Tiger Nut Flour Brownies (grain-free, paleo, gluten-free)

I first encountered tiger nut flour at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe, where the person working the cash register told me that one of the bakers loves it for gluten-free baking. I hadn't heard of the ingredient before (it is apparently some kind of tuber) and it took me a while to find a compelling recipe for the flour. Some of the pictures I saw looked similar to my early almond flour experiments - flat and dry. Some recipes I saw seemed better, and they all had tapioca flour. Once I restocked my tapioca flour, I gave these ago.

These were a bit rubbery but I feel like the 25 minutes in the recipe I adapted was far too long. I took them out at 20 but probably should have checked at 15.... so I am not certain if that's the only issue or if it's the flours. Also either the tiger nut or the tapioca wasn't completely finely ground, so the brownies had a bit of an unexpected crunch. The batter was gorgeous - glossy and thick. The brownies themselves were definitely passable for people who rarely have brownies!

Tiger Nut Flour Brownies
(adapted from A Calculated Whisk)

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick or 8 tablespoons)*
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup tiger nut flour
• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine the butter, coconut sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium saucepan over very low heat. Stir frequently until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to the touch. Remove the pan from the heat and cool until warm, at least 15 minutes. The mixture will appear gritty.
3. Stir in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring thoroughly after each one. The batter should be glossy and smooth. Add the tiger nut and tapioca flours and stir vigorously again until no floury bits remain.
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for about 20(?) minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs but not covered in goo. Cool completely in the pan, then remove the brownies by lifting up the parchment, transfer them to a cutting board, slice, and serve. Store leftover brownies in the refrigerator for up to four days.

*I didn't have quite enough butter so I used 2 tbsp coconut oil and 6 tbsp butter.