Bean Brownies Part Two

About a month ago, I wrote about my Azuki Raspberry "Brownies" recipe: a brownie-like confection that uses Azuki beans instead of chocolate to get its flavor. Just to follow up, I wanted to mention that I tried other variations of this theme.

I made Black Bean Blackberry "Brownies" and Azuki Blueberry "Brownies" for a party. Not much was changed from the original recipe except for the choice of bean and/or fruit.

I used plain beans this time without any additives at all, which required the addition of several tablespoons of honey. Agave nectar, jam, jellies, maple syrup or brown sugar (if you're allowed to have it) would have also been acceptable as sweetening agents. My advice would be to under-sweeten it a bit, remembering that the natural fruit sugars will be contributing to the overall flavor.

My final opinion? The seeds of the blackberries were a bit of a nuisance -- getting a little pit stuck in your teeth while biting into what should be soft, gooey "brownie" is not especially pleasant. And while a lot of choco-alternative recipes endorse the use of black beans, I didn't find that it made the batter any darker than the Azuki, nor did I find the taste as refined. The blueberry was great from a texture point of view, but given the choice, I would opt for the raspberry + azuki combo every time. They just naturally seem to complement each other. It just surprises me that I got it right the first try.