Homemade Desserts: Black Bean Brownie “Sundae”

The brownie’s under there somewhere!

No flour black bean brownies are a go-to dessert at our house – so easy and delicious. Take it up a notch by transforming it into an ice cream-free “sundae”!

I’ve made both “plain” and “Mexican Chocolate” versions, and find that I really enjoy a bit of spice in it to balance the sweetness: with this batch, I added a pinch of cayenne and a little cinnamon. I was so enthralled with pouring the smooth batter into the baking dish that I forgot to stir in the chocolate chips (oops), so I sprinkled them on top and pressed them in. As always, the brownies came out tasty, but I prefer the chips to be more evenly distributed throughout the brownie.

To make the sundae, I layered half of a sliced ripe banana, unsweetened dried coconut shreds, and some walnut halves on top. I also sprinkled some chia seeds atop it all.

The finished sundae is sweet and chocolate-y from the brownie; creamy from the banana; and crunchy from the walnuts, coconut, and chia seeds. I think it’s even better than a traditional ice cream sundae with its sugary syrups and sauces (and definitely cleaner, with no additives).

Obviously, there are lots of possibilities here: you could top it with slivered almonds, fresh coconut, cashew cream, aquafaba, fresh fruit…sky’s the limit! And who says this has to be dessert? With all that protein and fiber, it would make a satisfying meal, too. Dessert for breakfast? Hmm…🤔