Vegan Fudgy Blackbean Brownies with Maple Cream ‘Cheese’

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These little beauties never fail to amaze me. Completely free of refined sugar (apart from a small amount of syrup in the cream ‘cheese’), though still incredibly sweet, fudgy and rich from the blackbeans, dates and cacao, all perfectly paired with a slightly salted vanilla maple cream ‘cheese’ made from nutritious cashews. They may be called brownies, and they may taste like them, but they are definitely winning on the nutritional front. They are simply a must try.

Serves: 9 | Total Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1x 400g (240g drained) carton of black beans, drained and rinsed

• 50g cacao powder

• 20g vanilla or unflavoured brown rice protein powder (I use the brand Bulk Powders)

• 120g Medjool date, pitted

• 60g wholegrain spelt or buckwheat flour (I use the brand Doves Farm)

• 150ml unsweetened almond milk, or other plant alternative

• 20g ground milled flaxseeds (I use the brand Linwoods)

• 1/2 lemon, juiced

• 1tsp baking powder

• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda

Maple Cream ‘Cheese’

• 140g raw unsalted cashews

• 2 tbsp vanilla protein powder (or vanilla extract)

• Pinch of sea salt

• 6 tbsp unsweetened almond milk, or alternative

• 5 tbsp maple syrup, or syrup of choice

Instructions

1. Place the cashew nuts into a small bowl or cup and soak them in hot water. Place to one side while you proceed.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC fan.

3. Take the flaxseeds and add 6-8 tbsp of water and mix until thick and sticky – like an egg.

4. Place the drained and washed black beans, milk, pitted dates, and flax ‘egg’ into a food processor and blend until well combined and as smooth as you can get it.

5. Add in the cacao powder, protein, flour, baking powder and bicarb, then squeeze the lemon juice on top of the baking powder and bicarb to allow them to react and fizz. Then blend again until a thick dough forms.

6. Line a small but deep baking dish with parchment paper and transfer the brownie mixture. Flatten down evenly and bake for 20 mins, or until cooked through the centre.

7. While the brownies are cooking, prepare the cream cheese frosting by first discarding the water from the soaking cashews.

8. In a blender, blitz all the cream cheese ingredients together until smooth, creamy and thick. Place in the fridge to firm while the brownies cook and then cool down.

9. Once fully cooled down, spread the cream cheese on top of the brownies (if you try to do this while the brownies are warm, the cream cheese will melt)

10. Slice the brownies into squares and place in an airtight container in the fridge. They stay fresh for up to 7-10 days - in which they actually taste even fudgier when eaten cold and on the days after cooking. They can also be frozen!