https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/gluten-free-flourless-black-bean-brownie-muffins/Gluten Free Flourless Black Bean Brownie Muffins
You want make black bean brownie? You sure?
Okay o. But don’t blame me if your people laugh when you open the can.
First thing. Rinse the beans. I mean rinse am well well. If you don’t rinse, the thing go taste like tin. You know that metal taste? Mmhmm. I did that once for a church event. One woman come ask me “sister, why this brownie dey taste like sardine?” God punish me. Since that day, I rinse until the water wey come out clear like pure water.
So open one can. 15 ounce. Pour inside sieve. Run water. Use your hand scrub the beans. Not too hard—you no want mash them. Just scrub. One minute. Two minutes. When you see the water wey dey drip don turn from purple to clear, you don finish.
Shake am. Leave small water. No need dry am with towel. Small water is fine.
Now. Blender.
You get strong blender? Not the small one wey you use for pepper soup. That one no go blend bean skin. You go end up with crunchy brownie. Person go bite am and ask “what is this?” You go lie say chocolate chips. But you know say na bean skin.
So use your big blender. Food processor better.
Put beans inside.
Crack two eggs. If the eggs cold, no problem. But if you want perfect, put eggs inside warm water for two minutes before. Me? I no dey stress myself. Cold eggs enter blender.
Add maple syrup. One third cup. Or honey. If you no get both? Use sugar. Half cup sugar dissolve inside small hot water. Pour am. E go work.
Cocoa powder. Quarter cup. Ah, biko don’t buy cheap cocoa. The one wey they sell for fifty naira? Throw am inside dustbin. Use the one wey cost small. Your brownie go thank you.
Baking soda. Half teaspoon.
Baking powder. Half teaspoon.
Yes both. I know you want ask why. Because beans heavy. If you use only one, the muffin no go rise. You go get flat cake. Flat cake wey look like tire.
Coconut oil. Quarter cup. Melt am first. Microwave thirty seconds. Then let am cool small. If you pour hot oil on eggs, the eggs go start to cook inside blender. You go see tiny scrambled egg wey no belong there. Chai.
Vanilla. One teaspoon. Any kind.
Salt. Quarter teaspoon. Don’t forget salt. If you forget, the muffin go taste like… nothing. You go eat am and wonder where the flavor go. Na salt dey wake up the chocolate.
And if you have coffee powder? The espresso one? Just small. Quarter teaspoon. You no go taste coffee. But the chocolate go get more… body. More depth. Like say e wear coat.
Now blend.
Blend for thirty seconds.
Stop.
Scrape the sides.
Blend again thirty seconds.
Stop.
Look.
You see tiny black dots? That’s bean skin. Blend again. If after two minutes e still get dots, your blender weak. Next time borrow from your neighbor. For now, just close your eyes and pretend.
After e smooth, pour everything inside a bowl. Not the blender jar. A bowl. Because next we go add chocolate chips.
Dark chocolate chips. One third cup. Not milk chocolate. Milk chocolate go melt and make the muffin fall apart. Use dark. 60% or more.
Pour the chips inside the bowl. Use spatula stir am. Do not use blender. If you use blender, the chips go turn to dust. Your muffin go become grey. Grey and sad. Nobody wants grey sad muffin.
Now line your muffin pan. Use paper liners. Or grease am with butter. This batter no get flour, so e go stick to pan like glue. If you no use liner, you go need knife and prayer to remove am.
Fill each cup about three quarters. Not full. Not half. Three quarters. Use ice cream scoop if you get. If no get, use spoon but try make all equal.
Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top of each one. For eye service.
Oven at 350. If your oven na gas and no get thermometer? Medium heat. If e get fan (convection), use 325.
Bake for 18 minutes first.
Now. This one is important.
Don’t open the oven before twelve minutes.
I said don’t open.
Even if you smell something burning. Even if you hear noise. Don’t open. Because cold air go rush inside and the top of your muffin wey dey form go collapse. You go open the door at ten minutes and watch your muffin sink like Titanic. E go pain you.
After eighteen minutes, take toothpick. Poke the middle muffin. Not the side. The middle one dey bake last.
When you pull toothpick out, e suppose come out with small wet crumbs. Not wet wet like batter. Not dry like nothing. Just… sticky crumbs.
If toothpick come out clean clean, you overbaked. E go still taste okay but e go dry like biscuit.
If toothpick come out with batter, give am three more minutes. Check again.
After baking, leave the muffins inside the pan for five minutes. Set your phone timer. If you remove am before five minutes, e go break into pieces. If you leave am after five minutes, e go get gummy bottom.
After five minutes, take am out. Put on wire rack to cool.
Or just bite one immediately and burn your tongue. I do that every time. Never learn.
Now. What can go wrong?
Number one. The middle sink. Means you opened oven too early. Next time close the door and go sit down. Don’t stand there looking.
Number two. Taste like beans. Means you no rinse beans well, or you use fancy organic beans. The fancy ones taste more like beans. Use regular Goya or whatever brand dey for your market.
Number three. Gritty. Means you no blend enough. Or your blender weak. Next time blend for two minutes and scrape sides three times.
Storage.
On the counter? Two days. After that the top go become sticky.
Fridge? One week. But wrap each one with plastic wrap. If you put am inside container without wrap, e go smell like everything wey dey your fridge. Onion brownie. Pepper brownie. Not nice.
Freezer? Three months. First put am on tray inside freezer—make sure they no touch each other. After e freeze hard, pack inside ziploc bag. When you want eat, microwave twenty seconds.
If you want cook for many people—like party or small wedding? Triple everything. But you go need do batch by batch unless you get industrial blender. Or better yet, use nine by thirteen baking pan. Line am with parchment paper. Pour everything inside. Bake for twenty five to thirty minutes. Cut into squares. Call am brownies. Nobody go know e suppose to be muffin. I don do this for catering. People dey ask for recipe. I just smile and say “family secret.”
How to serve?
Warm. Always warm. Ten seconds microwave. Put vanilla ice cream on top. Or Greek yogurt if you dey pretend say you dey eat healthy.
The yogurt actually works. The sourness cut the sweetness.
Or just eat am standing inside your kitchen at midnight. No plate. No spoon. Just you and the darkness and that muffin. And a glass of cold milk. Preferably peak milk.
That’s all.
Now go make am, Bubby biko. And when your friend say “black beans for brownie? you dey mad?” just give am one piece and watch e face change.
God bless your kitchen.
