Black bean brownies with dark salted chocolate and pink date caramel

These brownies are fudgy, slightly spiced and very hot (pink).  And that’s thanks to beets!  So this one’s for Dwight Schrute.  Also for my chef friend Larissa, who has beet stained hands more often than not.  But don’t worry, you don’t have to squeeze out any beet juice for this recipe, unless you are her and would like to and then add it back in.  If you want to make your own dark salted chocolate chips, start with this recipe:

Chocolate Chips

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate bar

2 T maple syrup

1/2 tsp sea salt

Method:

1. Bring a small pot of water to a low boil and melt the chocolate pieces in a bowl sitting over the pot, stirring often to prevent burning.  Once melted, stir in the maple syrup and sea salt
2. With a spoon, spread the chocolate onto a thin sheet of tin foil and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, until frozen.  Once frozen, peel the foil off and use a knife to rough chop the bar into chocolate chip-sized pieces.  Store in the fridge or freezer

Brownies

1/2 cup + reserved 2 Tablespoons grated beet (1 small/medium beet)

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 flax eggs (2 T flax seed meal + 6 T water)

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla or cooled coffee (I use coffee)

1/4 cup almond butter

1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ginger powder

1 T dried rosemary

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup rough chopped chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a 8×8 or 9×9 brownie pan with parchment.  Whisk 2 T flax meal with 6 T water in a small bowl and set aside to congeal for about 10 minutes.  Grate your beet into another small bowl and measure 1/2 cup for the recipe, reserving 2 T for the caramel
2. Add all ingredients to a food processor, (a high speed blender works, but a processor is preferred) including the chocolate chips, and just process it until smooth.  Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and dry.  Let cool and frost with pink date caramel

Pink date caramel 

2 T grated beet, reserved from brownie recipe

1/4 cup + 2 T almond butter

1/4 cup dates, packed (preferably soaked in warm water about 10 minutes)

1/4 cup almond milk

1 1/2 T maple syrup

Method: 

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender (I used a blender for this one) until smooth, marvel at its bright pinkness and spread or pipe over your brownies, topping with extra chocolate chips if you wanna

Pic of piped pink caramel just because: