Fudgy Brownies with Cookie Dough Frosting

Fudgy Brownies with a Cookie Dough Frosting. What more is there to say!? These are a delicious, decadent dessert. Like all recipes on my blog, packed with wholesome ingredients, such as beans, oats, dates, and nuts. That’s right- beans! The brownies are made with black beans as the base- but you wouldn’t even now it! The cookie dough layer is made with chickpeas- they blend so well with the other ingredients. 

This was my birthday cake in 2021! It was inspired by a chocolate brownie and cookie dough cake my mom made for my birthday a few years ago. I have fond memories of that cake, and wanted to recreate it (I think it was her own creation!).  It took me almost 6 months to get this recipe on the blog- I was playing with all sorts of variations in the ingredients and the methods- I wanted to give a variety of ways to make these. So I have eaten a lot of brownies and cookie dough over the past few months, and I am not mad about that one bit! 

Both of these recipes also taste great on their own! See the recipes Chickpea Cookie Dough and Fudgy Black Bean Brownies for variations in the methods and ingredients. 

A few notes before you get started:

METHODS: Below I gave instructions for the blender version for both the brownies and the cookie dough. It’s really easy to make these in a food processor too. I prefer the brownies made in my Vitamix, but I am mixed on what method I prefer for the cookie dough. For the food processor versions, see the other recipes for this at  Chickpea Cookie Dough and Fudgy Black Bean Brownies.

NUTS: Please see the other blogs for variations in the nut/ nut butter/ nut flours.

PLANT MILK VS WATER: For plant-based milks, I generally recommend unsweetened soymilk  (this is my preferred plant-based milk of choice for it’s nutritional profile), feel free to make this with whatever plant-based milk suits your needs. Water also works well in this recipe. The difference between water vs. soymilk in the recipe was very subtle- I think the soymilk version was just a slight bit creamier, but honestly not sure if it really made too much of a difference. 

Fudgy Brownies with Cookie Dough Frosting

Ingredients:

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

½ cup old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup raw cashews (or ⅓ cup almond flour)

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ cup pitted and chopped dates

1 cup unsweetened soymilk (or water)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups cooked black beans (or 1-15 oz BPA-free, salt-free can- drained & rinsed)

Cookie Dough

½ cup old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup raw cashews (or ⅓ cup almond flour)

½ cup pitted and chopped dates

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk (or water)

1½ cups cooked chickpeas (or 1- 15 oz can, drained and rinsed)

¼ – ⅓ cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips 

Method:

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 
  2. In a high speed blender, combine the oats and cashews (or almond flour). Process until like a flour. Pour in a bowl and stir in the cocoa powder. Set aside.
  3. Next, blend together the dates with the soymilk and vanilla, and blend until smooth. Add the black beans and blend until the mixture is as smooth as possible.
  4. Add the oat, cashew, and chocolate mixture to the blender with the black bean mixture. Blend on low until well combined. The mixture is going to be really thick, so go slow to try and prevent over heating your blender. It may help to scrap down the edges and stir the mixture a bit by hand to help it blend easier. 
  5. Line a 8X8 glass dish with parchment paper. Add the brownie batter, and spread until smooth and even. 
  6. Bake the brownies for 20 minutes. The brownies will be really gooey when they come out of the oven, so allow to cool completely. 
Cookie Dough
  1. While the Brownies are baking, prepare the cookie dough. In a high speed blender, combine the rolled oats and raw cashews (or almond flour) and blend until fine like flour. Pour the oat and nut flour into a bowl and set aside.
  2. Next add the dates, vanilla, and soymilk in the blender. Blend until smooth. Add the chickpeas and continue to blend until smooth.
  3. Add the oat and nut flour into the blender with the wet mixture, and continue to blend until reaches desired texture. 
  4. Add the cookie dough to a bowl or container. Stir in the chocolate chips. 
  5. Once the Brownies have cooled, spread the cookie dough on top. Slice into squares, and enjoy! 

Makes 8-12 brownies.