Amazing Black Bean Brownies

I’ve never been particularly fond of brownies, they’re too heavy and sweet for my taste and always seem to put me into some digestive coma. But as I really love Japanese red bean cakes, I couldn't help but be intrigued by the idea of using black beans to make a more wholesome sort of brownie - and lo and behold, this is one great recipe. You can't really taste the beans as such, but they add a nice fudgy texture (apart from protein and fiber) and make it possible to dispense with flour altogether, yay. Also, there is no sugar in these, as they are sweetened with wonderful organic agave nectar (and a whole bottle of it) - sweetener of millionaires as my vegan cupcake cookbook calls it, but great stuff, nice flavor, all natural, no sugar high – perfect.

I splurged on the other ingredients, too – Scharffenberger chocolate, the best European butter (with that extra butterfat!), organic Omega-3 eggs, organic low-sodium black beans and some of that fabulous fresh vanilla bean that Suzanne and Prashant had brought from Hawaii (thanks!). Cecy, gracious as ever, agreed to invest ¼ cup of her instant coffee, which she keeps at work, for that extra kick, and seemed to be fairly pleased with the return on her investment. So I for one am a convert – I think I like these better than my French Flourless Chocolate Cake…