These fantastic little morsels were inspired by one of my favourite things -- black bean brownies. like so many people I have a very low tolerance for sugar these days. I am unfortunately a skilled baker with a sweet tooth, so over the past few years I have been scouring the Internet universe for alternative desserts of all kinds.

Last year one of my obsessions was perfecting the bean brownie. Perfection required tasting a lot of bean batter. My rule was that the batter always had to taste like real chocolate cake batter. I quickly realized, this thick chocolate batter could, and should, be transformed into truffles.

I have since done some research to see if this had been attempted. Sure enough, it had. But the recipes I found involved far too much sugar or stevia for my taste. I rarely want a sugary treat these days, I instead opt for a sweet nutritional powerhouse whenever possible. These truffles fit the bill. Full of protein and potassium, these little gems make a fantastic post workout bite. They are easy to prepare and you can even store them in your freezer.


1 large can organic black beans
1 tbsp organic vanilla extract
2 frozen bananas
2 tbsp organic maple syrup
1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder
1 dash fine sea salt
Splash of espresso or coffee (optional)
2 tbsp vanilla rice milk (I like Natura)

Coating

1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder
2 tbsp maca powder

Blend all ingredients except for casting ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop small balls of the mixture and drop onto a non-stick baking sheet. Cover lightly with cling film and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Combine coating ingredients in a large bowl. Once balls are firm to the touch, roll to coat each in the dry coating mixture. Chill balls in fridge or freezer until ready to serve.