Black Bean Muffins
This recipe is perfect as Valentine’s Day treat; in fact, dark chocolate is believed to be an aphrodisiac! This recipe will surely woo your partner– or even yourself (after all, we deserve to love ourselves too!).
These black bean muffins have no eggs, dairy, or flour, and they are 100% plant-based! They’re made with whole ingredients, so there’s no need to feel guilty while munching down on these. A lot of people wonder if black bean muffins taste like beans, and the answer is quite simple — no! In fact, they’re extremely moist and take you to chocolate heaven. They’re filled with fiber and good fat to keep your muffin cravings satiated.
When we tested out this recipe, we thought these muffins would have turned out better if we used muffin cups or made them into brownies or cake pops due to how rich and creamy they turned out to be. We also recommend soaking the cashews beforehand and using a good quality food processor!
Ingredients
- 1 tin / 240g cooked black beans
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ cup / 40 g ground oats
- 2–4 tbsp maple syrup / date syrup / or any sweetener
- 6–8 pitted dates
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil or coconut butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup / 80g of chocolate chips / chunks
- ½ tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- CASHEW VANILLA FROSTING
- ¾ cup / 100g cashew nuts
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil or coconut butter, optional
- 2 tbsp maple syrup / date syrup / or any sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–4 tbsp water, just enough to blend smooth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C.
- Place everything for the bean muffins apart from the chocolate chips / chunks in a food processor and blend until smooth. You can use a blender if you don’t have a food processor but it will need to be blended in batches.
- Stir in the ½ cup / 80g of chocolate chips and then spread out in a lined muffin pan.
- Bake in the oven for 16-20 mins until a knife comes out clean.
- Blend all the cashew frosting ingredients together then place in the freezer for 5 mins. It should then be a consistency where it doesn’t pour but is still spreadable. If the frosting is too runny, stir in some more melted coconut oil and chill.
- Spread frosting on top of the black bean muffins. Garnish with some chocolate shavings.
- They are delicious while warm and gooey but still taste amazing at room temperature. These healthy chocolate muffins will last a few days in the fridge.
Notes
So how exactly good are all these ingredients?
Black beans → FIBRE! Iron, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc.
Chocolate (cocoa and dark) → a rich source of antioxidants and minerals, and low in sugar. May also help lower the risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation and insulin resistance, and improve brain function!
Cashews are → rich in vitamin E and minerals (magnesium & zinc) and healthy unsaturated fat.
Coconut oil → help raise HDL (good cholesterol)
Oatmeal → one of the healthiest whole grains on earth! Full of antioxidants and fiber, as well as many important vitamins and minerals. They also help reduce the risk of heart disease and lower blood sugar levels and help with weight loss.
