Magic Chocolate Bean Brownies

✓ Gluten-Free
✓ Dairy-Free
✓ Nut-Free

Chocolate Bean Brownies – nut free, sugar free, gluten free and DELICIOUS!

This is a great recipe for the school lunch box or as an after school snack. It looks like a chocolate brownie and it tastes like a chocolate brownie, BUT it has kidney beans, dates and eggs in it which means you get wonderful nutrients, lots of protein and no sugar highs or succeeding lows. As they are nut-free, they can also be taken to school as a yummy lunch time treat. Like all my favourite recipes, it is quick to whip up and only requires a few staple ingredients.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked kidney beans (tinned beans work too; try to find BPA free brands where possible)
20 medjool dates, pitted
3 tbsp coconut oil (or melted butter if you don’t need the recipe to be dairy free)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 extra-large eggs (or four normal eggs)

Method
  1. Preheat oven to 180° Celsius. Generously grease an 8″ x 8″ baking pan.
  2. In a food processor or Thermomix, puree the pitted dates, beans and oil/butter until smooth.
  3. Add baking soda, vanilla and cocoa powder, and puree until completely smooth. Allow food processor to blend for 3 to 5 minutes without stopping.
  4. Add eggs and blend well.
  5. Pour batter into greased baking pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until slightly firm on top and edges pull away from the sides of the pan.
  6. Leave for 5 minutes in the dish and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool.
  7. Store in covered glass or stainless steel container. These can also be sliced and frozen for later.

If you’re in the mood for some other ‘Magic Bean’ recipes, you might like our Magic Bean Cake, which has served as the base for many of our family birthday cakes over the years!

Enjoy!