21 August 2008

Moore Beany Brownies



This insanely fudgy brownie comes from the nifty Jennifer Moore Howe. The wacky thing about these brownies is that they're light and fluffy at the same time. It has to be the 4 eggs. The next time I make these, I'll definitely add walnuts. They are already much healthier than most brownies because they don't contain any butter or oil, but the kicker is that they don't have any flour in them either. They're full of beans!

You'd never know it, either. I brought them to a Board of Directors meeting at the George Street Co-op earlier this month, and they were a big hit. They'd probably be an even bigger hit with some frosting. He, he, he.

Just a baking note -- I'm not sure if this always happens, but my brownies really fluffed up, split at the halfway mark, then settled in to supreme fudgyness. What do I mean by that? Take a look at these photos of the brownies after I pulled them from the oven.



Here's a close-up.



But here's the final texture.



I reworked her original recipe quite a bit, so I'll publish the alterations here.

Secret Weapon Highly Nutritious Brownies (adapted from Jennifer Moore Howe's recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unsweetened carob chips
2 cups black beans (I actually used about 1 3/4 cup of black beans and 1/4 cup kidney beans, and Jennifer's original recipe calls for garbanzo beans.)
4 eggs beaten
2/3 cups agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup roasted carob powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon hazelnut flavored Teeccino (or your favorite instant non-coffee)
optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-in. baking pan with parchment paper or lightly oil the pan with canola oil.
2. In your food processor or blender, process the beans until they are smooth.
3. Over a pot of simmering water, place a glass or metal bowl with the chips. Melt the chips, stirring until smooth.
4. Add the melted chips, eggs, agave nectar, and vanilla to the beans and mix well.
5. In a separate, large bowl, sift together the carob powder and baking powder.
6. Add the instant non-coffee and walnuts to the dry ingredients and mix well.
7. Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and mix until well blended.
8. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with a light coating of crumbs.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack.
10. Enjoy!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just printed this recipe off and put it in my "to-try" pile, but I'm not familiar with Teachino. Do I find it in my local health food store? Also can you purchase roasted carob powder or do I roast it myself? Thanks. Susie

Deb Schiff said...

My mistake, which I will correct. It's spelled Teeccino. You can find it in your local health food store, and perhaps your grocery store, if they have a good health food aisle (like Stop and Shop does). Carob powder can be dark or light roasted. You can tell by the color of the powder. Most health food stores stock Chatfields carob powder, which is a light roast. It will work very well for this recipe. Thanks for stopping by, Susie!

Anonymous said...

I'm a big fan of bean brownies! These look really fudgy, too--glad they "settled in" that way!

Deb Schiff said...

Me too, Ricki. :D

Glad I didn't write them off right away like I might have if they hadn't shifted during cooling.

You'd never have known they were cracked like that.

The Diva on a Diet said...

So glad to see a new post from you, Deb. I'm looking forward to trying these brownies ... hope I can find the carob powder. Do you think they would work with chocolate chips, instead of the carob chips?

Deb Schiff said...

Thanks, Diva. Things just got a little off track. I may post about it soon.

Otherwise, feel free to use fine cocoa powder and chocolate chips. You could even mix chocolate and butterscotch chips should the mood strike you. ;D

The better the chocolate, the better the brownies.

Sheree said...

Wow, they look good! I am going to have to give them a try. Thanks!

Deb Schiff said...

Thanks Sheree! Let me know how it goes!

VeganCowGirl said...

They look great! I bet you could use egg replacer....yes? and then they would be totally vegan. How cool!

Sarah R said...

Yup, another one to add to the list!! Looks awesome!

I have a gift for you at my blog: http://yummysmells.blogspot.com/2008/08/unimpressed.html

Deb Schiff said...

Definitely, VCG. :)

Deb Schiff said...

Thanks Sarah for the Wylde Woman Award. It was very kind of you. ;D

The Diva on a Diet said...

Happily I was able to find both the roasted carob powder and the teeccino at Whole Foods. So I made these brownies on Friday night and they are spectacular! Even the husband loves them. Thank you so much for the recipe and the inspiration, Deb!

Deb Schiff said...

Yay! That's so great. I'm very happy to hear it. :)

koala brains said...

Hi - Thanks for visiting my blog. So glad you left a comment so I could visit yours. I cannot wait to try these brownies. Gluten free, yay!!!

Anonymous said...

This looks great and very much like a brownie with a fudgy texture, which I prefer. Do you think unsweetened baking chocolate would work instead of the carob? .. I'm not sure how much I would need to use.

Deb Schiff said...

Carob is naturally sweet, so you might consider using dark chocolate rather than baking chocolate. You can use it 1 for 1.