This delicious, guilt-free brownie recipe has mood-boosting foods that your whole family will enjoy. The protein and healthy complex carbohydrates found in the beans can help to nourish your body and balance your hormones to keep you in a better mood.
Ingredients
- 400g butter beans, rinsed and drained
- 250g apple sauce or 5 apples
- 200g rice flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 eggs
- 75g coconut sugar
- Few drops of vanilla essence
- 100g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4 and lightly grease a 26 x 18 cm baking tray.
- Peel and core the apples, if not using readymade applesauce. Chop them roughly and place in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water, cook for five minutes until they start to soften and then gently crush with a wooden spoon until they form a puree. Remove from the heat and allow to cool
- Place the beans and a splash of water in a food processor and whizz together until smooth – you are looking for the consistency of mashed potato. Add more water if the mixture looks too dry. Add the applesauce or apple puree and process again for a minute or two, until smooth and well combined.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with an electric whisk, add the sugar in three to four batches, beating well after each addition. Add one-third of the bean mixture to the egg mixture together with one-third of the flour mixture and fold in carefully. Repeat twice more until all the ingredients are gently incorporated.
- Add the vanilla essence and pecan nuts and gently fold through. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes – check to see if the brownie is done by inserting a skewer into the middle – it should come out clean.
- Allow to cool before cutting into squares.