These were the first grain free brownies I made, and I fell in love. I didn’t tell my test subjects what the main ingredient was, since I wasn’t sure how they would react. So, in a blind taste test that started with me saying, ‘here, try these new gluten free brownies I made’, and they were received with delight. In case you haven’t seen the recipe yet, the B.B. stands for black beans.
To this day, Tony still doesn’t know what the B.B. stands for, and I’m hoping to keep it a secret…. We shall see how that goes ;-)
Gluten free treats are a little tricky until you find the right combo or your favourite recipe. I loved these brownies because they are simple, and relatively inexpensive compared to some other treats I make. They are also a good way for me to sneak some legumes into the diet of my family without them knowing, or seeming to care.
I left this recipe as dairy free too, since many people on a grain free diet are also avoiding dairy. Plus, it reduces the pain of having to melt or soften a small portion of butter.
If you would prefer to prepare your own black beans from dried beans instead of using canned, you will need 1 ½ cups of cooked beans to replace the can of beans. When you are using black beans, it will take a little extra mixing time to break them down. If you have a really picky eater that heavily inspects all new and suspect food, just add the black beans and oil to the blender or food processor first, blend until a smooth paste, then add the rest of the ingredients.
Coconut sugar was my sweetener of choice for this, since it holds like regular sugar, gives a great taste like brown sugar, but delivers a lower glycemic load and extra minerals. When finished and cut, you get 1 tablespoon of sugar per brownie, which is much lower than most. For coconut sugar that means roughly 9g of sugar per serving. If you wanted to lower the sugar, I would suggest looking at doing a sugar replacement like xylitol or the newer monk fruit and erythritol sweeteners. These are easier to replace one to one. Alternative sweeteners are something I have to experiment with and I will update with the results.
Grain free baking requires more eggs, since there is no natural binding agent. I will be experimenting for egg free options soon. In theory, you should be able to use a flax/chia egg to replace, or maybe even a store-bought egg replacer, but sometimes with multiple eggs in a baked product, it doesn’t always work out exactly 1:1. Eggless experiment will be updated.
Cacao powder vs. cocoa powder
Cocoa powder comes from the cacao bean, where we get all the raw ingredient for chocolate. Cocoa powder will still work for this recipe, but using cacao powder gives you more nutrients and a more functional sweet treat. Cacao powder is less refined and is considered a super food which gives you minerals such as magnesium, zinc and iron. It is also a good source of fibre and high in antioxidants. So, make the switch to cacao powder for all your chocolate baking needs and enjoy extra nutrients in your baking!
Comments