Black Bean Brownies

These chocolate brownies have a fudgy texture but are not overly gooey.

They hold together nicely, they melt in your mouth and they are as decadent as a brownie should be. You can eat them with your fingers or with a scoop of ice cream using a fork.

Black Bean Brownies [Vegan]

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup 100% cacao powder (no additives or preservatives)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup granulated organic sugar cane or coconut sugar
• 100 grams 70% dark chocolate, divided in two parts * (see note)
• 1/3 cup 100% smooth cashew butter (or almond butter), no sugar added
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 1X400 gram jar/can cooked black beans, strained and rinsed well (1 cup strained beans)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup (130 grams) organic silken tofu

Preparation

1. In your small blender bowl, add the cacao powder, baking powder, vanilla powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar and process for a few seconds until powdery. Set this aside.
2. Break up half of the dark chocolate to make 50 grams or about 1/2 cup of chocolate broken into pieces. Transfer the pieces into a small microwaveable bowl. Add the cashew butter and almond milk to the chocolate. Microwave this on high for 15 seconds (not longer) then take it out and stir with fork. Repeat this three times until most has melted. After, stir the mixture with a fork in the hot bowl until completely melted. Melting the chocolate this way will prevent it from burning in the microwave (which doesn’t taste good!). Alternatively, you can use the double boiler method on the stove-top, but this takes more time. Set this aside on countertop.
3. In the bowl of your food processor, add the strained black beans and maple syrup and process until a thick paste with small chunks of beans forms.
4. Then add the silken tofu and process for a minute or so until well mixed and combined.
5. Add the melted chocolate/cashew butter mixture and process until completely combined.
6. Then add the powdered cacao mixture and process for a minute or so, until you obtain a creamy chocolatey mixture and the black beans are specks. You may have to stop your processor half way to scrape the sides of the bowl.
7. As an option for an extra chocolatey flavor, chop the remaining half of the dark chocolate (50 grams) into small chunks and scatter some of the chunks into the mixture. Lightly process for a few seconds just to mix them in.
8. Pour the chocolate mixture into the lined pan and spread evenly. Can sprinkle the top with a bit more of the dark chocolate chunks, if you want (option). Preserve any remaining chopped chocolate in a sealed container or jar in your fridge or freezer for future use.

Notes

* Note: It’s better to use a good quality dark chocolate.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/black-bean-brownies-vegan/