Plantain Brownies
I came across this tasty alternative brownie recipe when researching baking uses of plantain (cooking banana). Without the need for any type of flour (unlike the Avocado Brownies which require coconut flour) the ingredients are a little bit more straightforward and cheaper. I often buy 3-4 plantains for £1 at my local market Caribbean grocery food stall. Grocery shops that cater for Asian, Caribbean and African cuisine will sell plantain but you may even find it at some supermarkets.
The preparation method for these brownies is just as easy as the avocado version. Once you’ve measured out all the ingredients just blitz everything (except the choc chips) in a food processor. I don’t have a food processor so in my case I use a combination of blenders*.
Moist and chocolatey, these brownies have been just as popular, if not a little bit more so, than the avocado variety and are a big hit with my gluten-free and wheat-intolerant friends.
I’ve not yet tried the accompanying caramel sauce (which adds dairy) but it can be found with the original recipe on the So Let’s Hang Out website.
- 3 ripe plantains, peeled and quartered
- 3 eggs
- ¼-1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
- ¼-1/2 cup raw honey
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 180°C
- If necessary, melt the coconut oil
- Line a brownie pan or other type of baking dish with baking paper.
- Combine all of the brownie ingredients except for the chocolate chips into your food processor and blend until your batter is smooth.*
- (Optional) Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times until they are combined. Don't over process so as to keep them intact as chocolate chips.*
- Pour the batter into the lined baking pan and allow to bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when fully cooked and place the pan in a shallow tray of ice cold water for 5min. Take out of the water tray, remove the brownie block by lifting it out with the paper and place on a cooling rack. Remove the paper.
- Slice and serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge
* I start by blending the plantain and eggs using my smoothie blender and then pour this mixture into a large bowl. Then I add the rest of the ingredients (except chocolate chips) and mix using a handheld blender. Finally, if I’m using chocolate chips, I stir these into the batter.
