Black Bean Brownies

One day in my eleventh grade pre-calculus class, our teacher told us she was going to bring us a special treat to enjoy after our math exam. She said that she was bringing us brownies, but they had something "special" in them. Of course, we all thought, wow, our pre-calc teacher is so cool, she's bringing us pot brownies. 

Alas, this was not the case. Her "special" ingredient was not cannabis but another humble plant, the black bean. While the effect was different, we were all surprised at how good these brownies were. They didn't taste like beans at all – they were chocolaty and fudgy and decadent.  

This brings us to today's recipe, black bean brownies. I've taken in the extra mile by making these little buddies vegan and free from gluten and refined sugar. This recipe was inspired by the flourless brownie recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie.  

The texture is much closer to a dense, fudgy brownie than a cake-y brownie (which I personally love). They are subtly sweet and rich. The dark chocolate ganache drizzle adds to their decadence. If you decide to forgo the ganache (do so at your own risk), I'd recommend topping your prepared batter with your favorite vegan chocolate chips. 

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Prep Time: 0 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients:
Brownies: 

• 3 cups black beans (2 15-oz can, drained and rinsed) (500g after draining) 
• ¼  cup unsweetened cocoa powder (10g) 
• 1 cup rolled oats (40g) (GF if necessary) 
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup maple syrup or agave (180g) 
• ½ cup coconut or vegetable oil (112g)  
• 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder

Chocolate Ganache Drizzle: 

• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (or other sweetener, like agave) 
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and line a 9x9 baking dish.* Drain and thoroughly rinse the beans

2. Blend the oats in a food processor until they are a light, flour-like texture (1-2 minutes).

3. Combine all remaining ingredients in the food processor and blend until relatively smooth and combined, 3-5 minutes. Your batter will still have some texture, but you shouldn't see large pieces of oats or beans. If you have a smaller food processor or are making a double recipe, you may need to do this in batches.  

4. Pour the batter into a greased and lined pan or greased muffin tin. Bake for 15-17 minutes. 

5. For chocolate ganache: Melt the coconut oil in a medium size microwavable bowl (about 10-20 seconds). Stir in the cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. For best results, drizzle over the brownies once they have cooled completely.

Tips and Tricks: 

*You can use whatever size pan you have available or even make these brownies in a muffin tin! Keep in mind that using a larger or smaller pan will effect the brownie thickness and baking time. If you have a larger pan (or like extra-thick brownies), simply double the recipe! 

If you want to forgo the chocolate ganache or just spice up your brownie game, swirl in your favorite nut butter, top with chopped nuts or your favorite vegan chocolate chips!