I recreated Pure Genius Provisions Gluten-Free Deep Chocolate Chickpea Brownie. It is um…deliciously decadent just like the originals using ingredients that are safe for me! Super score! So let me tell you why…
If you ever had a Pure Genius Provisions Gluten-Free Chocolate Bean Brownie then you know how amazingly delicious they are. A brownie that is nut-free, vegan, soy-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, flourless with no refined sugar and kosher. It’s the best brownie I have ever had. And lucky for me I was able to eat them even with my 30+ food sensitivities!!! I was beyond stoked, super excited. Riding into the sunset, excited! That is, until Pure Genius changed their brownie ingredients. O-M-G.
I was super bummed. I was bummed because the oil ingredient they now use is one of my biggest food sensitivities! : Sunflower oil. They used to use Grapeseed Oil. The day I ordered them for my birthday is the day I figured out the main ingredient plus the oil had changed. Say what?! My first and immediate reaction was anger. I know that sounds silly, but having 30 + food sensitivities, on top of Celiac on top of elimination diets makes it really hard to find suitable packaged foods that are healthy and healthy for my body.
Then came the sadness. NOOOOOOO! WHHHYYYYYY!? Then came the pleading. I direct messaged them on Instagram begging them to make it the old way for the amount I ordered for my birthday. No such luck, but then again it was a long shot. Next came acceptance. If I wanted these bean brownies to taste exactly the same as before I was going to have to make them from scratch without a recipe. I knew the ingredients because they were on the back of the package. It was going to be a challenge, but like my life the last 3 years, every day has been a challenge, so I could definitely take this on.
And by the way, this is the first time I ever took on a baking challenge to recreate a dessert based off of the taste I remembered having.
And when I took this on, it was a Thursday night where I was dying for a sweet treat! I wanted one so badly, that I had no other choice but to get in that kitchen A.S.A.P. You know those days where the only thing that is going to get you at that moment is chocolate?! That was the day I was having. And this was happening! I was going to recreate this brownie.
First I browsed the internet searching for bean brownie recipes that were the same or similar to the original Pure Genius brownie, but no such luck. Then I looked for recipes that used what I thought would be a good formula to plug my recipe into. Lots of recipes used totally random ingredients, a ton of sugar and lots of additives. I wanted my brownie vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, coconut-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, I wanted all the free’s! So I really was going to have to go into the kitchen blindly.
I went into the kitchen and started pulling the ingredients I knew were used. The packaged mentioned gluten-free oats, and while there are many kinds of gluten-free oats, I went with gluten-free quick-cooking oats. I also pulled out the pure maple syrup, the grapeseed oil and the flax seeds. When it came to pulling out the chocolate, I decided to go with gluten-free carob powder instead to lessen the amount of stimulation (Did I really need to be amped up on chocolate at midnight? Nope!). And then also grabbed some gluten-free chocolate chips, the 69% dark kind from Enjoy Life. I thought that would be a nice cocoa / carob combination. And then lastly I went for the black beans, and decided to stay with chickpeas.
I was ready. And I went in thinking if this round isn’t great, I will perfect it until is great. And that is exactly what I did, with the fourth and fifth rounds being THE ONES! The diamonds in the rubble! The brownies above all other brownies!
Since my taste test team and myself couldn’t decide from the last two rounds I am giving you both options, the only difference being the amount of oil used.
As much as these are a dessert treat, they are LOADED with protein (approximately 21 grams of protein in a 15oz can of chickpeas!) and, so technically they could be eaten for breakfast. These are the kinds of brownies that will keep you full because protein makes you full and satisfied, so as a bonus to you, you will eat less, which means your rockin bod will not be affected by the decadence.
AND NO, you will have NO idea that chickpeas are even in this brownie recipe.
When I say no one could tell, I am damn serious about that fact.
Just tasted like the deepest chocolaty brownie we ever ate.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1 15oz can BPA Free Chickpeas such as Eden, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Certified Gluten-Free quick-cooking Oats by Bob’s Red Mill
2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of Gluten-Free Carob powder such as Chatfields
1 teaspoon unsweetened gluten-free cocoa powder such as Hershey’s
1/4 Himalayan pink sea salt
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (not the processed kind – I’m talking Pure Grade)
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1 Tablespoon flax seeds (whole, not ground)
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1/2 cup Enjoy Life Dark gluten-free chocolate chips
Optional: 1-2 teaspoons of chocolate or vanilla extract (but not at all needed)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor add the gluten-free oats and flax seeds and pulse until the mixture is a bit finer and grated down. Then add all other ingredients except the chocolate chips and process till all particles are broken down and well blended. Like really blend this mixture well. You may have to turn off your food processor for a moment to prevent overheating, but then turn it back on and blend again.
Add mixture into a large cooking bowl and with a spoon (or your hands) fold in the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
Pour mixture into a greased 8×8 brownie pan (you may have to use your hands dipped in water to spread the mixture) and place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. These brownies need to cool down before enjoying or cutting or they will fall apart.
Store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or glass container for up to 1 week. **When you take them out of the fridge, let them sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. They taste best when they are not that cold.
Makes 9 brownies
TIPS:
If you want a lighter version of this brownie use only 1/4 cup of the grape seed oil
If you want a deep, decadent fudge brownie then follow the recipe as is.
If you can’t find pink Himalayan sea salt, use Celtic Sea Salt or regular Sea Salt
Feel free and use whatever brands of products that suit you and your needs, but I linked to the brands I use, trust and love.
If you want a brownie that is more dry, you can cook them on the bottom rack closest to the heat.
- 1 15oz can BPA Free Chickpeas such as Eden, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons Certified Gluten-Free quick-cooking Oats by Bob's Red Mill
- 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of Gluten-Free Carob powder such as Chatfields
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened gluten-free cocoa powder such as Hershey's
- ¼ Himalayan pink sea salt
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup (not the processed kind - I'm talking Pure Grade)
- ⅓ cup grapeseed oil
- 1 Tablespoon flax seeds (whole, not ground)
- ½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- ½ cup Enjoy Life Dark gluten-free chocolate chips
- Optional: 1-2 teaspoons of chocolate or vanilla extract (but not at all needed)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor add the gluten-free oats and flax seeds and pulse until the mixture is a bit finer and grated down. Then add all other ingredients except the chocolate chips and process till all particles are broken down and well blended. Like really blend this mixture well. You may have to turn off your food processor for a moment to prevent overheating, but then turn it back on and blend again.
- Add mixture into a large cooking bowl and with a spoon (or your hands) fold in the ½ cup of chocolate chips.
- Pour mixture into a greased 8x8 brownie pan (you may have to use your hands dipped in water to spread the mixture) and place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. These brownies need to cool down before enjoying.
- Store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or glass container for up to 1 week. **When you take them out of the fridge, let them sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. They taste best when they are not that cold.
If you want a deep, decadent fudge brownie then follow the recipe as is. If you can't find pink Himalayan sea salt, use Celtic Sea Salt. Feel free and use whatever brands of products that suit you and your needs, but I linked to the brands I use, trust and love.
Love & Bean Brownies!
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