I recently cut wheat out of my diet thinking it was causing Hugo to be gassy. Turns out, it was making me gassy. And sluggish. And crave even more wheat. Goodbye.
Hugo's now 9 months old and lovely Aunt Flo decided to come back yesterday. Definitely did not miss her. Having cramps with a baby is no easy task... As with all my periods I was craving chocolate, so I made a batch of peppermint black bean brownies.
Black bean brownies are nothing new. I've been seeing them on the internet for a few years now so I knew they existed, I've just never been interested in making them. But now that I'm cutting out wheat and trying to be healthier overall, black bean brownies suddenly seemed interesting.
Well, let me tell you how freaking amazing these peppermint black bean brownies were. They're soft, moist, fudgy, and surprisingly sweet considering the amount of maple syrup in there (only a teaspoon and a half per square). And so chocolatey! If I were given these without being told they were made from beans, I would've noticed they weren't the classic old fashioned brownies, but I would've never guessed they were made of beans.
These are super fudgy with no crunchy edges, so if you're into cakey brownies or the corner pieces of chewy brownies, these might not be for you. Or, you might just be turned off by the thought of putting beans in a dessert. If that's the case, maybe stick to these.
But really, don't knock 'em til you try 'em! They're easier and faster to make, they use maple syrup instead of sugar, and they're vegan as well as gluten-free. On top of all that, they're more filling than regular brownies because they're made of beans!
Just make them already.
Peppermint Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 250 g cooked black beans or 1 can of beans drained and rinsed well
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- ½ cup oats
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup neutral tasting oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 drops peppermint essential oil
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 340F/170C and line an 8x8 in square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Throw everything except the chocolate chips into a high powered blender or food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the mixture into the baking pan and smooth out with a spatula.
- Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Marina says
Can I swap the maple syrup for brown sugar?
Thanks
Ai says
Hi Marina! Hmm, I honestly haven't tried it so I can't say. I think it would be very difficult to purée the mixture in the blender, as the maple syrup is not only adding sweetness but also a wet (liquid) ingredient. Brown sugar isn't a liquid so the batter will probably be very thick. It would also affect the flavor if you used all brown sugar since it has a very prominent molasses flavor.