Lauren Eats Clean

I've been craving sweets lately. I'd do anything for an endless supply of Salted Caramel Budino from Mercatto:

but I know deep down inside that it would truly botch all of the hard work I've done in the past 9 months.

So, rather than destroy all of my efforts, I pulled out my Best of Clean Eating Cookbook and decided to try my hand at Black Bean Fudge Cakes. I love a really good fudge brownie. These are definitely fudgey.

I didn't follow the directions to a T. I did it in a 13x9" pan (I just got a new Le Creuset pan this morning) - this resulted in really thin brownies, and I would absolutely make them in a smaller pan next time to ensure optimal fudgeiness. I also opted to not add walnuts. I prefer a nut-free brownie, I don't love chunks in my food, and wanted to cut down on the fat in the brownies as well.

The finished product with, um, a row missing... I blame the toddler. He loved them!

They had a sort of springy texture... once you get past this, they're really quite delicious. And I wonder if doing them in a smaller pan would change this at all.

Up close:

Black Bean Fudge Cakes from The Best of Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray
1 oz dark organic chocolate (70% cocoa or greater)
1 1/2 cups soft-cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
2 eggs
1 egg white
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 heaped cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup raw organic honey
1/4 to 1/2 cup unsalted walnuts, chopped

Instructions:

ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist 8 individual ramekins or 1 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

TWO: Melt dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat with 1 tbsp water mixed in.

THREE: Combine melted chocolate, beans, eggs, egg white, oil, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla, applesauce and honey in a food processor; process until smooth. Stir in walnuts and pour mixture into prepared ramekins or baking dish.

FOUR: Bake in preheated oven until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides, about 20 minutes for ramekins and 30 minutes for baking dish.