Brownies Made with Weird Stuff
Posted by Avi
Sunday August 22, 2010Because of their intense chocolate flavor, brownies, you should know, can be made with savory ingredients. Trust 101 Cookbooks: Heidi Swanson’s Black Bean Brownies—a recipe originally from Ania Catalano’s Baking with Agave Nectar—have earned somewhat of a cult following.
“As strange as it sounds,” Heidi writes in her post, “we’re talking brownies packed with pureed black beans.” In fact, the beans are just one of two interesting additions; Ania’s recipe is also, of course, made with agave nectar: “Tastes amazing…it really has its own thing going on.” Honey can be substituted if it’s easier, but agave does add something different. And these brownies are flourless, too, which is always a good place to start when you’re looking for a denser chocolate consistency.
Following Ania’s and Heidi’s lead of using a savory ingredient to get perfectly fudgy brownies, We [Heart] Food recently posted a recipe for Tahini Brownies, which just happen to be vegan, too. Seattle bloggers Lisa and Chris spotted this recipe on Taste of Beirut, a U.S.-based Lebanese food blog. I haven’t made them yet, but imagining how the tahini works with the chocolate I can almost guarantee deliciousness.
Tahini, the buttery paste made from sesame seeds and used readily in Middle Eastern cooking, works very well with sweet ingredients; I actually like it on sandwiches instead of peanut butter. It has a rich, almost smoky flavor and a very creamy consistency. Some may find it too bitter for a pb & j-style sandwich, but I love how it’s strong flavor pairs with the sweetness of jam.
So why hasn’t tahini been used more in baking? Finally, thanks to a Lebanese touch, it’s the key ingredient in a brownie recipe I can’t wait to try.
Sometimes, though, all we want is something sweet and chocolaty and made without any special or quirky or beany ingredients. When this craving hits, we always turn to back to Judith Fertig’s Blue Ribbon Brownies from All-American Desserts. I love trying new recipes made with weird stuff, but it’s hard to beat Judith’s classic—it’s been satisfying brownie cravings nationwide for years.
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