German Chocolate Brownies are black bean brownies sweetened entirely with dates topped with caramel, coconut, and pecans. Heaven!
Today is my dad's birthday, so I decided to make him some treats for my blog.
German Chocolate Brownies to be exact.
I know, right?!
And you wanna know what makes these so amazing {other than how adorable they are + how delicious they taste} they are entirely sweetened with dates.
[clickToTweet tweet="German Chocolate Brownies are #GF #DF brownies covered with coconut + pecans, sweetened w/ dates" quote="German Chocolate Brownies are #GF #DF brownies covered with coconut + pecans, sweetened w/ dates"]
What the what?!
Yep. I just used dates to sweeten the entire thing. Dates and only dates.
No granulated sugar. No honey. No nothing. Just dates.
I'm fo real guyz. Fo real.
These are fan-freakin-tastic, and they are fun to eat because they won't give you a massive sugar crash.
In all honesty, these just started off as basic brownies. I wanted to make my Black Bean Brownies without added sugar.
Coconut oil was the closest thing to me when making them, so that's what I used. However, they did have a slight coconut oil flavor. If that's not your thing, then just make them with butter or canola oil.
Since the brownies had coconut oil in them, I decided to go with that theme and just make them into German Chocolate Brownies.
In typical German Chocolate Cake fashion, these have a caramel icing with coconut and pecans. I made a caramel sauce by blending softened dates with coconut oil, water, and vanilla extract. Spread that on the cooled brownies and then sprinkle with chopped pecans and shredded coconut.
Side note: I don't recommend tasting the caramel before putting it on your brownies. You might eat too much and not have enough for the brownies. That almost happened...
To make these delightful treats, you'll start by soaking the pitted dates in hot water. I used 17 pitted medium sized dates for the whole recipe. Put them all in a bowl and cover with super hot water.
Let soak for about 15 minutes before using. Take out 10 dates and use them in the brownies. Let the other 7 dates soak for the caramel sauce {you want them really soak so they blend well}.
Blend together all the brownie ingredients and then bake.
While the brownies are cooling, you will make the caramel sauce by blending the very soft dates with a little bit of date-soaking water, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
These really aren't complicated. All you need in a good food processor. I love my Ninja.
I recommend using a 9 inch baking pan; I thought mine were a little too thick with an 8 inch baking pan. They will still be tasty if they are a little thicker though.
To cut down on the mess and make it easier, use foil to line the baking pan. Then lightly grease it before pouring the brownie batter in and baking. That way you'll be able to just lift the brownies out of the pan and then you can cover in the caramel sauce, pecan, and coconut. Yum!
German Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownies:
- 1 cup dates about 10 pitted dates
- 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 4 eggs or 3 extra large
- 3 TBSP coconut oil or butter
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp instant coffee granules or coffee concentrate
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
For the Icing:
- 2/3 cup dates about 7 pitted dates
- 2 TBSP date-soaking water
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping:
- 5 TBSP pecans chopped
- 2 TBSP unsweetened coconut
Instructions
- Put all of the dates {for both the brownies and the caramel sauce} in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 inch square baking pan or line with foil. Set aside.
- Take out 10 dates {about 7/8 cup} and drain well. Add the a food processor along with all other brownie ingredients. Blend together until completely combined and blended.
- Transfer brownie mixture to the prepared baking pan, and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, add the remaining soaked dates {about 2/3 cup} + 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid to the {clean} bowl of a food processor. Add the coconut oil and the vanilla extract. Blend until completely combined and smooth {it'll take a few minutes}.
- Spread the "caramel" icing over the brownies and sprinkle with the chopped pecans and coconut. Enjoy!
What I used to make the recipe:
Happy birthday, Dad!!!
Meme
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Azu says
I've heard so much about black bean brownies, but as a Mexican, I'm not craving beans in my dessert hahaha. I baked brownies with spinach and blueberries, and they are delicious! I think your recipe is trying to convince me to make brownies with black beans.
Meme says
Haha I know what you mean, but they are so amazing!! I've yet to have someone not love them, and that's coming from skeptics and those I didn't bother to tell that they were black bean brownies. You should totally try it! You won't regret it!!
Marlene says
OMGOODNESS I made these and they were a hit. My 5 year old granddaughter loved them and my son who was skeptical about trying said they brought sunshine to his day!
Meme says
BEST COMMENT EVER!!!!!! Thank you soooo much! So happy y'all liked them 🙂 xo
Michelle says
MMmmmmm! thanks for the recipe! I went off refined sugar 4 months ago and just needed something sweet, found your recipe and thought lets give it a whirl, I love them, well done. and my husband who is a sugar-aholic shrugged his shoulders and said "ya not bad"; in my home that's high praise for something so off the beaten path 🙂
Meme says
YAY!!! I am so so soooo happy y'all enjoyed them, Michelle!! And thank you so much for coming back to comment 🙂 xo