A recipe only a BookCrossing vegan could love: Black Bean Brownies
Old BookCrossers may remember this chit-chat thread, which just took me about 20 minutes to find using the "new" search feature on BC. It took long enough that I decided to condense the BBB part because it entertained me, and I talk about it periodically.
Here's the original thread. Unless BC changes the way they do links again, of course.
To start, our good friend zz_neena was looking for dinner ideas. People responded with a lot of good recipe ideas, so if you're looking for dinner recipes, there's that in that thread, too. Of course someone wondered what she was serving for dessert, which is where this recipe came up.
Original Recipe:
Here is a SUPER easy brownie that tastes really decadent!
(by BookCrosser Ri)
Combine one box of brownie mix with one can of pureed black beans (yes, you heard me correctly). I just throw the beans in the blender with a bit of the liquid from the can until it makes a nice soupy goop. Stir it up, like you would a "regular" brownie mix.
Bake just like it says on the brownie mix box. That's it. Yes, it is true that the only ingredients are black beans and brownie mix.
These brownies are extremely fudgy and the best that I have ever tasted. I give them as gifts, as they are so popular with my friends now. You can dress them up with frosting, chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, nuts, etc. They are also really nice with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce!
Also, I tend to underbake my brownies a bit to keep them moist and fudgy, as I don't like hard ones.
The details, if you wondered how anyone could come up with that idea:
I learned of ts great recipe from a vegan friend of mine who also has bad chocolate cravings. She had way too many beans in her house and voila, the recipe was born.
I typically used Pilsbury mix (when I was in the States) because it was the one that didn't have whey in the mix (hence it was vegan). But, since then I have successfully made this with any brownie mix. For the 13x9 sized mix, I used the whole can of beans with a little liquid. For the smaller 9x9 varieties, I just scale back the beans slightly and add to the mix until it looks like brownie batter consistency.
As for the health specs, I don't know them. On the box mixes there is usually a nutritional listing for the mix itself as well as the prepared type. Take the info from the mix and then add the info from the black bean can (divided of course by the number of brownies you cut).
Well, I certainly couldn't leave it at that, so ...
Then I did a Scientific Experiment:
The specimens are in the oven!
Specimen A: Atkins Chocolate Brownie Mix
Specimen B: Betty Crocker Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix
so far they look and smell like brownies, although Betty's was clearly glossier and brownier. The chunks of chocolates didn't hurt her either. . .
One note: we found black beans with an ingredient list of only beans, water, salt. Many of the others had garlic or onion powder or other things. Probably something you want to check first :)
A huge plus from the lab: no measuring cups!
Results from the Lab Experiment:
Specimen A (Atkins) just didn't quite cut it. Quite frankly, we weren't sure if they would be sweet enough even if made as directed. I wish I had stirred some extra sugar (I was even willing to use Splenda) in the mix.
Specimen B (Betty) was . . .well, to use Ri's word, "decadent". We think it was the gooey chunks of chocolate throughout the brownie.
Final results: Betty's could be eaten straight out of the pan. And quite frankly, were. Could have been a *tiny* bit sweeter, but was definitely, definitely yummy.
Atkins was MORE than adequate with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.
Special thanks to Ri for the idea (which I will definitely do again) and zz-neena for having a dinner emergency in the first place. Even if they hadn't turned out yummily :) we still had fun doing the science experiment!
The good thing -- my friend who was over for dinner took them back downtown with her to give to "the boys", so we just have a little bit left in the house.
Additional thoughts (in conversation) about the two mixes:
... that the Atkins one just wouldn't be good no matter *how* it was prepared! :) But honestly, it was perfectly good with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup!
No doubt Betty is using the gooey chocolate chunks as a diversionary tactic :)
And of course, Unk's final assessment from the morning after:
"those are the first brownies that'll give you gas"
Here's the original thread. Unless BC changes the way they do links again, of course.
To start, our good friend zz_neena was looking for dinner ideas. People responded with a lot of good recipe ideas, so if you're looking for dinner recipes, there's that in that thread, too. Of course someone wondered what she was serving for dessert, which is where this recipe came up.
Original Recipe:
Here is a SUPER easy brownie that tastes really decadent!
(by BookCrosser Ri)
Combine one box of brownie mix with one can of pureed black beans (yes, you heard me correctly). I just throw the beans in the blender with a bit of the liquid from the can until it makes a nice soupy goop. Stir it up, like you would a "regular" brownie mix.
Bake just like it says on the brownie mix box. That's it. Yes, it is true that the only ingredients are black beans and brownie mix.
These brownies are extremely fudgy and the best that I have ever tasted. I give them as gifts, as they are so popular with my friends now. You can dress them up with frosting, chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, nuts, etc. They are also really nice with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce!
Also, I tend to underbake my brownies a bit to keep them moist and fudgy, as I don't like hard ones.
The details, if you wondered how anyone could come up with that idea:
I learned of ts great recipe from a vegan friend of mine who also has bad chocolate cravings. She had way too many beans in her house and voila, the recipe was born.
I typically used Pilsbury mix (when I was in the States) because it was the one that didn't have whey in the mix (hence it was vegan). But, since then I have successfully made this with any brownie mix. For the 13x9 sized mix, I used the whole can of beans with a little liquid. For the smaller 9x9 varieties, I just scale back the beans slightly and add to the mix until it looks like brownie batter consistency.
As for the health specs, I don't know them. On the box mixes there is usually a nutritional listing for the mix itself as well as the prepared type. Take the info from the mix and then add the info from the black bean can (divided of course by the number of brownies you cut).
Well, I certainly couldn't leave it at that, so ...
Then I did a Scientific Experiment:
The specimens are in the oven!
Specimen A: Atkins Chocolate Brownie Mix
Specimen B: Betty Crocker Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix
so far they look and smell like brownies, although Betty's was clearly glossier and brownier. The chunks of chocolates didn't hurt her either. . .
One note: we found black beans with an ingredient list of only beans, water, salt. Many of the others had garlic or onion powder or other things. Probably something you want to check first :)
A huge plus from the lab: no measuring cups!
Results from the Lab Experiment:
Specimen A (Atkins) just didn't quite cut it. Quite frankly, we weren't sure if they would be sweet enough even if made as directed. I wish I had stirred some extra sugar (I was even willing to use Splenda) in the mix.
Specimen B (Betty) was . . .well, to use Ri's word, "decadent". We think it was the gooey chunks of chocolate throughout the brownie.
Final results: Betty's could be eaten straight out of the pan. And quite frankly, were. Could have been a *tiny* bit sweeter, but was definitely, definitely yummy.
Atkins was MORE than adequate with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.
Special thanks to Ri for the idea (which I will definitely do again) and zz-neena for having a dinner emergency in the first place. Even if they hadn't turned out yummily :) we still had fun doing the science experiment!
The good thing -- my friend who was over for dinner took them back downtown with her to give to "the boys", so we just have a little bit left in the house.
Additional thoughts (in conversation) about the two mixes:
... that the Atkins one just wouldn't be good no matter *how* it was prepared! :) But honestly, it was perfectly good with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup!
No doubt Betty is using the gooey chocolate chunks as a diversionary tactic :)
And of course, Unk's final assessment from the morning after:
"those are the first brownies that'll give you gas"