I’ve now created four types of brownies: sweet potato brownies, raw brownies, glazed beet chili brownies and—drum roll—these black bean brownies. The same friends have tried all versions and they loved these the best, so I hope you do, too! They’re gooier than the others and the raisins give each bite a juicy plumpness. I know that beans might sound like a weird ingredient, but that’s what makes the texture so great. (Don’t worry, you can’t taste them!) There’s a fifth brownie recipe in this chapter, too, but I won’t spoil it for you . . . read on to find it!
Makes 12
2 tablespoons chia seeds
one 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups almond-meal
generous 3/4 cup Apple Purée
generous 3/4 cup plant-based milk (I use almond milk here)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
7–8 tablespoons raw cacao powder (use more depending on how chocolaty you like it)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons raisins
Soak the chia seeds in a generous 1/2 cup of water for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (convection 325°F).
Place all the ingredients—except the raisins—into a food processer and blend until smooth. Stir in the raisins until evenly mixed in.
Line a baking dish (mine was 12 x 8 x 2 inches) with parchment paper, then pour the brownie batter in and spread it out.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out almost clean. Let the brownies cool for about 45 minutes in the baking dish; this is really important as they continue setting during this time. Cut into 12 brownies.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Kitchen Know-How
It’s really important that you leave these to cool as that’s when they set; they’re not totally solid when they come out the oven, so please have patience!