Peppermint Black Bean Brownies

These Peppermint Black Bean Brownies are pretty amazing. First of all they look incredible. Imagine serving these babies at your next party. Trying to impress some herbivores? This recipe will definitely give them a run for their money. Not only is this recipe vegan but also gluten free. Even though this isn’t your traditional brownie recipe it’s taste and texture is amazing. Plus, did we mention high in fiber and protein thanks to the black beans hidden in this recipe? They’re fudgy, gooey and sweet just as brownies should be. 

This recipe was inspired by another one of our favorite recipes, our Vegan Black Bean Brownies. We changed the recipe up a bit giving it a festive holiday flare. While we want to indulge this holiday season it is still important to maintain a healthy fiber and protein intake. Plus while our other recipe has white chocolate chips in the mix, for these Peppermint Black Bean Brownies we decided to make a yummy and beautiful white chocolate drizzle instead. 

We also wanted to keep out refined sugar from this recipe as much as possible. With that said, the brownies batter has no refined sugar. Only the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and candy canes contain refined sugar. All of which can be omitted. This recipe is still delicious with the baked batter and the peppermint extract. Continue reading below for fun alternatives if you’re looking to omit refined sugar. 

Peppermint Black Bean Brownies Recipe Rundown

Black Beans: The black beans help give this recipe it’s body since it is gluten free. In addition the black beans also act as a binder and contribute to that classic moist chewy brownie feel. 12 grams in this entire recipe comes from these amazing black beans. 

Almond Butter: The almond butter also helps give these brownies their chewiness. We enjoy the flavor of almond butter in this recipe. It pairs really nicely with the blackbeans. That sentence might sound crazy but its true! Vegan cooking is all about getting creative with food and experiments with ingredients not likely to be paired up. We’re all about getting creative! If you want to see a really creative vegan dish check out our Vegan Deviled Eggs. Though we enjoy the almond butter any plant butter could be substituted. 

Coconut Flour: Since this recipe is Gluten free we opted to use coconut flour as replacement for regular wheat flour. Typically, the flour is the main body of any dessert. The gluten in wheat flour is what helps baking goods bind together. Since this recipe is gluten free the coconut flour does help give the brownie its body but it also works with the black beans and almond butter to accomplish this. Amazingly coconut flour is high in fiber and protein. Making this sweet treat a deceivingly healthy dessert. 

Cacao Powder: For this recipe we use cacao powder vs cocoa powder. There are differences in how each powder is processed. The cacao tends to be a bit bitter than the cocoa but that is due to its retention of nutrients stripped out of the cocoa. To compensate for the slight bitterness of the cacao we add a touch more maple, as a sweetener. If you do not have cacao powder, accessible cocoa powder would work perfectly as well. 

Pure Maple Syrup: We love pure maple syrup! We don’t mean the high in corn syrup maple syrup. We love the tapped trees Maple syrup. Another alternative to maple is agave syrup. Though we have not tried this recipe with agave the texture is similar enough to pure maple syrup that it can work. 

Coconut Oil: The coconut oil functions to keep the brownies moist.

Plant Milk: The plant milk helps so the batter can become nice and smooth in the food processor. We used vanilla almond milk but any plant milk works! If you don’t have plant milk, water would even work. 

Baking Soda + Baking Powder: The usual ingredients required for baking. The baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents meaning they help dough and batter rise in the oven.

Chocolate Chips: The chocolate chips really make these brownies the extra dose of chocolate everyone needs. If you have chocolate allergies or want to omit the chocolate chips due to the refined sugar, cacao nibs or even nuts can be a nice alternative.

Peppermint Extract: Personally we aren’t the biggest peppermint fans and prefer to enjoy the crushed candy canes on top of the brownie. If you’re someone who loves peppermint, definitely add peppermint extract into these brownies! Be sure to use peppermint extract and not Peppermint essential Oil. When testing Luna’s first batch she accidentally used peppermint essential oil and not extract. The whole oven smelled like peppermint after.  

White Chocolate Chips + Coconut Oil: Together, melted, these ingredients are what make the white chocolate drizzle. Without the coconut oil the white chocolate chips would not become smooth and drizzly. If you’re looking to omit extra oils replace the white chocolate chips with plant milk. While the consistency may be slightly different it will help the white chocolate chips obtain a drizzle consistancy. 

Candy Canes: This ingredient is of course optional but such a fun addition to these holiday brownies! 

If you tried one of our recipes or found our articles helpful, let us know in the comments below how it turned out!

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Peace,
Luna & Nate

Peppermint Black Bean Brownies

Recipe by Cooking Up Vegan Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

9

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

50

minutes

These Peppermint Black Bean Brownies are high in fiber and protein thanks to the black beans. They’re fudgy, gooey and sweet just as brownies should be. 

Ingredients

• Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

• 15 oz 15 Black Beans

• 1/2 Cup 1/2 Almond Butter (or any nut butter)

• 1/4 Cup 1/4 Coconut Flour

• 1/4 Cup 1/4 Cacao

• 1/2 Cup 1/2 Pure Maple Syrup

• 1 Tbsp 1 Coconut Oil (melted)

• 1 tsp 1 Vanilla Extract

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 Baking Soda

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 Baking Powder

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 Salt

• 1 Tbsp 1 Plant Milk

• 1/2 Cup 1/2 Chocolate Chips (dairy free)

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 Peppermint Extract (optional)

• White Chocolate Drizzle

• 1/4 Cup 1/4 White Chocolate Chips (dairy free)

• 1 Tbsp 1 Coconut oil

• Garnish

• 2 2 Candy Canes

Directions

• Set your oven to bake at 350 degrees F.
• Place the chocolate chips in a clean bowl and set aside.
• Then, add the rest of the brownie ingredients into the food processor. Mix till smooth.

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• Using a spatula scoop out the brownie mix into the bowl with chocolate chips. Mix the batter to fold the chocolate chips into the brownie mix.

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• Take your preferred baking pan and either spray it with oil or rub it down with some vegan butter. If you would like to exclude excess oil like the baking pan with parchment paper.
• Gently scoop the brownie batter into the baking pan. Using the spatula, smooth it the batter out so it becomes smooth and uniform in thickness across the pan.

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• Add the baking pan into the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. While you wait for the brownies, its best to do the dishes and clean up the kitchen.
• Once the brownies have finished baking set them on a cooling rack for 5 minutes or until cool to touch.

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• While the brownies are cooling smash or chop the candy canes until they become small bits, similar to sprinkles.
  One way to do this is with a knife and a cutting board. Another way includes placing the candy canes on the cutting board and smashing them with a heavy plate or cooking pan.
• Set the candy cane “sprinkles” aside as they will be sprinkled onto the brownies after the white chocolate drizzle.
• Once cool, cut the brownies and remove them from the baking pan. Place them on parchment paper or on your favorite dessert plate.

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• Making the White Chocolate Drizzle
• First create a double boiler: Add a light amount of water to a pot and place a heat resistant bowl (like pyrex) on top of the pot.

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• Turn on the heat to medium. Depending on your stove you might need to turn the heat up high. But start with medium heat first.
• Add the white chocolate chips and coconut oil to the bowl and mix with a heat resistant spatula or spoon. The white chocolate chips should melt and become almost like a thick cream in the bowl.

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• Using a spoon, scoop the melted white chocolate out of the bowl and drizzle the brownies. You can make swirls, circles, lines or even splatter designs with the drizzle.
• Once you have finished drizzling the brownies add the crushed candy canes on top.

• Enjoy with friends and family!

Notes

• If you would like to keep this recipe refined sugar free opt for nuts or cacao nibs as a substitute for the chocolate chips inside the batter. By mixing cacao powder and maple you can make a lovely cacao glaze to paint the brownies with as a substitution for the white chocolate chips.

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