Black Bean Brownies

In the years that I've spent browsing recipes on the inter-webs I've always come across a recipe for brownies... made with black beans. The thought of beans in brownies always grossed me out, to be completely honest. But I'm here to tell you that adding beans to brownies is totally NOT gross! I promise. The beans add a moist fudgy-ness to the brownies and your tongue won't even be able to detect them!

I came across this recipe for black bean brownies which were made with 3 eggs. I just took out the eggs, and added in the equivalent of 3 flax "eggs".

• 3/4 cup dried black beans, rinsed, and soaked overnight in water in the fridge, 
• or use 1 can black beans (Eden foods canned beans are packed in tins that are BPA-free)
• 3 flax "eggs" --> 3 Tbsp. flax meal + 8 Tbsp. warm water, mix and let sit for at least 15 minutes to "gel up"
• 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil, I used a mixture of 3 Tbsp. canola + 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 cup sugar/muscovado/sucanat
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup GF oat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use EnjoyLife brand)

If using dried beans: drain soaked beans, place in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour until beans are tender. Drain. Let cool.

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a 11x7in. pan with parchment paper or grease with cooking oil.
2. Add the cooled cooked beans to food processor and blend until a smooth paste has formed.
3. Add the flax eggs and oil to processor, pulse to combine.
4. Add sugar, cocoa, almond meal, vanilla, and baking powder. Process until well combined.
5. Add chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and pulse until mixed. 
6. Spoon the mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. I first baked mine in a 9x9in. pan and it took quite awhile for them to bake! Definitely took over an hour. If baking in an 11x7in. pan it might take less time to bake. Let cool before slicing!

GF Betty Crocker Brownies - vegan attempt FAIL

So I've been curious about how the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix would work if I tried to substitute something for the eggs. The back of the box says to use 2 eggs, so I just subbed 1/2 cup of applesauce. Meh. 

In the trash  : (

As you can see, these didn't work out well, but that didn't stop me from salvaging what I could : ) I'm still new at this whole vegan baking thing, so I might have just made the wrong decision as to what I used for an egg sub. Flax seed might have been a better choice? Anyways... trial-and-error.

One problem may have also been the size of pan I used, which was 9" x 9". When I put the batter in the pan it just seemed like it was spread out too thin. Maybe if I had baked these in a smaller pan so that the brownies were thicker?

On another note, I usually like my desserts to have at least a little bit of healthy, good-for-you stuff in them but this mix was just straight up processed starches and sugar! Eww. I mean YUM, but really, eww. The first ingredient listed is SUGAR.  But if you're fiending for some sugar... I suppose these would do!