Black Bean Brownies

When I’m looking for new recipes to try, I usually go for the ones that do not make use of fancy or unusual ingredients. I also try and stay away from recipes that seem too “healthy” to taste good.  I’ve wanted to make brownies with black beans for a long time but was a bit skeptical about how they would turn out. Then I found this recipe on Meal Makeover Moms. With so many positive comments, it seemed like the perfect recipe to try. Black beans are pureed and used instead of flour here. I tweaked the recipe a bit and this is what I used-

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed well
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 2 eggs
• ¾ -1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange extract (or 1 Tbsp fresh orange zest)
• 2 tsp instant coffee granules (I used Nescafe)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts (reserve a handful for sprinkling on top of the batter)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line an 8 x 8- inch baking dish with foil and grease well.

Place the drained and rinsed black beans in the bowl of a food processor and puree till smooth.

Add the oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, coffee granules, orange extract, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder, and process until everything is combined well.  Throw in the chocolate chips and toasted hazelnuts and pulse a couple of times to incorporate them into the batter.

Dump the batter into the greased baking pan and spread as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the remaining hazelnuts over the top.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until done.

Cool completely before slicing. I refrigerated the brownies for an hour before cutting them into squares.

I was expecting very “beany” brownies but was pleasantly surprised by the taste. Had I not made these myself, I would never have guessed that black beans formed the base of the recipe. I’m glad I added the coffee powder, orange extract and toasted hazelnuts- they gave the brownies so much flavor. I don’t think I’ll add the vanilla extract if I make these again- I could hardly taste it. While these brownies do not taste like the ones made with flour and have a slightly different texture, they are pretty good considering that they're made with beans.  They taste even better a day after they’re baked. I took a batch in to work and no one could tell that they were made with beans. 

Avocado Brownies

I make brownies regularly and have tried a lot of brownie recipes over the years.  This was my go-to recipe for the longest time until I tried Dorie Greenspan's recipe. I borrowed Baking: From My Home to Yours  from my library sometime last year and came across Dorie’s  Classic Brownies. I've made her brownies several times in the last few months, adding my tweaks and modifications, each time I bake a batch. 

I make brownies frequently, and recently I was making a particularly large batch to give away as gifts. I decided to double the original recipe and replace some of the butter with avocado puree and make a few other changes.

Ingredients:

(This makes enough batter for a 9x13-inch pan)

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I used Baker's)
• 1 ½  tsp instant coffee granules (I used Nescafe)
• A pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 avocado, peeled & pureed
• 2/3  cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ - ¾   cup walnuts

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with foil and grease well.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the coffee powder, salt and sugar and mix well. Add the eggs, avocado puree, flour, baking powder and baking soda, mixing after each addition. Stir in half of the chopped walnuts and combine to get a smooth batter. 

Dump the batter into the prepared pan and spread as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top of the batter. Bake at 325 F for around 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool completely before slicing or else it will be difficult to get perfect straight-edged pieces. I refrigerated my baking dish with the brownies (after it had cooled down completely) for a couple of hours before cutting them into squares.  As delicious as these brownies are fresh out of the oven, they taste even better after a day or two.

Classic Brownies

This is my version of Dorie Greenspan's brownies from her book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. 

I've used the basic recipe many times- I sometimes substitute the walnuts in the recipe with pecans or hazelnuts (my favorite) and add different flavors (peppermint, orange, vanilla) depending on what kind of brownies I want to make.

 I baked a large batch of brownies last week. I doubled all the ingredients (except the butter, eggs and nuts) and used a 9-x-13-inch pan.  I didn't follow the method mentioned in the original recipe and just did what I normally do when I make brownies. 

Ingredients:

(For a 9-x-13-inch pan)

• 1 stick/8 Tbsp butter
• 1 12-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey's)
• 1 ½ cups sugar
•  3 eggs
•  2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp instant coffee granules (I used Nescafe)
• A pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a 9-x-13-inch baking dish with foil and grease well.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the coffee powder, vanilla extract, salt and sugar and mix well. Add the eggs, stir in the flour and combine. Stir in half of the chopped walnuts and mix well to get a smooth batter.

Dump the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top of the batter. Bake at 325 F for around 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

These brownies are very chocolaty, moist and rich, and have a nice crackled crust. 

I've made them on different occasions and they've always been a hit.

Gianduia Brownies

I’ve tried a lot of brownie recipes over the years and have posted a few of the ones I’ve liked here. Although I found my perfect brownie recipe a while back, I just can’t seem to stop looking for new recipes to try out!

I recently made a batch of Gianduia brownies using a recipe I saw on Epicurious. Here is the recipe with my modifications-

Ingredients:

(For 16 squares)

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used Baker’s)
• 2 Tbsp Nutella
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
• Salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and grease well.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments. Mix well. Add nutella, vanilla extract, salt and brown sugar and mix well. Add the eggs, stir in the flour and mix again. Add the chopped hazelnuts and combine to get a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool and cut into squares.

Nutella Brownies

I saw these delicious-looking brownie bites on Sweet Savory Life and just had to make them immediately.

The recipe is Abby Dodge's and it makes use of just 4 ingredients.

 Ingredients:

(For 12 brownie bites)

• ½ cup Nutella spread
• 1 large egg
• 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• ½ cup chopped pecans (the original recipe uses hazelnuts)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup mini muffin pan with cupcake liners. Mix the Nutella and egg together in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the flour and mix well.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the chopped nuts.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

My brownies were ready in about 10 minutes. I ate a couple of them straight out of the oven and then decided that I'd be better off sharing them, so I took the rest in to work.  They disappeared pretty quickly!

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

I'm always looking for easy recipes for brownies. In my quest for the perfect recipe recently, I came across one for Katharine Hepburn’s brownies. These brownies are easy to make and are delicious as well. They’re moist, fudgy and crumbly with a rich chocolate flavor. I got the batter ready in less than 10 minutes and used just a bowl and a spatula in the process.

I found the recipe here on Noble Pig and followed it closely making a few minor changes. Here are my modifications-

1. I added a bit of instant coffee powder.

2. I increased the amount of chocolate slightly and made use of semisweet chocolate.

3. I decreased the sugar by ¼ cup, and used brown instead of white.

4. I also cut down on the baking time by 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

(For 16 small pieces)

• 1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used Baker’s)
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate chips
• ¾-1 tsp instant coffee powder (I used Nescafe)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts
• Salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and grease well.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the coffee powder, vanilla extract, salt and sugar and mix well. Add the eggs, stir in the flour and mix again. Add the chopped walnuts and combine to get a smooth batter.

Dump the batter into the prepared pan and spread as evenly as possible. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out relatively clean with a few crumbs still attached.

Cool completely before slicing or else it will be difficult to get perfect straight-edged pieces.

Cocoa Brownies

I’ve tried a lot of different brownie recipes in the last few months, but my all-time favorite recipe continues to be this one that I spotted on Dessert First almost 2 years back.

I made these cocoa brownies last night inspired by what I saw on Nupur’s One Hot Stove. Nupur, in turn, had been inspired by something she’d come across on Smitten Kitchen. I’ve made a few changes to the original recipe. The ingredients are listed in the order in which I’ve used them in the recipe.

Ingredients:
(For 20 brownies)
8 Tbsp butter
¾ cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
Salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp instant coffee powder (dissolve this in 1-2 tsp water)
½ cup all-purpose flour (I had to use whole wheat flour or roti flour here as I realized that I had no APF only when the batter was almost ready!)
¼ cup sun-ripened cranberries
½ cup walnuts, chopped (reserve a few pieces for sprinkling on top of the prepared batter)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil and grease well.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate. Add the cocoa powder, sugar and salt to the butter-chocolate mixture. Mix well. The mixture will be a little gritty at this point.

Next, add the eggs, vanilla extract and coffee. Mix well again.

Dump in the flour, cranberries and chopped walnuts and stir together gently until all the ingredients are just combined.

Transfer the batter (it will be really thick) to the baking dish and spread as evenly as possible.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-35 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Fudgy Brownies

When Aparna announced that she was hosting Tried and Tasted featuring Lisa's Kitchen this month, I knew I wanted to participate in this one. For once, I knew exactly what to make too. I have been following Lisa's blog for almost two years now and had bookmarked this recipe, among a few others, from her blog a while ago.

I have made a lot of brownies since I first "discovered" the world of food blogs since I find that few desserts are more satisfying than rich and warm gooey brownies. I've tried out different recipes over time and have had satisfactory results for the most part. This recipe in particular interested me since it had no added fat - not that there's anything wrong with a bit of fat- but I was a bit curious to find out for myself the final product's taste and texture.

I made a few additions to Lisa's recipe though. I threw some toasted hazelnuts into the brownie batter. Also, since chocolate and orange is one of my all time flavor combinations, I added some orange zest.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup sugar (I would decrease this a bit the next time I make this- it was a little too sweet for me)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 Tbsp yogurt
Zest of an orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup all-purpose flour
A handful of chopped hazelnuts, toasted in the oven at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes
A pinch of salt
½ tsp baking powder

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with foil and grease with oil/butter.

In a bowl, beat the egg with sugar till light in color and fluffy.

Add cocoa powder, yogurt, orange zest (optional), vanilla extract and mix well. Incorporate the flour, salt and baking powder into the mixture and mix gently until well combined.

Add toasted hazelnuts and fold into the batter. This is optional, but if adding please toast them since it brings out their incredibly rich nutty flavor.

Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out relatively clean. Cool and cut into squares.
These fudgy brownies taste best when they're fresh, warm and straight from the oven. This recipe is fantastic and I will keep going back to it when I'm in the mood for a simple and delicious treat.

Double Chocolate Brownies

I’d been scouring the internet (food bogs in particular) for a good brownie recipe ever since I volunteered to be in charge of dessert for a recent potluck at work. This recipe caught my eye and I decided to give it a shot. I’m so glad I did because it turned out to undoubtedly be the best brownies I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve eaten several! I love a rich, fudgy and moist brownie, and this one certainly fits the bill.

(Recipe adapted from here)
Ingredients:
(For 16 small brownies)
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus some more for greasing the baking dish
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar (adjust according to the kind of chocolate used and the amount of sweetness desired)
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup all- purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup chopped walnuts (reserve about 2 Tbsp of this for sprinkling on the top)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with foil and grease well with butter.

Melt the chocolate and butter on medium heat checking to make sure that the chocolate does not burn. I use a microwave for this, but you could also use a double boiler. Mix well to combine.

Whisk together eggs and sugar until foamy and pale, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder and mix well to combine.

Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix well until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture and whisk to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Smooth the top out with a spatula. Sprinkle the reserved walnuts on top.

Bake in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out relatively clean.

Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

To make it a little fancy, I also drizzled some chocolate sauce (prepared by mixing melted butter, sweet chocolate, milk and some vanilla extract) over the top of the brownies once they had cooled.
The brownies were a HUGE hit at work and I got a lot of compliments.
Thank you so much, Anita!

Raspberry Brownie Cups

I’m taking a break from blogging for the next few weeks, possibly more, while I catch up with family and friends in India. Since this is going to be my last post for a while, I wanted to sign off on a sweet note.

This is something I made a really long time back. It was inspired by a recipe I came across on the Hershey’s website.
Ingredients:
(For approximately 6 medium and 12 mini muffins)
Dry ingredients:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 oz packet of mint flavored sipping chocolate
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
¾ cup brown sugar (adjust according to taste)
¼ cup oil
¼ cup buttermilk

¾ cup raspberries (for folding into the batter)
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin pans with paper liners. Place 2-3 raspberries at the bottom of each muffin cup.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well till the whole batter comes together. (Too much mixing will result in brownies that are too dense/heavy.) Gently fold in the remaining raspberries.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes (check after 15 minutes) or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from muffin pan, cool slightly, top with a dusting of powdered sugar and serve.

That's it for now. See you when I resume blogging!