Bean & Banana Chocolate Muffins
I know that a cake that uses Kidney Beans instead of flour sounds freakish. I know you probably just screwed your nose up and said 'beans, really?'. But I'm here to tell you, this cake mix not only works, it's really yummy, and healthy. The texture is light and fluffy, and slightly crummy, just like a 'real' cake made with flour. They puff up when cooking but do deflate a little bit as they cool, and the tops end up looking a bit like brownie, with a crackled effect.
Now as you may know, I've been trying to find healthier alternatives to some of the more traditional ingredients. I love butter and sugar as much as the next baking addict, but sometimes we need healthier alternatives so that we can eat cake EVERY DAY and not feel guilty about it - am I right!? Enter, Bean and Banana Chocolate Muffins! These muffins are Gluten Free, Dairy Free and are low in sugar. Because of the beans, they are full of protein and fibre too.
Bean & Banana Chocolate Muffins
Makes 18 medium-sized muffins.
Ingredients
420g tin kidney beans, rinsed and drained.
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 banana, peeled, broken into quarters
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
5 eggs
65g coconut sugar
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar-free maple syrup or honey
70g cocoa powder
½ tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp GF baking powder
Conventional method
1. Preheat oven to 180⁰ and grease muffin trays with spray oil.
2. Using a food processor, puree the beans, coffee, maple syrup/honey, 1 egg, vanilla essence and the banana until smooth (stop to scrape down the sides occasionally). Pour puree into a small bowl and set aside.
3. Add olive oil and sugar to the food processor and mix well until sugar dissolves, then add in remaining eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add bean puree mixture and stir in, then add cocoa, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt. Mix well to combine.
5. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes.
Thermomix method
1. Preheat oven to 180⁰ and grease muffin trays with spray oil.
2. Place the beans, coffee, maple syrup/honey, 1 egg, vanilla essence and the banana in mixing bowl and blitz on speed 5 for 10 seconds (MC in). Scrape down the sides and repeat. Repeat until mixture is completely smooth. Pour puree into a small bowl and set aside.
3. Without rinsing the bowl. add olive oil and sugar and mix on Speed 4 for 5 seconds (MC in). Remove MC then add in remaining eggs one at a time through the lid, with TM on speed 3 (MC in).
4. Add bean puree mixture and mix on speed 3.5, reverse for 5 seconds(MC in), then add cocoa, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt for a further 5 seconds on speed 3.5 (MC in).
5. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes.
