Melt-in-Your-Mouth Brownies with Black Beans and Cranberries

• Christmas
• Dried Cranberries

Chocolate brownies are a classic dessert. Perfect, really – better yet with lots of soft cranberry pieces in the middle.

 

What’s our secret for making such tender brownies? The base is a purée of black beans, which may not seem like a big deal, but it really boosts the fibre and nutrient content without compromising a bit on taste.

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Butter a 20-cm (8-in) square pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Empty black beans into the bowl of the food processor and reduce to a smooth purée. Add eggs, sugar, cocoa, ground almonds, baking powder, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as needed. Process until it forms a smooth, homogenous mixture.

3. Add dried cranberries. Mix with a spatula or pulse until cranberries are in small pieces. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

4. Top mixture with chocolate pieces or chips. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the brownies comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Recommendations

Brownies can be stored for up to 3 days at room temperature in a tightly sealed container

We love it most of all when our cranberries are cut into tiny pieces for the brownie dough. That makes them easier to mix in, and it feels as though there are more yummy morsels in every mouthful.