Plan-what? Last week, a friend handed over a bag of produce because she was going to head out of town in a few days, and she wanted to make sure that her goods went to good use. Inside the bag was some kale, some celery, bananas, and a bunch of plantains. Kale, celery, and bananas–we can make short work of that in our house. Plantains? Now, I like to think that I’m fairly well-versed in the world of produce, and I do know what a plantain is, but admittedly, I’ve never had a plantain.
Such began Erika’s research mode. Pancakes, cookies, truffles, bread, tortillas, chips……who knew that there are so many recipes involving plantains out there! Given that I was super hungry during my “research” and that chocolate was seeming to call my name, I settled on brownies. I don’t know why—maybe because it was way past my bedtime—but the fact that these brownies have no flour of any kind seemed so amazing to me! In my amazement, though, I was skeptical. Could they really turn out cakey like a brownie? Could you really cut them into squares? Could they really taste like a brownie? Well, there’s only one way to find out—you gotta dive right in and try!
First, though, I am going to let you in on a little secret—posting recipes is hard work. I had no idea when I started on this little blogging adventure just how hard! 🙂 I love to bake, I love to share, so what’s the problem? Well—I have a tendency to guesstameasure. Guessta-what? I often find myself putting in a little of this, a little of that, and then palm measuring a good deal. Palm measuring—according to the dictionary of Erika means pouring the ingredients into your palm and guess measuring that it’s the right amount. I know that I’m not the only one to do this ;-), but when you try to write the recipe out for others to duplicate, it makes it a bit more challenging. Sometimes, I find myself going back and redoing the recipe just so I know how much of what I put in–much to our “dismay” when it’s a good recipe! So, what does this little tanget have to do with plantain brownies? Well, when it came to the coconut oil, my ability to actually measure was drained—enter the guesstameasure, and I’m pretty sure that since my brownies were a bit on the oily side (but still oh-so-delicious), I guessed high! So, this would be my only caution with these brownies—don’t use too much oil! 🙂
Okay—off tanget now and back to the main topic at hand—these truly scrumptious brownies. They are rich, not too sweet, and I couldn’t tell that there was no flour. Add in that you’re making the batter in a food processor, and you’re golden! 🙂 It’s so simple and ingenious—throw everything in the food processor and turn it on. No mixing ingredients in separate bowls and combining later. No individual beaters to have to wash. A-ma-zing!
Chocolate Plantain Brownies
Adapted from Preparing it Paleo
2 peeled plantains
2 flax eggs (2 TBSP ground flax meal and 6 TBSP water)*
¼ cup melted coconut oil
¼ cup honey
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Peel the plantains and cut each into four sections. Toss plantains and everything but the chocolate chips into a food processor. Blend until you have a smooth batter. Now pulse in the chocolate chips. Pour into an 8-inch square baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
*Make the flax eggs first. After combining the ground flax meal and the water, stick your combo into the refrigerator while you get the rest of your ingredients out. I find that this helps the flax eggs to “gel” up a bit more.
So, if you’re in the mood for something chocolaty and rich that’s also super easy to make, you’ve found it! Or, if you’re just wanting to experiment with plantains, you’ve found it too!
Do you have any favorite recipes with plantains?
It's Truly Scrumptious! 