Fudgy, Black Bean Brownies
The other day we had a tapas picnic outside in the dome to commemorate the nearing departure of several volunteers. The girls cooked all throughout the morning- creating a full spread of empanadas, cuadrado balls, falafel, bean spreads, tabouli salad, and much more.
Of course, we couldn’t have all this savory goodness without something sweet to finish off the meal. There were a bunch of leftover black beans lying around, so I decided to make brownies out of them for a post-meal treat.
You may be familiar with the use of beans in dessert- but if not, don’t be afraid. You can’t even tell they’re in there! They make the recipe super moist and full of protein.
I am excited to say that these brownies are completely vegan, gluten-free, and low in sugar. Perfect for volunteers with special diets or health concerns. Everyone finished them off in a flash, regardless of their dietary preferences. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Ingredients:
- 2 tbs. chia seeds (soaked in 1/4 cup water about 30 minutes)
- 2 tbs. flax seeds (soaked in 1/4 cup water about 30 minutes)
- 2 cups cooked black beans
- 2 cups macadamia milk (recipe below)
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/4 cup cuadrado flour
- 1.5 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Combine first 4 ingredients in high-speed blender
- Blend until very smooth and set aside
- Whisk together remaining ingredients in separate bowl
- Fold wet ingredients into dry, mixing well
- Pour batter into greased baking sheet
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until batter begins to pull away from the side of the baking sheet
Cuadrado Flour
- Peel cuadrados and cut into long strips
- Place in dehydrator overnight, or until very crisp
- Remove and grind or blend into fine flour
dehydrated cuadrados
Macadamia Milk
- Place 1/2 cup macadamia nuts and 4 cups filtered water into blender
- Blend on high speed for about 60 seconds
- Strain the solids from the milk and store in sealed jar (leftover pulp can be used to make raw macadamia cheese!)
