Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

I love a fudgy brownie. It’s brownie, not chocolate cake. I even like it slightly undercooked to up the fudge-factor. The great thing about a vegan recipe is that there’s zero risk of food poisoning from uncooked eggs!

This recipe is flour-free (and therefore gluten-free), with black beans as the star ingredient—but you’d never know it. They are chocolatey with a good chew, and the health bonus is that they have zero cholesterol and low oil. I added some peanut butter for a protein boost (thought the black beans already have protein, fibre and iron), some coffee to enhance the rich chocolate flavour, and choc chips for extra fun. You could also mix in some chopped walnuts or almonds.

If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @PlantifulCoach + #PlantifulCoach! I’d love to see your foodie creations 🙂

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5 from 1 vote

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

You won't believe these brownies. Not only are they decadently fudgy: they're vegan, gluten-free and they pack a load of plant-protein and fibre.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free

Servings: 16 brownies

Equipment

• Blender or food processor

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups cooked black beans (or one can)
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 6 tbsp aquafaba see Notes
• 3 tbsp neutral oil canola oil works, or melted coconut oil
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅔ cup sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground coffee
• ¾ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 180ºC and grease a 20cm x 20cm baking pan with vegan butter, or oil.
• In a blender or food processor, add the black beans, ground flaxseed, aquafaba, oil, peanut butter and vanilla, and blend until smooth.
• Mix the dry ingredients (cocoa powder, salt, sugar, baking powder and ground coffee) in a medium bowl.
• Add the black bean mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix well.
• Mix in the chocolate chips.
• Scoop the mix into your prepared baking pan, and spread the batter out.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40min, until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely before tipping out of the pan, and slicing into squares.

Notes

'Aquafaba' is the goopy liquid that you get when you open a can of chickpeas or cook chickpeas from dry. It's a great egg-replacer. But if you don't have any, water will do just fine when mixed with ground flaxseed.