Dr. Z's Gluten-Free Vegetarian Chocolate Black Bean Brownies (With Vegan Option)
Ingredients
- Unrefined no propellant coconut oil, avocado oil, OR olive oil cooking spray, for greasing the pan
- 3 large pasture-raised organic eggs OR 1½ tablespoons egg replacer PLUS 6 tablespoons purified OR distilled water
- ½ cup organic full-fat unsweetened coconut milk ,PLUS more as needed
- ¼ cup coconut oil extra-virgin and unrefined ,melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract OR Homemade Vanilla Extract
- 3 droppersful vanilla-flavored liquid stevia
- 1 (13-ounce can) organic black beans , rinsed AND drained
- ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour *
- ½ cup raw organic cacao powder
- ½ cup Christmas Cookie Blend OR organic coconut sugar **
- 1 pinch pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mist an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and stevia, and blend well. Gently fold in the black beans.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cacao powder, Christmas Cookie Blend, and sea salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients; you may need to add up to ¼ cup more coconut milk to get the perfect brownie consistency. (Gluten-free flours tend to be heavier and require more liquids than wheat flour.)
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes before testing for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center; continue to bake and test again at 5-minute intervals until the toothpick comes out clean, which could be up to 45 minutes, depending on the flour used. Don’t overbake the brownies.
- Let the brownies cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then cut them into 16 pieces and place them in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
To get the benefits of black beans without the texture, you can blend your batter for a smooth brownie.
If your dietary needs don’t allow cacao, you may want to try carob. To make this variation, follow the above recipe, but substitute carob powder for cacao.
*If you want a grain-free option, use organic almond flour.
**If you want a sugar-free option, use 2 droppersful plain liquid stevia.