Coconut-Scented Black Bean "Brownies"

I usually like to blog recipes when I have pictures to go with them...but I've been sitting on this recipe for about two months, and just need to get it off my to-do list. So. Picture little fudgey bites, completely gluten and flour free. Dairy free. Full of trendy coconut oil. Mmmm. I made these for a girls luncheon, and we ate the entire pan. It's the coconut oil that really makes these babies sing! I used a Vitamix to make these, but other blenders would probably work just as well. Just make sure you get everything completely blended and smooth.

Coconut-Scented Black Bean "Brownies"
Makes 1 8x8 pan

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 pan. Set aside.

In your blender, add these ingredients, in this order:
3 eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
1 can black beans, washed and drained

Blend until everything is completely smooth - a few errant bean skins won't ruin these brownies, but too many would be distracting.

Pour your batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle the top generously with semi-sweet chocolate chips. (If you need your brownies to be completely dairy-free, skip the chocolate chips.) Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out batter-free.

Serve warm or cold, but consume judiciously - these are a big ol' pan of magical beans, after all. *grin*

Chocolate Revel Bars

A thick oaty shortbread crust, a fudgy layer, and a smattering of crispied shortbread baked on top.  This is an old Better Homes and Gardens Recipe, marked as "Best Loved" in their familiar red and white checked cookbook.  I used freshly ground whole wheat flour- these were lovely and squidgy still barely warm from the oven, but the flavors melded better after a night of resting.



These were a big hit.  Actually, I never got a photo taken before they were eaten.  Glancing at the last remaining bar in its crumby pan, I asked my husband to please snap a picture for the blog before he ate it, I was going to bed.  Because one does not leave my husband alone with chocolate and expect it to be there in the morning.

I think this picture makes it look kind of like a crime scene.  But what a delicious crime!

Chocolate Revel Bars

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I left these out)
2 teaspoons vanilla

1.  Set aside 2 Tbsp of butter.  Beat the remaining butter on medium to high speed 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides, add the brown sugar and baking soda.  Beat until combined, scraping down sides occasionally.  Beat in the eggs and 2 tsp vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in the rest of the flour, and the oats.  (I used the paddle attachment on my stand mixer and didn't have a problem at all.)

2.  For the filling, in a medium saucepan combine the reserved 2 Tbsp butter, the chocolate chips, and the sweetened condensed milk.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate melts.  Remove from heat, add nuts and 2 tsp vanilla.

3.  Press 2/3rds of the oat mixture into a 15x10x1" pan (I used two 8x8" pans).  This is about 3 1/3 cup.  Spread chocolate mixture evenly over crust.  Then take small pieces of remaining oat mixture and press into flat disks and arrange over the chocolate mixture.

4.  Bake in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned- the chocolate filling will still look moist.  Cool pan on a wire rack, and cut into bars.  Makes about 60 bars.

Flourless Chocolate Crisps

Adapted from Kumquat

 

Ingredients:

3 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cups sifted cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

2 tsp vanilla

2-4 large egg whites

 

Preheat oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

 

In a bowl, combine your powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, chocolate chips and vanilla. Add two egg whites, and give it a stir. It will probably look like wet chalk. Add another. Maybe another. You’re looking for anything between brownie batter (a slightly thicker cookie) and Elmer’s Glue (a thinner cookie).

 

When desired consistency is reached, put your cookies by spoonful onto your cookie sheets. Two tablespoon-sized heaps will give you 24 cookies. One tablespoon-sized heaps will give you smaller cookies, and more of them.

 

Bake 14 minutes per sheet, or until the cookies are shiny on top and slightly cracked. Cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then carefully move your paper/mat to your cooling rack. When you are able, peel your cookies off and allow them to finish cooling on the rack.

Chocolate Tofu Mousse

I toyed with a lot of titles for this.  It's made with tofu.  If you think you don't like tofu, then....THIS is the dish that will change your mind!

The original recipe dictates equal weight tofu to melted chocolate, and that's IT.  The resulting mousse will have the same properties as the original tofu- silken tofu makes a silky pudding, firm tofu makes something more like cheesecake.  It also doesn't blend as finely, and so has a "ricotta-like" texture, but sets up very firm.  (You could spoon it into a graham cracker crust for a "cheesecake" if you liked.)  I used a large package (1 pound 9 oz) of firm tofu, and then messed with the original recipe a bit- your tofu will dictate the rest of the recipe, consider this a list of ratios!

Chocolate-Soy Mousse

1 lb 8 ounces tofu
12 ounces chocolate chips (or other chocolate) melted (half the weight of the tofu, more or less depending on preference)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter

Mix the tofu in a blender or stand mixer, then mix in remaining ingredients.  Let set in fridge until firm.

Food Fit For a Party

I attended a baby shower for a friend of mine this past weekend, and volunteered to bring some goodies.

When I was planning what to bring, I remembered that I've never met a pregnant lady who didn't appreciate some fresh fruit and some chocolate cake.

First off, the fresh fruit. I saw this idea in an old entertaining book I stole from Grandma when I was in high school. (Yes, Myrnie, I've still got it!) It has some truly crazy things - salmon mousse in the shape of a salmon, anyone? - but it also has some gems. Like this.



To make this watermelon, carefully cut away two wedge shaped sections from the top of the watermelon, with the point being a right angle. When both sections are cut away, carefully stick your knife through the section left in the middle and cut the fruit out. (I wasn't quite careful enough, and nearly went through the handle on one side. Oops!)

The easiest way to break up the watermelon into servable chunks is to just attack it with a spoon. Scoop/break out serving sized pieces, pile them into a bowl, drain the leftover juice out of the watermelon, and pile the fruit back into the watermelon. (Of course, you can't fit all of the fruit back in. Just pile in what you can, and leave the rest at home for your toddler and husband to enjoy. Om nom nom!)

Because I wanted to be fancy, I took a long piece of plastic wrap and made a box to decorate my "basket." (Couldn't you tell what it was?!)

And of course, we couldn't forget to bring a chocolate cake!

I chose to use Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake. It's as good as she says, y'all. It's really, really good. You can see my notes below. WARNING: This is not diet food! This cake should only be made if there are a minimum of 20 prospective mouths to feed.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar (I cut this down to 1 1/2 cups, and could probably cut it down to 1 cup.)
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.

Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda (Does anybody know why you are supposed to mix the baking soda into the eggs and buttermilk??)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. (I'll turn the cake partway through baking next time - my oven is tipped and one corner of my cake was paper thin!)

While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.

Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.

Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.


I cut this into 30 squares, and that was just about right for a baby-shower type setting. Several people went back for seconds (or thirds!) but those of us who were dieting could just grab a small piece and call it good.