Wait! Don’t run away just yet…I know, I know…it sounds a tad odd, but remember the strawberry shortcake??? It looked lovely didn’t it?
I know beans don’t sound like the best thing to happen to brownies, but just think…brownies that are nutritious. There is no worry that you are doing damage by indulging. You won’t feel sick after, and if you are prone to food guilt…there isn’t any. Actually, if there IS any it’s all in your mind, because these are truly GOOD for you.
Black beans are packed with dietary fiber, folate, protein, and thiamine (Vitamin B1). They make the brownies dense, moist, and fudgey. Plus I just happen to be a big fan of black beans, so I had to try out a black bean brownie recipe for myself!
I admit it, because I knew what was in them they DID taste like beans to me. They tasted good, but I could tell. I didn’t tell others before they took a bite though, and no one guessed the secret ingredient.
I made these vegan as I wanted 2 of my friends to be able to enjoy them. Because of this they took a little longer to cook than originally expected. I am going to fiddle with the recipe a bit more, but I still wanted to get it out there as they got good reviews from everyone who tried them.
I even had one for part of my breakfast this week ;-)
Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients:
- 1 15 oz. Can Black Beans, Drained and rinsed
- 2 T Flax meal
- 6 T Water
- 1/2 Ripe Banana, mashed
- 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 3 T Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
- 3/4 C. Coconut Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 C. Cocoa Powder
- 1 T Habanero Powder
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a food processor of blender process the ingredients until smooth.
- Grease a square 8″x”8 baking pan with virgin coconut oil and pour batter into the pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes, test to see if it is done by inserting a sharp knife into the center. If it comes out clean, it is done…if not (like mine) bake longer. Ultimately mine took 50 minutes to bake.
- When cooled, you can cute these babies and remove them from the pan. They are quite fudgey though so be very careful how you store them. They sqoosh easily!
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Do they taste less beany if you leave them for more than 24 hours?
Not that I am aware of. It isn’t a bad flavor, sort of reminds me of how red bean cakes still taste like bean. I happen to like it, but it probably isn’t for everyone. The bean flavor from the cannellini beans in the shortcake is non-existent. I think black beans just have more of a bean flavor to begin with.
I have never heard of coconut sugar. How different is it?? say from date sugar??
Consistency wise it is very different. It is more like turbanado sugar in texture, and I believe it will completely dissolve. Think of it like maple sugar made from maple syrup. When it comes to the chemical breakdown Date sugar has approximately 40% sucrose, 30% glucose and 30% fructose. Dates have a high glycemic index, but for me I look at the other nutrients, and the fiber…and I see them as being a safe sweetener. Coconut sugar is a 35 on the glycemic index, and is very low in fructose so there is no scary issue with the liver (like with agave nectar). I have no problem using either of these as a sweetener. If I just want to eat something sweet I often pop a date with some almond butter on it into my mouth. The coconut sugar seems to be quite promising as a natural sweetener. I am not an “expert” though so you might want to do some of your own research. Ultimately I feel safe with dates because Dr. Fuhrman uses them in his recipes and does not seem to worry about them as they are whole, natural foods. His book, Eat to Live helped me tremendously as a nutrition go-to in the early days of my weight loss. I don’t make these dietary staples, but I definitely have at least a couple dates every day. I hope that helps!