red bean brownies

One of the few vegan and gluten-free things on my blog! Not low carb or low-sugar though, but I’m working on it. This is definitely not a traditional brownie.

Adzuki or aduki bean paste, is a popular Asian filling for sweets and pastries, especially in Japan. It is a canned product and ready to use, so to make these, I didn’t want to add extra sugar than what was already in the prepared product. I also didn’t want to hide the flavor of the beans, so this doesn’t have a lot of cocoa, and no chocolate. I also added fine expresso powder, but feel free to leave that out if you are not a fan, or making this for children.

You can find adzuki red bean paste in most Asian grocery stores and supermarkets, but if you can’t find them, feel free to use a can of black beans that have been rinsed and drained, as well as about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar. If you want a more traditional tasting brownie, but still want to make them vegan and gluten-free, go for the black bean option. I used this recipe as a basis for my recipe.

Red Bean Brownies

ingredients

2 Tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa

1 and 1/2 cups canned, sweetened adzuki red bean paste

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup oil

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used two vanilla beans scraped and mixed into a 1/2  teaspoon of vanilla extract for ease of incorporating in with the other ingredients in a food processor. I just wanted to use my vanilla beans that had been sitting, so don’t feel like you need to put vanilla beans.)

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

method

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a pan with parchment paper or use a little vegetable oil to lightly grease the pan.

If you don’t want huge flecks of oatmeal, don’t use old fashioned oats, or process the oatmeal first in a food processor with the blade attachment before adding the rest of the ingredients. Otherwise just place all the ingredients into the food processor and set on high and blend to a smooth texture, occasionally turning off and scraping the sides and bottom and mixing again to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated. Transfer the mixture, which would be quite thick and sticky to the prepared pan and smooth out the surface with a small offset spatula, or the bottom of a spoon. Bake for 15-18 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. I like brownies cold, so this can also be refrigerated before being cut up. I cut them into 9 pieces, but you can also cut them smaller.

5 responses to “red bean brownies”

    • Yeah, have to look n the Asian aisle of the grocery store, or even go to an Asian store, if they have any. You can probably find red beans and make it yourself. I don’t have a recipe for that, but can probably find one online that could sub for the canned stuff.

      Like

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