What if I told you these decadent brownies were made from black beans? What if I went one step further and said they have no refined sugar! Yes, brownies that are sinful, yet good for you! I am obsessed.
I first was inspired to make black bean brownies by Minimalist Baker. Her Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies recipe is fantastic, and I’ve made it several times using her precise instructions. I decided to adapt the recipe and use no refined sugar. Instead of cane sugar, which the recipe calls for I used a combination of coconut sugar and maple syrup.
I also added a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the batter. This brings out the richness of the chocolate and gives it a bolder flavor. If you are caffeine sensitive, feel free to omit this step. Finally, I added a splash of almond milk to the batter and made sure to cook the brownies until they were just shy of done.
Like the original recipe, I like to cook these in muffin tins. It ensures each brownie is evenly cooked and helps it stay together.
Vegan and Gluten Free
The recipe calls for flax as a binding agent instead of egg. I have tested the recipe with actual egg before and it does not work. The egg binds it way too much and it becomes a bit dry. I would recommend sticking with flax egg.
Now while this recipe was made with wholesome ingredients that are good for you, I still would advise you to eat them in moderation. There still is a decent amount of sugar and oil, which, if consumed in excess can carry a caloric punch. But I will say it is hard to stop at one with these!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.
Fudgy Vegan Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained thoroughly
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp high quality maple syrup
- 3/4 cup good quality cocoa powder (dark cacao in mine)
- 1 tsp instant espresso or coffee powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Optional add ins
- Dark Chocolate Chips
- Walnuts
- Grated Unsweetened Coconut
- 3 tbsp coconut oil warmed up
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 12 count muffin pan. (I used coconut oil)
- Prepare the flax egg by combining 2 tbsp ground flax with 6 tbsp water. Allow this to rest and thicken for at least 10 minutes. (You can do this in the food processor itself to save time)
- Once black beans are thoroughly drained, add them to the food processor.
- Add the cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla extract, sea salt, coconut sugar and maple syrup. Warm the coconut oil for a few seconds before adding to the food processor.
- Pulse to combine. You may need to stop to stir and make sure everything is combined.
- Add 1 tbsp water or unsweetened vanilla almond milk to ensure the batter is smooth. It should be slightly firmer than the consistency of cake batter, but not too firm.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin pan. Add just a few pieces of optional toppings on top of each cup. I added walnuts and dark chocolate chips. I pushed some of them in so that I could enjoy a piece in each cup.
- Bake for 24-28 minutes. I checked the muffins at around 25 minutes and poked with a fork. If the fork comes out fully wet, leave it in for another few minutes. Remove the muffins just shy of fully dry.
