Black Bean Sunflower Seed Brownies

A yummy chocolate-chip-covered little experiment made from black beans and pumpkin seeds that somehow became an actual recipe. Pumpkin seeds are great for gut detox and have antioxidant qualities.

These are soft, subtly sweet, and packed with ingredients my child would absolutely question if he watched me put them into the food processor. Fortunately, what happens in the food processor stays in the food processor.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup raw pumpkin seedsApproximately. This was a heavy pour from a bag.

• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium black beans

• ½ cup gluten-free flour

• ⅓ cup olive oil or avocado oil

• ⅓ cup applesauce

• ⅓ cup maple syrup

• 2-3 heaping spoons of cocoa powder

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• A dash of salt

• Chocolate chips, for topping, measure these with your heart.

Ingredients

1. Prepare the pan.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 × 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Rinse the beans.Rinse the black beans really well and leave them to drain while you get everything else started. Nobody wants bean water in their brownies. We have limits.

3. Blend the pumpkin seeds.Add the raw pumpkin seeds to a food processor and blend until they have a fine, grainy, almost powder-like consistency.

4. Add the black beans.Add the drained black beans to the pumpkin seeds and pulse until the beans are thoroughly broken down and combined with the seeds.

5. Add the wet ingredients.Pour in the oil, applesauce, and maple syrup. Blend until everything is well combined and starting to look suspiciously unlike beans.

6. Finish the batter.Add the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Blend until smooth.The finished batter should be creamy, easily pourable, and almost smoothie-like. If you're staring into the food processor wondering how this could possibly become a baked good, you're in the right place.

7. Pour & top.Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle chocolate chips generously over the top.

8. Bake.Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until the top has begun to crack slightly and feels mostly firm to the touch.A little softness in the center is completely fine. Actually, we want it.

9. Cool completely.Let the bars cool before slicing. As they cool, they'll settle into a soft, dense, fudge-like consistency.

   
   

Notes of Choas Cooking

Yes, there are black beans in them.

Yes, the pumpkin seeds are green when raw.

No, they do not taste like someone put chocolate chips on top of a bean burger.

The pumpkin seed measurement is the one I'd pay attention to if you're recreating these. I think we're working with about ¾ cup, but the original measurement was technically “a heavy pour.” The brownies have a slightly crunchy texture to them which is reallllllly nice. I'll update the record once I behave like a person who owns measuring cups.