Dark Chocolate Bean Brownies (gluten free, vegan and vaguely healthy)

Don’t run away. These are good, honest. They have an earthiness and density to them which sets them apart from traditional brownies.

This recipe bean-brownie dropped into my inbox as part of an update from RunningBug. Their email came hot on the heels of some photos of amazing looking black-bean brownies made by a vegan running friend, so I decided that clearly the recipe needed to be made. I see future experimentation and adaptation of this recipe.

Other variations can be found at Kelly’s Food to Glow, Chocolate Covered Katie, Gluten Free Vegan Girl (these sound the best) and Naturally Sassy

Dark Chocolate Bean Brownies
(gluten free and vegan)

400g tin cannellini beans (but I used black beans because I’d seen them used in other versions)
2 eggs   Er, how did these sneak into the recipe? I’m 95% sure I didn’t use eggs. I may just have overlooked them. Need to make these again to check. Sorry everyone. If you’re making them and the mix looks dry, add 1 tbsp more of oil and 1bsp more of the milk. If you’re worried about the rise add another tsp baking powder. Sorry all! Bad baker.
2 tablespoons oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk (can be almond, soy, coconut)
60g cocoa powder
150g ground almonds
150g muscovado sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 160c and line a brownie tin.

Drain and rinse the beans and then blitz in a blender them until smooth (or mash them)
Add the egg, oil, vanilla extract and milk and mix thoroughly.
Add the cocoa, almonds, sugar and baking powder and mix again.
Bake for 30mins.
When cooled, cut up and keep in the fridge (they go a bit dry otherwise and the beans might ferment!)

I’ve seen versions of these with peanut butter or speculoos butter mixed through them. Both sound fantastic. They’d also be good warm with icecream.