No one will ever guess that these rich-tasting, gooey brownies are made with beans. And they’re vegan and gluten-free, so you can share them with all your friends no matter what their dietary needs are.
Makes 16 brownies
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 to 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup quick or large-flake rolled oats (see sidebar)
- 1 ¾ cups drained and rinsed canned black beans
- ½ cup golden yellow sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable or coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp strong black coffee
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup vegan chocolate chips (see sidebar)
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the base and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang of paper on two facing sides. (This will help you remove the brownies from the pan.) Brush the parchment paper with a little oil. Set aside.
- In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the oats until finely ground. Tip the oats into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Place the beans in the food processor (there’s no need to clean the bowl). Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor once or twice. Add the sugar and oil. Process until well blended.
- Scrape the bean mixture into the bowl containing the processed oats. Add the cocoa, coffee, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt. Stir until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.
- Bake until the centre of the brownies is set, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Using the parchment paper overhang, remove the brownies from the pan to a cutting board. Cut into 16 pieces. (The brownies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.)
BAKING DAY SECRET
- For gluten-free brownies, be sure the oats you use are labelled gluten-free.
- For vegan brownies, check that the chocolate chips don’t contain any dairy products.
