Friday, March 27, 2009

lentil brownies






In keeping with my "eat better" philosophy I've been looking for "healthier" dessert options - especially after the homemade samoas - delicious, but by no means good for you! I happened across this recipe and was intrigued by the use of lentils and couldn't wait to try them. I altered the original recipe just a bit - substituting agave nectar for the sugar & adding wheat germ.

I don't want to sell these brownies short - they definitely turned out good. As with most recipes when applesauce is substituted in, they turned out cakelike and it made Brad and I realize that we're just not fans of using applesauce in baking. With that said, they still taste delicious! I think next time I'll just make the ooey gooey black bean ones though!

Lentil Brownies
1/2 C dry lentils
2 C water
4 eggs
1 C agave nectar
1/2 C applesauce
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 T wheat germ
1/2 C + 2Tunsweetened cocoa
2 T unsweetened cocoa
1/2 t sea salt
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Rinse lentils and combine with water in a pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender, 30 minutes or so. Remove from heat and drain any excess liquid.

In a bowl, beat together egg & agave nectar. Add applesauce, vanilla, flour, unsweetened cocoas and salt to egg mixture. Stir in cooked lentils & chocolate chips.

Press mixture into a 9 x 13 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325 F for 35 minutes. Cool and cut into 24 pieces.

***Update - these brownies have really grown on me! If you keep them in the refrigerator they get almost fudgelike and the lentils get crunchy and give the impression of a nut.

adapted from weightwatchers.com

3 comments:

Hazel's mom said...

Funny - I though the black bean brownies were too ooey gooey for me, and a little too rich. I was impressed that I could not taste the beans though. I sent the recipe with Hilary today, as she though they sounded great! I'll try the lentil ones for my preferred cake texture. Thanks for inspiring me to try new things!

sarah said...

Oh good! I'm glad you tried the black bean ones. Yes, if you like more cakelike brownies, you won't be disappointed with these! Happy baking :)

Nicole @ Sprinkle with Salt said...

thanks for the sample brownies, they were great! I don't think I would have know there were lentils unless you told me. Thanks for sharing!