Well, it is good to be back! We have just returned from a work trip to Punta Cana Dominican Republic. Have you ever been there? It was beautiful, especially the beaches! It was a treat to get away but it is nice to be home again with everyone healthy at my house (hurrah)! After the last few months of sickness and poor health in our family, this really is a reason to cheer! As you know, two of my boys have been recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease, so I am trying to learn a new way of baking. I am now always on the lookout for good and healthy gluten free recipes. My friend Codi gave me the recipe for these wonderful brownies. She actually brought them over as part of a wonderful dinner for my family after my son’s recent heart surgery. We were so grateful:) She told me that the brownies were gluten free and they had beans in them, but that her husband had been her taste tester and thought they were really good! I was very intrigued– beans in brownies– Crazy, huh?! I didn’t tell my boys about the beans, and they gobbled them right up! I am not sure they would have been so eager if they knew they had garbanzo beans hidden inside! Ha! What they don’t know! Codi kindly shared the recipe and I have since made another batch using milk chocolate chips and they were a big hit again. We even used them as a base for a hot fudge sundaes we had for one of my son’s birthday dinners–yum! I am thinking that maybe this gluten free baking is not so bad:) I would think that even if you are not gluten free and just want a healthier treat, you would enjoy these brownies too!
As part of this same birthday celebration we saw a fantastic movie. I posted a review here, if your interested. I love finding an inspiring movie, which can be hard these days:)
Have a great week friends!
- 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup Turbinado or Sucanat sugar (I used Turbinado)*
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ teaspoons instant coffee( I used Teeccino herbal coffee substitute)**
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Spray a 9 x 9-inch pan with baking spray. Place chocolate chips in a double boiler and melt until smooth.
- Combine beans and eggs in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients to food processor until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the baking pan and sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Cool in pan. These are best if they've had time to sit overnight (if you can wait).
Source: Naturally Tasty author Gilda Mulero, Chef and Cooking Instructor via Taste and See blog
