"black bean brownies with some MINOR adjustments"

My favorite mailing list has been having a hot and heavy discussion about the Amazing Black Bean brownie recipe that Heidi posted a couple of weeks ago. The thread culminated in one woman, the ever-brave Lisa Whipple, deciding that she was just going to make them and see how they turned out. The brownies are in the oven now just finished and her opinion is at the bottom of this post, but I had to share her email missive with you.

OK--reporting in. I had all my baking stuff out from my latest creation
(zucchini-banana bread), so I decided to dive in. I had to make some MINOR
adjustments:

• I didn't have black beans, so I used white northern and chickpeas.
• I didn't have chocolate, so I used hazelnut meal and cinnamon/pumpkin pie spices.
• I didn't use coffee in a recipe for my kids because I am not insane, so I used extra vanilla.
• I didn't have agave nectar so I used molasses and maple syrup.
• I added flaxseed meal because I put that in everything.
• I put grated apple in because I put something like that in everything. Plus the cinnamon spice theme.
• I put in some teff flour and some Pamela's GF baking mix because the batter seemed awfully thin.
• I didn't use parchment paper in the pan because f*ck that, so I just sprayed it with canola oil.

It's in the oven now and smells really good. I'll let you know. I have every
expectation that these brownies will turn out exactly as delicious as the
author of the recipe claims they are. :)

Somebody sent back mail saying, "So it's apple hazelnut chickpea spice cake... brownies?" and got this response:

No. They are black bean brownies with some MINOR adjustments.

I am falling on the floor, with tears running down my cheeks because I have gotten this email from other people before. Except it started out, "I just tried your recipe for..." before listing half a dozen "minor" changes that left the original recipe in the corner blinking and saying, "whaaaaa?"

So how are the apple hazelnut chickpea spice cake... brownies black bean brownies with some MINOR adjustments? Here's the report:

So, they're out and they are...fine. A little beany, but they are not the worst gluten-free concoction I've come up with. C likes them, and I know R & S will eat them. I will selflessly let them have them all. Not like when I made these.

How about you? What's the most you have ever changed a recipe and still claimed it was the original? Did you keep a straight face while you were doing so?

epilogue here

Comments

[Deborah Dowd]

I have been wanting to try this recipe since I saw it, but I love your twist! I like to play with recipes too, but it is funny when people change everything, then they are surprised (upset, pissed off) that the recipe didn't turn out.