Black Bean Brownies

In all honesty, we were kind of like… really? when first hearing about black bean baked goods. Don’t get us wrong (I doubt you would by now), we LOVE beans and lentils. They’re the best. But we also love our baked goods. Cakes, cookies, buns… you know, the whole spectrum. And around here, we tend to lean towards the attitude of “if you’re going to bake buns, bake buns. Not a ‘health-ified’ bun that no one will really enjoy anyway”. I think you get my point. But we also happen to know that from a sports nutrition point of view, having an evening snack with a touch of protein is beneficial. And one simply can’t have too much of all the good stuff in legumes. Enter black bean-based baked goods.

This is – truly – one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had. I like regular brownies just as much as anyone, but I wouldn’t put them at the top of my sweets list. I think they can send you into sugar coma quite easily, and they’ll often fill you up in a not-so-comfortable kind of way (still, they’re amazing). These, on the other hand, I could eat a whole pan of in one sitting and not feel too bothered by it (well…). On top, they come together in a jiffy and won’t even mess up your kitchen all that badly. I think that should mark the end of this short ode to black bean brownies – they’re SO delicious, they’re (sort of) good for you and they’ll (for sure) fuel your next outdoor adventure in great style. Go make! (And then serve them to your friends, without telling them the secret ingredient beforehand.)

För recept på svenska, klicka här: Brownies på svarta bönor

Makes 15 squares

2 flax eggs (see step 1)
350 g (4 1/2 dl) cooked black beans, rinsed
3 tbsp cocoa powder
80 g (2 dl) rolled oats
3 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
135 g sugar (1 1/2 dl)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
75 g dark chocolate, chopped

1. Stir together 2 tbsp ground flax seeds/flax seed meal and 5 tbsp water. Let sit for 5 min. Meanwhile, grease an ovenproof dish, roughly 20×30 cm (the brownies will be thin if any bigger), and set the oven to 175ºC.
2. In a food processor, place beans, cocoa powder, oats, coconut oil, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in the flax seed mixture (which should have thickened by now). Blend until smooth. Allow for at least a few minutes – you want the batter as silky as possible. Stir in the chocolate, and then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the middle of the oven for 18 min. Let cool completely before cutting. Store in the fridge for up to a week, or freezer for up to a few months.

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