Ask Carolyn
I love chocolate, and COVID-19 has not changed my chocolate fetish. But, it has given me more time to cook, out of both necessity and a need for a creative outlet. Plus, no restaurants are open, so here I am in my kitchen. Being healthy is a goal, and I look for organic solutions without flour, which is not good for me. I also do not add salt to anything, and I recommend you not add salt either. I also do not add sugar, including stevia. My husband loves these brownies.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of canned no-salt-added black beans
10 dates without the pits
2 Tbsp almond butter, the kind with no salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
½ cup of cocoa powder, the pure unsweetened kind from a bag
1 Tbsp of chia seeds
Wash the black beans in a strainer. As an alternative to the vanilla, use a swig of your morning coffee sugar-free vanilla creamer.
Pulse the black beans in a food processor using the S blade or a high-powered blender. I prefer the food processor because with the blender too much of the goop gets around the blade. I want to salvage as much of this mix as possible.
After you have broken up the black beans, add the dates, almond butter, and vanilla and blend until smooth. In the food processor, the mixture is going to make a ball. I smash the ball of mixture flat in the food processor and blend some more. This mixture is rather dry, but that is okay. Do not add more liquid if you want a cakey brownie.
Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 4-quart casserole dish with cooking spray, such as canola oil spray.
Press the mixture into the casserole dish. I like to use a square casserole dish.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cook uncovered for 90 minutes. Yes, 90 minutes. You want low extended heat.
Cut into 12 small squares, and whoa, enjoy. These will keep a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Top with raspberries or strawberries.
Note: I use Terrasoul Cacao Powder that is cold-pressed, which I order delivered to my door by Amazon. It is non-GMO and organic. I use Barney Butter Smooth Almond Butter – zero added sugar or salt – which I also get from Amazon.
