No-Bake Black Bean “Brownies”
firstly: OBAMA!
secondly: still crazy-busy, but there’s a perfectly good & exciting reason behind it, and I should be able to talk about it soon. I’ll try to take breaks from the insanity as often as I can to come visit your kickash creations, though.
as I mentioned in the previous post, I got lazy and didn’t bother with the baking part of yet another version of the adapted black bean brownies.
I just pop them in the freezer for ease of cutting, and eat them thawed, straight from the fridge. there’s probably no real need to freeze them at all, I just like having the option of choosing whatever treat I feel like eating at the last possible minute. minus thawing time, in this case.
I’ve done it before: you could also bake them in a (preheated) 350F oven for 15-20 minutes, keeping in mind to use non-stick cooking spray or parchment paper, and not the plastic wrap mentioned in the recipe. danke schön.
don’t pay attention to the spoon on the left, it’s just there for color: the brownies aren’t mushy or mousse-y. they turn out like fudge, are solid enough to be picked up like any cake would be, and since they’re free of refined sugar*, added fat, and pretty much anything unhealthy, there’s no guilt involved there.
not that you should ever feel guilty about food, but you know what I mean.
and yes, they’re still absolutely scrumptious. would I lie to you, baby?
*since Marie asked, you can sub the same amount of dry sweetener [Sucanat, raw sugar, light brown sugar...] for the agave. maple syrup would work well of course, too. there’s no need to make changes to the recipe if you go for dry instead. but by all means, play around with the ingredients: it’s once again a quite forgiving and use-what-sounds-best type of recipe, as long as you keep the wet vs. dry proportions in mind of course.
No-Bake Black Bean “Brownies”
3/4 cup (60 g) old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup (100 g) roasted chestnuts
1/2 cup (47 g) shredded coconut
1/4 cup (30 g) carob powder
15 ounces (1 can, 425 g) cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
1 ripe medium banana
10 pitted dates
1/4 cup (84 g) agave nectar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Splash of unsweetened almond or other nondairy milk, if needed
Based on the famous BBBs… « have cake, will travel! said,
November 5, 2008 at 5:44 am
[...] No-Bake Black Bean Brownies [...]
Rosa said,
November 5, 2008 at 5:53 am
An original recipe! Very healthy and flavorful!
cheers,
Rosa
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Y said,
November 5, 2008 at 5:56 am
Roasted chestnuts! Aww now you’re really messing with me! I love the idea of chestnuts in this, but it’s totally the wrong season to get them over here :P
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VeggieGirl said,
November 5, 2008 at 5:59 am
Those brownies!!! Holy yum.
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shellyfish said,
November 5, 2008 at 6:13 am
Obama right back at you babe!
I’m cursing myself for not having some black beanies in my cuisine!! Purée!!
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Courtney said,
November 5, 2008 at 6:13 am
Whoo-hoo Obama!
Wow–I wish I could make these NOW! But, alas, I am at work and will have to sit drooling at my computer for 7 more hours before I can go home and make them…and then wait for them to chill…and then finally eat them! You have outdone yourself, Celine–these look delicious!
Courtney
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Joanna said,
November 5, 2008 at 6:16 am
AHh I have to find chestnuts!!! I really have to. Are they the really big ones that a lot of people have at Thanksgiving? I haven’t used them in baking (or non-baking for that matter), but I’ll find them.
I can’t wait to know what this exciting news is. Are you pregnant? Did you win the lottery? I’m just throwing things out there haha
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Shilpa said,
November 5, 2008 at 6:23 am
I love your blog! And i LOVE the fact that you mentioned Obama… YAY!!!
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mihl said,
November 5, 2008 at 6:25 am
I share your exitement on Obama, the other exitement, and brownies. Triple YAY.
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culinarycory said,
November 5, 2008 at 6:25 am
Wow, black bean brownies…they sound ummm interesting. Never heard of them before. The one thing I can say, they look healthy. Thanks for teaching me something new today.
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Shelby said,
November 5, 2008 at 6:34 am
Can I omit the coconut and the nuts? I don’t have either =( But these look amazing! I love how they are so easy to make.
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Celine said,
November 5, 2008 at 7:04 am
I always forget to mention that the roasted chestnuts, I find at the Asian food market, already prepared. of course, homemade would be nice if in season.
omitting both the coconut and nuts sounds like a bit much, Shelby. gotta have some flavor in there. replace the chestnuts with almonds or pecans or whatever nuts you like? you should be fine sans coconut.
Joanna: pregnancy’s definitely NOT it. jeebus!
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Gina said,
November 5, 2008 at 7:27 am
Yummm! I will probably try hazelnuts, I don’t think I’ll be able to find chestnuts, but I’ll be on the lookout now!
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Amy said,
November 5, 2008 at 8:48 am
Woo hoo for the Big O in our near future!!!!!!!! No doom after all!!!!!!!
Beans as dessert, why the flip not? I mean, I eat them for every other meal. And, I shall eat mine with a spoon anyways.
I bet Obama likes beans too.
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jessy said,
November 5, 2008 at 9:55 am
yay for Obama! :)
these brownies are just tooooo yummy look’n & sounding! no bake, chestnuts, dates, coconut – OMG, yay!
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Ricki said,
November 5, 2008 at 10:41 am
This sounds just wacky enough that I think I’d love it!
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veganview said,
November 5, 2008 at 10:57 am
What a perfect celebratory treat! WHOO HOO OBAMA!
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ttfn300 said,
November 5, 2008 at 12:01 pm
ha, love it!
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Esi said,
November 5, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Yay for Obama!! These look incredible, especially with that no baking part.
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eliane said,
November 5, 2008 at 1:04 pm
the brownies look great…
do you think I could skip the banana? or replace it? I can handle the coconut, but coconut and banana it’s just too much for me…. I guess I’m not very tropical…
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Jay said,
November 5, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Those brownies look awesome! I really want to try black bean brownies now!
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melisser said,
November 5, 2008 at 1:13 pm
woohoo! Tasty treats for all!
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Sanja said,
November 5, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Ooo, they look so yummy! Must go on a hunt for roasted chestnuts now…
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Bethany said,
November 5, 2008 at 2:00 pm
sounds really good. chestnuts = yummy. reminds me that I need to track down the roasted chestnut vendor that comes out this time of year.
obama = woohoo!
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Kelly said,
November 5, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I’ve always been intimidated by black bean brownies, but if you say they are yummy they must be good.
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River (Wing-It Vegan) said,
November 5, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Protein packed brownies! Gas has never been this worth it.
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tofufreak said,
November 5, 2008 at 5:17 pm
awesome!!! :D no bake too! how sweet is that?!?!
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alaina said,
November 5, 2008 at 6:03 pm
that sounds amazing! i love healthy treats, because that way i can justify eating a ton of em ;P
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lisa (show me vegan) said,
November 5, 2008 at 6:35 pm
“like fudge” sounds amazing. So creative Celine!
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Diann said,
November 5, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Fudgy no bake healthy brownies are almost too good to be true!
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Celine said,
November 5, 2008 at 9:25 pm
eliane: replace the banana with pumpkin or applesauce, but you might want to up the sweetening agent a bit.
the bean is in, eh? thanks for visiting, everyone.
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Miss Marie said,
November 6, 2008 at 5:25 am
Soooo excited!
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Veggie Wedgie said,
November 6, 2008 at 7:49 am
These look scrumptious!I gave you a blog award, go check it out here : http://www.veggie-wedgie.com/?p=424
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allularpunk said,
November 6, 2008 at 8:32 am
these sound so so good! i, too, though will have to sub out those chestnuts, unless i happen upon a bag somewhere. yum yum yum!
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Cakespy said,
November 6, 2008 at 9:49 am
They look so satisfying. I like a more heavy, dense brownie–it looks like this fits the bill!
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Bianca- Vegan Crunk said,
November 6, 2008 at 10:09 am
I still haven’t tried black bean brownies…it’s the kinda thing that sounds weird to me, but probably tastes awesome.
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Nicole said,
November 6, 2008 at 11:39 am
I have no idea where to find roasted chestnuts near me, any ideas about what to replace them with so they’ll still be yummy? :-)
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Nazarina A said,
November 6, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Black bean brownies, sounds unusual, but heh, I am that type of person that will so enjoy this. Anything to make something delicious and healthy such as your brownies. You always inspire people to get out of their comfort zone and try different things. well done!
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Courtney said,
November 6, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Just wanted to comment (again) to say that I made these–and ate them!–last night! They were delicious! I didn’t use coconut, I used apple sauce in place of the banana, and I subbed spelt for the oat flour. Even with all my changes they were great! I can only imagine how good they would be if I had had everything on hand to make them as written…
Courtney
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vegan domestic goddess said,
November 6, 2008 at 5:01 pm
i am so excited to try these, thanks celine! roasted chestnuts (aka castañas from where i’m from) are in right now because of the christmas season.
i usually do my baking late at night after work and even with the sun down my kitchen gets as hot as if you were at the beach (and this is the coldest time of the year). i’m loving the no-bakeness of this.
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Celine said,
November 6, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Courtney, you truly are the master. thanks for giving them a go!
any ground nut is always a blast to use, Nicole: I’ve made them with peanuts, hazelnuts, pecans…the main reason why I like using chestnuts is that I’m a big fan, and that they have the lowest fat content in nuts. not that it’s that important to look at such a fact considering there is no other fat in these brownies, but ya know. I eat a lot of other nuts in other goodies, so might as well switch things up a bit. and also? they’re pretty high in fiber too. yet another thing that’s not absolutely vital, what with the beans and all.
anyway.
thank you guys!
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Lenora said,
November 7, 2008 at 10:03 am
OBAMA!! Yeah… glad for some change in Washington!
These brownies sound amazing, I wonder what I could substitute for chestnuts though… any ideas?
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Celine said,
November 7, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Lenora, I made a few suggestions in other comments, if you’d like to check them out!
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ruby red vegan said,
November 9, 2008 at 9:49 am
Oooh, Celine! The no-bake version looks to die for! Especially the roasted chestnut part — I really wanna try those for the first time!
P.S. Love the pink spoon!
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Nick said,
November 9, 2008 at 11:19 am
Firstly, congrats for another wonderful recipe. Very soon you’ll be writing “The Black Bean Brownie Cookbook” (is that what you’re crazy busy with?). I have a suggestion for a chestnut substitution: peanut butter! I would also omit the coconut, which as you said should be fine, but just add more oats if it is too runny.
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Donna Lynn said,
November 9, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Celine,
I have such a laugh reading the blog, you get all these people super excited about a new recipe before they even try it! (I know a few have already , but your fab photos, ingredent list, entertaining description and successful track record all adds up to a very loyal following.
The most important ingredent though, when it comes to the black bean brownie is: silence.
My kids will never discover whats in them.
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Eunice said,
November 9, 2008 at 10:58 pm
what a blessed day it is oh my soul to have discovered your blog! your posts are mad fly and this post is so icky it could even be delicious! i agree 100% with donna lynn there, my siblings will never know! it’s all in the mind..all in the mind. ;-)
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Marysol said,
November 10, 2008 at 10:04 am
Another woo hoo for Obama.
Celine, I don’t have a vegan bone in my body, but those brownies look moist, good and sinful!
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Juma said,
November 11, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I could never think of black beans to bake something but this recipe sounds great!
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Sherrilee said,
December 8, 2008 at 10:55 pm
With that many carbs I’d be busting out of my pants, but I guess food guilt is relative! Maybe for a training day… looks scrumptious.
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Alex said,
December 15, 2008 at 8:36 am
I’m studying for finals right now (aka looking at vegan food blogs apparently, but I’m working hard too!) And I wish I had one of these–they sound like an amazing spin on the energy bar.
Of course, I guess one could argue that that’s true of brownies in general…
I’ll have to try this recipe as soon as finals are over. (Alas!)
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Celine said,
December 15, 2008 at 10:55 am
good luck with the finals, Alex!
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Lucy T. said,
March 11, 2009 at 10:00 am
Oh yes! I love the look of these. Will definitely try. And agree 100%, even though I try to concentrate on mostly healthy ingredients,I don’t want anyone ever to feel guilty about what they eat. It’s such a waste of guilt!
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