Cosmic Black Bean Brownies

From black beans to garbanzo beans (chickpeas), I have been adding beans to brownies since my first cookbook was released over 10 years ago. I do this because it boosts the fibre content big time making them great for nourishing your gut microbiome and it also makes them more blood sugar balancing. If you don't tell anyone you've done this, no one will have a clue that these are healthy brownies!

I adapted this recipe from the beloved joyous classic in Joyous Health (black bean chia brownies) - it's even better now!

I added maca, walnuts, chocolate icing and naturally coloured sprinkles for the top which gave me the idea to call them Cosmic Black Bean Brownies.

Maca is an excellent addition because it goes well with the flavour of chocolate. It has a slight caramel taste. Plus it gives them a superfood boost as maca is considered an adaptogenic food, meaning it helps the body adapt better to stress. Not that you'll be stressed eating these brownies, you'll be in heaven! You can learn all about the benefits of maca here. Lately, I've been buying gelatinized maca by Organika. If you don't have maca, you can simply omit it from this recipe. It won't alter the texture or cooking time.

In terms of the sweeteners, I have provided two options - coconut palm sugar or Lakanto sweetener. Lakanto is a mix of monk fruit and erythritol (sugar alcohol). It is quite low on the glycemic index and much better to use than artificial sweeteners. It's a one-to-one sub for coconut or white sugar. The taste is pretty mild but if you want something less processed, stick with coconut palm sugar. You can find it at your local health food store or if you're in Canada, you can find it at Rise Market.

Someone messaged me when I shared a video on Instagram and asked me if these were "Cosmic Brownies". I had no idea what that meant so I looked it up. Low and behold, there is a sugar-filled store-bought brownie called Cosmic Brownies and because I love all things cosmic, magical and astrological, "Cosmic Black Bean Brownies" stuck. Plus they look cosmic with the pretty sprinkles. Better yet, I can get Vienna to eat just about anything with sprinkles. I know she wouldn't eat these if they didn't have sprinkles, because she is not a fan of nuts inside anything. From muffins to cookies to brownies, if there are chunks of nuts, it's out of the question for her. But add sprinkles, and she gobbles them up!

Nut-free? No problem, just omit the walnuts.

Egg-free? No problem. See the instructions on the recipe card below. The final texture is different than with eggs. It's less dense and needs to be cooked about 10 minutes longer but it's possible to make these brownies egg-free. Store it in the fridge as soon as it cools.

• Gluten-free, fibre-rich, gut-loving, super yummy
• Refined sugar-free and packed with complex carbs and plant-based protein
• Rich in iron, folate, magnesium and potassium
• Great for kids and brownie lovers are none-the-wiser that these are healthy brownies
• This a great recipe to make if you're entertaining or wanting to impress your date for love day (hint, hint)

Let's talk about the icing before we get to this recipe. It is magical too! Ripe avocado, cocoa powder and raw honey - just 3 simple ingredients. You'll definitely want to lick the bowl!

Here is the recipe for Cosmic Black Bean Brownies.

If there are no nut allergies in your home, definitely don't skip out on the walnuts. They add the perfect texture to these black bean brownies. I hope these become a favourite in your home!

Happy love day!

Joy xo