sweet smell wafting from the oven, even better!

Recently, I have been on a major blondie kick. At first, I felt determined to make hot cocoa blondies. Why?!? It's a bit of an oxymoron...the more cocoa powder you use....the more they become...kind of like...you know...brownies.

Don't get me wrong- I baked some hot cocoa blondies. For sure. And they were pretty good, but hot cocoa just seems to mesh so much better with brownies. So, I caved. Plus, who doesn't like a new brownie recipe? This one is sans butter, black beans, or avocado.

So, these bad boys may not have heart-healthy avocado, but they are filled with applesauce and sweetened with a only a little brown sugar and maple syrup. Then, I added some mini marshmallows, which melt while baking and leave these slightly gooey patches. Plus, the sugar from the hot cocoa mix sprinkled on top gives just the tiniest bit of a sweet crunch. SO good!

I strongly considered adding a few packets of hot cocoa mix to the batter...but then I looked at the ingredients....and...I just couldn't! I try very hard to keep items like corn syrup and white sugar out of my desserts. Adding them right back felt wrong. Or maybe I need to find better packets of hot cocoa mix! But, they are brownies and dessert is meant to be a little fun, right?!? So, I added one packet to the batter and one packet was sprinkled on top just before baking. Balance.

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Ingredients in Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Brownies

• Hot Cocoa Mix (with mini marshmallows)
• Applesauce
• Brown Sugar
• Coconut Oil
• Maple Syrup
• Vanilla
• Cream or Milk
• Cold Coffee
• Eggs
• Cocoa Powder
• Baking Powder
• Gluten Free Flour Blend

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Gluten Free Brownies

In the gluten free world, I find brownies are much easier to create than other baked goods. Good recipes call for a lot less flour than typical cake and cookie recipes. Plus, I prefer a brownie that is just a bit gooey...which is easier to achieve with gluten free flour.

Better than a box mix, these brownies are fudgy and chewy. The best of both worlds! The first ingredient on most boxes is sugar. Nope. Not here. We get to choose the ingredients!

And, I used a larger pan and went with a thinner brownie, but you can easily create thicker brownies with a smaller pan. (baking time will need to be slightly adjusted)

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