Recipe courtesy of Meredith Gold
Ingredients (Organic &/or Farmers' Market wherever possible)
5 oz. high quality unsweetened chocolate
⅓ cup canola oil or ¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup high-quality cocoa powder
1½ cups soft-cooked black beans (thoroughly rinsed & drained, if canned)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 TBS vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract (optional)
¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour or ¼ cup quinoa flour for gluten-free brownies
⅓ cup instant coffee or instant espresso powder
½ tsp salt (omit if using canned black beans that contain salt)
1 large egg plus 2 egg whites
1 cup agave nectar (more if you prefer sweeter brownies)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325o or 300o in a convection oven. Line a 11x13" pan with parchment paper and grease lightly.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Add the canola oil and whisk until combined and then add the cocoa powder and whisk until totally purée.
In a large bowl, mix together the remaining chopped walnuts and the flour. Add the remaining melted chocolate mixture, instant coffee and salt. Mix thoroughly, making sure the instant coffee dissolves. Add the black bean/walnut/chocolate purée to the bowl and combine thoroughly.
In another bowl, beat the egg and egg whites with an electric mixer for about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Reserve ⅓ cup of the egg mixture and add the rest to the chocolate mixture - combine gently and thoroughly.
Pour batter into the prepared pan (it will be very wet). Using the electric mixture, beat the remaining egg mixture for a minute to lighten it up and then drizzle it up and down in vertical stripes over the brownie batter. Using a wooden toothpick or skewer, pull the egg mixture through the batter using a side-to-side horizontal strokes (it will look a bit like spider webs!).
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until brownies are set (they will not get crispy looking at all!) Let cool in the pan completely and then cover the pan and chill for at least 4 hours to firm before cutting.
I have not given nutritional information, because it depends how small you cut them. Well-chilled, you can cut them into 1x1" inch squares (11x13" = 143"!!!)