Spidergrrl’s Beany Bar Yum Yum variations:

We make a version of this every week—or rather I make it and we gobble them up. They are a nice, filling and healthy snack to have on hand. Plus they are cheaper than prepacked stuff you can buy.  I like that with the basic recipe you can make 5 different kinds depending on whatever beans you have on hand. I’d like to develop a carrot cake version—but haven’t yet. I've had several requests for my bean bar recipes so here they all are. I make mine gluten free but if wheat is not an issue you can make them with regular flour.

Basic recipe:

Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F

Grease a 9x12 pan—or something similar.

Mix the following dry ingredients in a bowl.

1 ½ cups wholemeal pastry flour, sifted (GF four works great here as well)

1/3- ½ cup sugar (I use a brown sugar stevia blend so I use ¼ cup to get the same sweetness as a half cup but with half the calories)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp (smoked) sea salt

½ cup walnuts, broken up (optional)

¼ cup sunflower seeds (optional)

¼ cup chocolate chips

Zoosh the following ingredients in your blender until fully pureed

 1 ½ cups beans (one tin of beans, drained and well rinsed or cook your own like I do)

1 ½ cups water (scant)

¼ cup liquid sweetener (agave, maple syrup, golden syrup, honey if you swing that way)

6 medjool dates, pitted

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 TB flax meal (ground flax seeds)

1 TB vinegar

 Mix wet into dry, spread in pan and bake 14 minutes, then rotate pan to cook evenly and bake 14 more minutes. Let cool then slice 3x4 to make 12 bars. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

To make brownies:

Use black beans

Up the sugar to ¾ cup (or add some pure stevia to make up the sweetness)

Cut back flour to 1 ¼ cups and add ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Use balsamic vinegar

To make blondies:

Use white beans like haricot, navy or cannellini

Add 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp nutmeg to dry ingredients

 Use apple cider vinegar

To make duckflaps:

Use chickpeas

Cut back  flour to 1 cup and add ½ cup oats

Add ¼ cup dried cranberries to dry ingredients

Add 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp nutmeg to dry ingredients

Use apple cider vinegar

To make shut ups:

Use black eyed peas

Add ¼ cup desiccated coconut to dry ingredients

Add 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp nutmeg to dry ingredients

Use apple cider vinegar

To make gingerbread:

Use chickpeas or white beans

Add 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp nutmeg to dry ingredients

Use blackstrap molasses as your ¼ cup liquid sweetener

1 thumb sized piece of ginger peeled added into the blender

Use apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Now go and make your own.