Mexican Spice Adzuki Bean Fudge (gluten-free, dairy-free, cane sugar-free, low sugar)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Ever since coming up with my recipe for Black Bean Fudge a couple years ago, various bean fudges have been my go-to quick dessert. But surprisingly, I've never posted any other bean fudge recipes to the blog! So I decided it was time. The other day I came up with this recipe, a rich adzuki bean fudge with hints of cinnamon, chili powder, and Young Living tangerine essential oil, inspired by the flavors of Mexican chocolate. I took the fudge to a potluck at the ceramic studio where I take classes, and everyone loved it. Only a few pieces came home with me at the end of the night!
I'm including this recipe in this month's SOS Kitchen Challenge, which features the adzuki bean (a.k.a. aduki bean or azuki bean, or red bean, the list goes on). For all the details of the challenge, check out the rules HERE, then enter your recipe in the Linky. Ricki and I look forward to seeing all the great adzuki bean recipes you make this month!
Okay, back to the recipe at hand. For a light, alluring flavor in this fudge, I included tangerine essential oil (you could also use orange). While you could use orange extract instead, I'd highly recommend getting your hands on a bottle of these essential oils if you want to make this recipe. I use tangerine essential oil from Young Living, my favorite brand of high-quality, therapeutic grade, food grade essential oils. I use their oils everyday in cooking, in the bath, in the home, and for self-massage. The quality is beyond compare, and unlike other brands of essential oils, all of the Young Living oils can be taken internally. They are more expensive than oils you'll find at your local health foods store, but their unsurpassed purity, superior quality, and high concentration means you'll get more bang for your buck.
The benefit of using essential oils culinarily is that you get therapeutic benefits and an intense flavor, without any additives, alcohol, sugar, or stabilizers. The unsurpassed purity and concentration of Young Living oils means you only need a drop or two added to an entire recipe. This is a great contrast to needed a full teaspoon of flavored extract! Many flavored extracts are more diluted, contain additives that may not agree with your diet, and the flavor may taste "fake".
Although I had already become addicted to using Young Living oils, after experiencing them in baking and cooking the last couple months, I'm truly in love. In fact, I love their product so much that I became an independent distributor. If you're interested in browsing the Young Living collection of essential oils, check out my distributor site.
Mexican Spice Adzuki Bean Fudge
yield approx. 24 pieces
I used Young Living Tangerine Essential Oil from in this recipe, which can be purchased here. Food-grade essential oils from Young Living are highly concentrated; you only need 1-2 drops for an entire recipe. If you prefer to use a culinary tangerine or orange flavored extract instead, which is less concentrated, start with 1/8-1/4 tsp, and add to taste.
For a totally sugar-free dessert, omit honey/maple/etc and use more stevia, to taste. The mixture will be a little dryer, so add 1-2 more Tbsp of nut/seed butter.
- 2 cups cooked adzuki beans
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup, agave nectar, honey (not vegan), brown rice syrup, or other natural liquid sweetener (this creates a dark, bittersweet-style fudge; if you prefer a sweeter flavor, add more)
- 2 Tbsp tahini or other seed/nut butter
- 1 tsp gluten-free pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp plain or vanilla stevia liquid (I use NuNaturals Alcohol-Free Plain Stevia Liquid)
- 2 drops Young Living Orange or Tangerine Essential Oil (if using orang extract instead, see note above)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (or carob powder)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp medium hot chili powder, plus more for dusting
- 1/8 tsp unrefined salt, plus more for dusting
Melt coconut oil over low heat until liquid. Place in a food processor with all other liquid ingredients, and process until beans are broken up. Then add remaining ingredients and process until mixture is combined and smooth, scraping sides as needed. Mixture will be very thick.
Spread into a plastic wrap-lined pan or dish, pressing down firmly. To smooth the top, fold over the plastic wrap and press down on top of the fudge (this works better than smoothing with a spoon or spatula). Then peel back plastic wrap and sprinkle with chili powder, cinnamon, and just a tiny pinch of salt. Then lightly cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm in the refrigerator. Slice into pieces of desired size and serve! Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week (although it won't last that long).
A note on pans:
The size of the pan you use will yield different thicknesses of fudge. If you want thick fudge, a small or medium size loaf pan works great. If you prefer a thinner fudge, use a larger pan or dish. My favorite pan is the one that came with my toaster oven. I spread the fudge over about 2/3 of the pan, and even it out with the height of the sides. You could also free form the fudge on a plate, smoothing out the edges into a rectangle or square shape.
Reader Comments (9)
wow this looks AMAZING!!! I can't wait to get my adzuki bean on!
Oh Kim, ever since I started baking our black bean brownies, I have been thinking about what the next step should be. And here they are. Fudge with adzuki beans and chili powder, that is ingenious! I wish I could make them right away, but I guess I have to wait until we are back in our kitchen again.
I"m totally making these! I send everyone I know on an ACD your black bean fudge recipe and this one looks so good too!.
I have seen black bean brownie recipes online getting mixed reviews, so I have yet to make the plunge. But adzuki bean brownies, now you're talking! :D
Thanks for all the great comments!
Sketch-free sisters - Thanks, I love it - "get my azuki bean on" - too cute!
David - I can't wait to see what you do with the bean fudge idea. You and Louise are genius. Safe travels!
Patricia - Thanks for sending so many folks my way! I hope you enjoy this one too.
Janet - they aren't really brownie-like, more like fudge, so don't be expecting a cakey brownie. You don't bake these at all, just put in the fridge and chill. I like them more than any GF black bean brownie I've tried to make - which is a lot. :)
Sounds ah-may-zing, KIm! I already ADORE your black bean fudge--it has saved me many a time--so I am definitely making this as well! And I love the addition of nut/seed butter. ;)
Sounds very good. Not just chocolate and spices, but chocolate, citrus and spices! I haven't had much success with bean-based baked goods, but fudge is a different thing altogether.
I just want to say, I am obsessed with this recipe. I have been making it without blending it by cooking the beans for a long time until they sort of mush up on their own, stirring in the other ingredients, and putting the mixture into several individual serving sized bowls instead of making it into the fudge squares. this makes for a really interestingly textured, dense fudge-y pudding. my addition of raisins kind of enhances this texture too. Thank you so much, I love your blog & recipes!
Thanks for this recipe - this was fantastic!