I have to be honest, and at the same time be an enormous big head and admit that I wasn’t sure my No Pudge Chocolate Fudge Brownies could be improved upon. Well, my hands are up. When I’m wrong I say I’m wrong (yes, I’m quoting Dirty Dancing…bonus points if you got that). I have found a way to improve on them…and it’s just a little bit naughty. But it’s boring to be good all the time.
I’m so old now that I can remember the time when Oreos weren’t sold in the UK (or maybe that’s just a line my mum fed me…) but it was only the American girls at school who came back each term loaded up with these ridiculously delicious biscuits and I just remember thinking I had tasted heaven. They were made even more delicious, by the fact they were as rare as boys were at our all girls boarding school. I don’t often eat Oreos now, but each time I do, I remember just how good they are. Crunchy, creamy, and sweet but not too sweet, and they just have this unique flavour which is oh-so-good.
I made these for a friend who came over for tea. It had been her birthday the week before and I thought it would be nice to bake something to celebrate. I had meant to wrap them up and give them to her when she left…but I forgot. Yes, I ‘forgot’ in the most convenient way. So I HAD to eat the whole lot. It was tough. But Sophie my love if you’re reading this, I really did forget. Honest.
I’ve seen lots of recipes with people baking with Oreos and I thought they always looked good but haven’t so far been tempted to try any for myself. And now I’m wondering what on Earth is wrong with me and all I can think about is all the wasted time that I could have been shovelling Oreo cookie brownies into my mouth.
I like to make myself feel a little better by adding them into my heavenly black bean No Pudge Chocolate Fudge Brownies. If you haven’t made these brownies yet, you must. Calgary Avansino loves them and I make them for her on a regular basis, and she likes them so much she put them in her book – very exciting! They are really easy to make, and they’re dairy-free and gluten free…not that that makes them calorie free, but I like to think they are a little better for you than their traditional cousins.
Go on, be a little bit naughty and give them a go. Everyone loves a rebel.
- 1½ cups of sugar free chocolate, broken into chunks. I found some great ones in Wholefoods, but you can also just use normal chocolate, just try to go for one with a high cocoa content – of 70%
- 1 x 400g can of cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use cacao powder)
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup of melted coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- generous pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee (even if you don’t like coffee, add this in, I promise you won’t taste the coffee, it just really adds to the depth of flavour)
- 2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup
- 12 oreos (2 packets)
- Preheat your oven to 180C
- Line a baking dish, approximately 8 inches x 8 inches with baking parchment
- Then, quite simply, pop everything into a food processor and blend until it’s smooth, creamy and brownie batter looking
- Arrange a layer of oreo cookies on the bottom of the baking dish and then tip the brownie mix on the top
- Take a knife and roughly chop the remaining oreos. I like to leave some in half for bigge chunks and then cut the rest into quarters. You will inevitably end up with some rubble and that’s okay too.
- Scatter this over the top of the brownie mix.
- Pop into the oven for about 35 mins until it’s firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean-ish
- Leave to cool before cutting into chunks and devouring
Be a real cliché and serve with a cool glass of milk, or almond milk if you’re like me. A hot gooey brownie from heaven with a cooling glass of milk. Now tell me, what could be better than that?
Give them a go, and tag me on Instagram @MadebyMargie, it makes my day to see your photos!
(First published on April 1st 2016)
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