Today I hosted my book club’s quarterly non-fiction discussion. Since we usually do a potluck style gathering, I thought I would try this cool recipe for black bean brownies that I came across through findingvegan.com.
Everyone raved about how good they were, and then I confessed that not only were they vegan, gluten and soy free, they are also primarily made out of black beans!
almond butter swirl brownies (vegan)
(adapted from minimalist baker)
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, well rinsed and drained
- 2 chia eggs (2 Tbsp chia seeds + 6 Tbsp water)
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave (I used agave)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup Justin’s Maple Almond butter
- 1/3 cup dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips + more for topping
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease a 12-slot standard size muffin pan (I use Spectrum Coconut Oil spray)
- Prepare the “chia eggs” by mixing the chia seeds and water in a bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add “chia eggs” and all other ingredients up to and including the baking soda to a food processor or blender (I used a Vitamix) and pulse until smooth and well mixed. The mixture should be roughly the consistency of chocolate frosting when done. Add a Tbsp or two of water and pulse if it seems too thick. It should not be runny, so don’t add too much!
- Add the chocolate chips and stir.
- Transfer mixture to muffin tin, smoothing the tops with a spoon or your finger.
- Add even amounts of the almond butter to each muffin tin, and swirl with a toothpick or knife. You can substitute peanut butter or normal almond butter, if it’s not sweetened already, blend in 2 Tbsp of powdered sugar before adding to muffin tin.
- Bake for 20-26 minutes. The top of each brownie should be dry and the edges should start to pull away. No jiggle, but don’t over cook.
- Remove and let cool for 20-30 minutes before removing from muffin tins.
Enjoy!