I love Chef Aj’s Black Bean Brownies. I used to sell them in my deli case, and they were always a hit. I once made a version similar to this for a catering job where I cut the brownies into small pieces and placed them in a parfait glass, topped them with Chocolate Pudding and fresh berries. This recipe is a spicy version of that dish.

Serves 6-8

Make the Brownies

1½ cup black beans 

1 cup maple syrup or date syrup (Ilovedatelady.com)

½ cup unsweetened plant milk
¾ cup rolled oats

½ cup unsweetened cacao powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

½  teaspoon baking soda

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup chocolate chips 

⅓ cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans or pistachios 

Chocolate Pudding (see recipe)

1½ cups fresh berries for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the black beans, maple syrup, and plant milk in a blender; puree until smooth. 
3. Add the oats, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, flax seed, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and vanilla to the blender and process until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into a non-stick pan. Top with chocolate chip and chopped nuts
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
6. Let cool before cutting into 12 brownies.