If you've never heard of these before, don't switch off just yet.

They sound bizzare, but they taste incredible - they have this rich, chocolate / praline flavour, plus an amazing fudgey, dense texture with some added crunch from the hazelnuts. I've tried some black bean brownie recipes before that were a little bland, but these ones even passed the ultimate taste test of serving them up to friends and them having no idea they were healthy or had black beans in them. These are also mega quick and easy to make, and pack some serious protein, iron, and fibre.

vegan black bean brownies

Ingredients (makes 12 brownies):

250g (drained weight) tinned black beans
40g oats
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
125g Maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
45g melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g dark choc chips
75g crushed hazelnuts
Pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). First make a quick oat flour by tipping your oats into a food processor and blitzing until they are a rough flour texture. Then place all remaining ingredients apart from the hazelnuts and choc chips in with the oats in the food processor and blitz thoroughly until completely smooth. Stir in the hazelnuts and the choc chips, then tip into a small greased tin (roughly 9x9 inches) and bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting - if they're still too soft, place in the fridge for a while and they will firm up perfectly!

Nutrition (per brownie):

Protein: 3.9g (Women: 7.8% / Men: 7.1%)
Iron: 2.1mg (Women: 14.2% / Men: 24.1%)
Calories: 191 (Women: 9.6% / Men: 7.6%)
Sugar: 10.0g (Women: 11.1% / Men: 8.3%)
Total fats: 11.6g (Women: 16.6% / Men: 12.2%)
Saturated fat: 5.8g (Women: 29.0% / Men: 19.3%)
Salt: 0.1g (Women: 1.7% / Men: 1.7%)
Fibre: 3.8g (Women: 12.7% / Men: 12.7%)

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.