Peanut Butter Bliss Brownies

I have finals for the next few days, and I'm super stressed out. Baking and blogging is what I do to relax during my study breaks. This week I've been craving brownies. Having a brownie after studying and taking so many tests is a great reward. Especially these brownies.

If you like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, or any form of peanut butter and chocolate mixed together, you will fall in love with these brownies. Not only do they taste like peanut butter and chocolate heaven, but these brownies are really good for you! (good for the body and the soul) They have fiber, protein, and vitamin B6 from the black beans (yes, there are black beans in the brownies, don't freak out), Omega-3 fatty acid and antioxidants from the chia seeds, and magnesium and vitamin E from the organic peanut butter. I'm giving you a reason to eat more brownies (these brownies of course), so go make some! 

If you haven't noticed, the peanut butter that's swirled into the brownies in these pictures look lighter than the skippy peanut butter in your pantry. Unfortunately, peanut butter companies use dark moldy peanuts, corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils to make peanut butter. Dark peanuts contain aflatoxin, a carcinogenic fungus that occurs naturally. In The China Study, Dr. T. Colin Campbell goes into depth about his discovery of aflatoxin and the dangers of consuming it. To avoid any health risks, I make my own peanut butter. I usually buy a giant bag of organic unshelled peanuts, sit in front of the TV, and shell my peanuts one by one. This way, I can inspect every single peanut to make sure none of them are dark and moldy. I know, you might be thinking "That's crazy!", but I enjoy it. Shelling peanuts are a great way of being productive while watching my favorite movies and shows.

Of course, I'm not saying that you need to shell your own peanuts, because you can buy mold free, pre-shelled organic fancy peanuts in a bag. I just like to shell my own because it's fun (apparently I'm the only one that thinks shelling peanuts is fun. Go ahead, judge me. I'll just be sitting there, shelling peanuts). Shell your own peanuts or not, you still need to make these brownies. 

They're just too good! 

Ingredients:

• 8 oz soaked cashews
• 1 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups organic palm sugar 
• 1 can organic black beans
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 cup organic gluten-free oats 
• 1/3 cup organic peanut butter

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350. In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, cocoa powder, coconut palm sugar, black beans, almond milk, and chia seeds. Once the batter is smooth, pour it into a large bowl. Add the oats and stir until well distributed. Pour the batter into a lined brownie pan or sprayed mini cupcake tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are crisp. Enjoy!