Two of my favorite bloggers, John and Dana, from Minimalist Baker created a phenomenal gluten-free and vegan black bean brownie with only a few ingredients (keyword why their blog is called Minimalist Baker). I’ve never made black bean brownies before so I figured I’d take on the challenge. Anything that can easily be made with my Vitamix and popped into the oven is always a favorite of mine. I don’t know how many recipes I’ve pinned from John and Dana – this being one of them – but I haven’t tried any yet until this beauty. It was my first but definitely won’t be my last.
I made this recipe in hopes of giving them to my friends (like I do with most of my latest dessert creations) and although they were skeptical at first, they did enjoy them. They have a very rich taste because they are primarily beans and cocoa but the fudge-like texture from the coconut oil will remind you exactly of a sweet brownie. Yet they require no eggs, butter or flour! The great part of vegan goodies.
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed well
- 2 flax eggs (2.5 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp pink himalayan sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp sliced almonds
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and put 12 cupcake/muffin liners in a muffin pan
- Prepare your flax eggs in your blender and let sit for at least 5 minutes
- After you rinse off your black beans, combine them with your flax egg and the remaining ingredients up until the chocolate chips.
- Blend well until it looks like chocolate frosting.
- Pour into muffin liners and flatten out with finger or spoon.
- Sprinkle 1 tbsp chocolate chips onto some and the other 1 tbsp almonds on the other.
- (I left some without toppings just for those who are picky)
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops look dry
- Put in the freezer for 15-30 minutes but not too long as they will dry out. Store in an airtight container for a few days. Can be refrigerated.
These make for a great snack and pack a punch of protein (especially with added almonds) due to the black beans. I thought they’d be lovely frozen and I was a bit wrong… they were as rock hard. However if you microwave them for 10 seconds they’re back to their gooey and moist texture.
Enjoy 🙂
(And thank you to John and Dana for making the most delicious dairy-free recipes!)
-Addie
