BEANS INSTEAD OF BUTTER?
Sounds crazy, but it works!
Dear Ann gets all the credit for this idea. She wrote a comment on my recipe for carrot cake made from dehydrated carrots and wheat flour and told how she substituted an equal amount of mashed white beans for the oil and then used powdered eggs, and still achieved GREAT results.
The idea of using beans instead of oil or butter in baked goods seemed intriguing so I gave it a try. The recipe, Best Blueberry Buckle, was found on recipezaar.com and is an adaptation from Cook’s Illustrated. It’s supposedly almost identical to Einstein Bagel’s blueberry crumb cake and has 4 whole cups of blueberries suspended in the batter. (Are we good?)
So. First I cooked a pile of white beans until they were completely soft.
Then I mashed them in my food-chopper-thing and measured out the amount to equal the butter that was originally called for in the recipe. This is what one and a quarter sticks of butter looks like, in beans.
Cream as usual and go.
I used real butter for the streusel topping and my daughter said this was the BEST blueberry muffin cake, EVER! She ate it for breakfast, took a piece to school in her lunch, enjoyed it as an after school snack, and chose it for a treat during dancing lessons. (She may not get enough baked goods.) (You know what that’s about.)
I didn’t tell anyone about the beans. It’s our little secret.
And there’s more where that came from!
I’m going to measure the leftover bean-goo and freeze it in half cup lumps so that it’s easy to add to other recipes. This trick saves money and helps our arteries stay happy. Thank you so much, Ann! As you can see, I tried it and your suggestion was a total hit!
May 29th, 2010 at 8:00 am
YUM!!!! That looks delectable and I am so glad it was a success.
You can substitute mashed beans in just about any recipe, just make sure the color of the beans matches the color of what ever it is you are baking (for instant, black beans would not look good in this recipe but they would be great for a chocolate cake).
Bean flour also works this same basic way and can also be used as a thickening agent.
Way to go Liesa!!! xoxo
May 31st, 2010 at 12:05 am
Instead of cooking the beans then pureeing them, you can just boil water, add bean flour and you’ve got instant pureed beans in minutes! That’ll save you an hour of making the beans.
Instant pureed beans:
2 1/2 c water
3/4 c bean flour
Bring water to boil in saucepan, remove from heat and whisk in the bean flour, stirring constantly. Return to heat, cook on medium-low2-3 minutes.
May 31st, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Oh my goodness! I must try this!
May 31st, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Thanks guys! It was fun to see that the bean substitution worked. And Heather, I tried your bean pancakes yesterday. They were a hit for lunch. Thank you!
June 2nd, 2010 at 12:58 pm
This rocks my socks. Better yet, I can use my mill and try the bean flour too…yay!
July 7th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Made this for breakfast today with a few more food storage additions. Thanks Lisa!
http://secretsofmom.blogspot.com/2010/07/butter-free-breakfast-buckle.html
October 7th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Oh Leisa! I’m on a health kick and this is JUST what I have been looking for.
Thank you for all that you do!
October 8th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Hey Marie! Long time no comments!
Check out the above information and link from Heather’s comment. She knows what she’s doing and has some great suggestions. Love you! Liesa
January 1st, 2011 at 9:35 pm
YUM. On principle, beans are excellent in food storage. But, that is where my dedication to the humble legume ends, unless it is taco soup or seven layer nachos. Since variety is the spice of life, I do appreciate these recipes very much. I will give this a try. It looks soooo good.
January 5th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Big hug Carolyn!