Description
These brownies have a layer of fudge-y black bean brownies followed by a layer of sticky coconut, and topped with a layer of ganache and almonds. This recipe is refined sugar free, gluten free, and vegan. It’s rich and delicious, but also packed with healthy fats from coconut oil and fiber and protein from the black beans.
Ingredients
- Black Bean Brownies
- 2.5 tablespoons ground flax seed + 6 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed well
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- Coconut Layer
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut (or flaked)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup (maple syrup may turn the coconut dark in color)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- Chocolate Ganache*
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup agave nectar (or maple syrup)
- 1/4 + 2 tablespoons cup melted coconut oil
- 9 to 16 raw, whole almonds (this depends on how large your want your brownies to be and if you want each brownie to have an almond)
- course sea salt or maldon salt (optional)
Instructions
- Make the Black Bean Brownies: Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×9 baking dish with foil and grease the foil, set aside. Make the flax seed eggs by combining the flax seed meal and water in a small dish, allow to sit for 5 minutes while you prepare your other ingredients. Add the remainder of the ingredients into a food processor along with the flax seed eggs. Process the ingredients until smooth, scraping down sides as needed, about 3 minutes. Taste (it’s vegan so it’s fun to taste the batter) and adjust sweetness as needed. Remember that the coconut and ganache layer is really sweet so it’s nice to keep the brownies a little less sweet to balance the other layers out.
- Bake the brownies: Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared pan. Use a spatula to smooth out the brownie batter into an even layer, then lick your spatula because VEGAN BROWNIE BATTER! Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is dry and the edges just begin to pull away from the pan. Don’t over bake. Allow the brownies to completely cool (about 1 to 2 hours) before moving on to the next layers. Make sure to wash out your food processor and dry it in preparation for the coconut layer.
- Make the coconut layer: Once the brownies are cooled make the coconut layer by adding all of the ingredients to your clean and dried food processor. Pulse until the coconut becomes sticky and breaks down a little but still has a good amount of texture to it. Be careful not to over process the coconut otherwise it will release it’s oils and begin making coconut butter, you just want the coconut to break down and everything to stick together. If you are using coconut flakes then you may need to pulse it a few more times to break the coconut flakes down more, however I do recommend shredded coconut.
- Spread the coconut layer onto the brownies: use a spatula to evenly spread the coconut layer to the edge of the brownies. Freeze for 10 minutes, or until the coconut layer is set, but not super hard.
- Make the ganache layer*: Once the coconut layer is done freezing whisk the cocoa powder, agave nectar, and melted coconut oil for the ganache in a medium sized mixing bowl until smooth. Pour the ganache onto the coconut layer and spread evenly to cover the coconut. Evenly space the almonds, giving each brownie one almond, gently press the almonds into the ganache. Sprinkle with course sea salt or maldon salt, if desired. Freeze for another 20 minutes, or until all the layers are fairly chilled.
- Cut the brownies: Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting the foil out of the pan. Use a large sharp knife to cut the brownies into desired sizes (I recommend cutting them into smaller pieces because these brownies are rich). Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Best served chilled as they start to melt a little as they sit at room temperature. These brownies also freeze really well. I like to freeze them individually on a baking try lined with parchment paper and then pop them all in a bag. That way I can pull one out when I have a craving. let them thaw out for 15 minutes before eating.
Notes
*For a lighter option you can skip the ganache layer and melt some dairy free chocolate and drizzle it on top of the coconut layer. If you do this you will want to add the almonds on top of the coconut layer, before freezing.
For more dramatic photos and because I am bad at eyeing spacial things I cut these brownies way larger than I would suggest the serving size to be. For the photo I cut mine into 9 large brownies but when I ate them I ended up triming them down to 16 to 18 brownies. Not all of my brownies ended up having an almond on top – I was okay with that.
Prep time does include hands on time with making the brownie batter and coconut layer and ganache, but it does not include hands off time (time for the brownie to cool and freezer time).
Black bean recipe adapted from myVegan Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies.
Coconut layer is adapted from Beaming Baker’sPaleo Almond Joy Recipe
Ganache layer is adapted from my Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Dessert Bars
