Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan) and rinse the black beans thoroughly in a sieve. This makes the flavour milder and the batter cleaner.
Peel the banana and put it in a blender with the black beans, raw cacao, maple syrup, coconut oil and baking powder.
Blend everything into a smooth, thick batter. Make sure there are no bits of bean left.
Lightly grease a small tin and pour in the batter. Smooth the top.
Bake the brownies at 180 °C for 25–30 min, until the mixture has set and the top looks dry. Then leave them to cool a little in the tin.
Cut the vegan black bean brownies into pieces and serve slightly warm or completely cooled.
Good to know
These brownies are simple and really good. Moist, dark and pleasantly chocolatey – without much effort. Just right for days when you want something sweet, but not just anything.
Swaps
Banana → apple purée made from fruit only (less sweet, a slightly different texture) | maple syrup → date paste (more fibre, fuller flavour) | coconut oil → mild olive oil (more monounsaturated fatty acids) | raw cacao → unsweetened cocoa powder (similar flavour, often a little milder)
Allergens
The recipe is naturally vegan and usually suits children well; it contains cocoa as a sensitive ingredient, and during pregnancy the ingredients are unremarkable in normal kitchen amounts, as long as the beans are baked through.
