Name: Mini Matcha Brownies with White Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 19 min
Total time: 34 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp ground flax seeds (+ 2 tbsp water); 15.5 oz canned cannelini beans (or navy beans) (drained and rinsed ); 1/2 cup maple syrup; 1/3 cup coconut oil (hard, room temperature); 1/2 cup flour (I use white whole wheat flour, but all purpose flour works too); 1 tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp raw cacao powder (cocoa powder works too); 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (plus more for topping, if desired); 1/2 cup walnut (roughly chopped); 2 tsp matcha powder; 1 tsp vanilla extract

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These extra fudgy mini matcha brownies are a perfect combo between the earthiness from the green tea powder and the sweetness from the dark chocolate. They are easy to make, just sweet enough, filled with wholesome ingredients and, what a striking beautiful green color!

Showing is an overhead view on a few mini matcha brownies that are pilled in a shallow large bowl that was previously covered with some parchment paper. The brownie are layer with a bottom dark chocolate brownie and topped with a bright green match layer. The cups are also topped with a few chocolate chips. Beside, you can see 2 cups of tea, some more chocolate chips in a bowl and a mini sifter that's on a plate that also contains some matcha powder.

I have to say that the matcha flavor is growing on me pretty fast. I think that green tea is one of these unusual flavors like coffee or spicy food that doesn't seem very pleasant at first. But with time, just turns into straight obsession. I mean, the more you drizzle spicy buffalo sauce on your food, the more spicy buffalo sauce you need. Right?

Sooooooo. The weirdly-addictive-bitterness-and-just-teeny-sweet flavor from the matcha is definitively here to stay. I might not swap my old morning friend cup of coffee for a matcha latte quite yet, but I'm starting to feel like matcha-ing just about everything.

And these matcha brownies are such a great way to slowly get yourself more familiar with the matcha flavor. Just like in this matcha oatmeal recipe, the dark chocolate helps balance the earthiness from the matcha, so you don't get the grassy flavor from the green tea at all. You will only be able to enjoy its smooth delicious nuttiness.

Oh, and before I let you jump to the recipe, let's just acknowledge here that these mini brownies are filled with white beans.

Healthy fiber-rich canned white beans.

If you tried my black bean brownies or pumpkin brownies, then you might think that I can't make brownies without using beans. Fair enough. But guys, mashed beans make baked goods so much more creamy, soft and gooey!

Ok now. I will let you enjoy these healthy yet so delicious brownies. Hope you like them too!

Front view on 2 mini matcha brownies that are pilled on top of each other. You can nicely see their bottom dark layer and top bright green layer. These 2 brownies are on a white plate and the top mini brownie has a bite taken off. You can see more of them in a bowl in the background. You can see the matcha sifter that's sifting some green tea powder over the brownies.

What are matcha brownies

Typical brownies are made with cacao powder, chocolate chips and have a dark color. Matcha brownies are often made by swapping the cacao powder by green tea powder and using white chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate chips.

Vegan white chocolate chips are hard to find + more expensive. I also was not completely ready to give up on the dark chocolate flavor. So, here come some brownies that has the best of both world: a white-green vanilla batter with deep dark chocolate flavor.

Why you will love these mini matcha brownies

Soft and chewy with crispy edges
Not too sweet with a matcha flavor that's just enough
Vibrant beautiful green color
Extra chocolatey
Healthy: filled with fiber and rich in antiooxidant
Cute mini 3 bite brownies! Who can resist mini shaped desserts?

Ingredients you will need to make the BEST matcha brownies

Flour: I like to use white whole wheat flour when baking, but regular all-purpose flour works just the same.
Green tea matcha powder: I use this culinary grade matcha powder from Jade Leaf when baking. It is easy to get online. You can also use a higher quality ceremonial grade matcha powder, but I usually keep this one when making lattes as it is more expensive. A higher quality powder will help reach a brighter green color too.
Raw cacao powder: try to use minimally processed raw cacao powder instead of cocoa, but if you only have cocoa powder, it will work great too. I use the fair trade cacao powder from Navita that I easily get online on amazon.
Chocolate chips: I used vegan semi-sweet dark chocolate chips from Enjoy Life.
Canned white beans: I used cannelini beans, but Navy beans works too. I used a full can of 15 oz (my sister in Canada tested with the 14 oz cans and it worked too).
Flax seeds: you will need ground flax seeds to make a flax egg. I grind mine in a high speed blender, but you can also buy flax seeds that are already ground online.
Coconut oil: try to use a refined coconut oil so you avoid the coconut flavor, although both kind work great.
Maple syrup: to sweeten up the brownies.
Walnuts: they add a good crunch to the chocolate layered brownies.
Baking powder + Vanilla extract

Ingredients needed to make this recipe: you can see the different ingredients on a table in separate bowls. There are flour, ground flax seeds, a bag of matcha green tea powder, coconut oil, maple syrup, a can of cannelini beans, raw cacao powder, vanilla extract, baking powder, walnuts and chocolate chips.

How to make them

Start by making the basic white batter, then separate in 2 bowls to incorporate either some dark chocolate or matcha flavor.

Make the basic batter

Start by preparing the flax egg by combining ground flax seeds with water. Set aside to forms a gel.

In a food processor, process the coconut oil, white beans, maple syrup and flax egg until uniform.

Then, add the flour and baking powder and process until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to 2 medium size bowls.

In process picture: overhead view on a food processor that contains cannelini beans, coconut oil, maple syrup and a flax egg.

In process picture: overhead view on a food processor that contains a creamy mixture that's topped with flour and baking powder.

Make the chocolate layer

To one of the bowls, add the cacao powder and stir until combined. Then, add the walnuts and chocolate chips.

Make the matcha layer

In the second bowl, add the matcha powder + vanilla extract and stir to combine.

In process picture: you can see 2 white bowls that contains a pale batter

In process picture: you can see 2 bowls being hold by 2 hand. One contains a chocolate mixture and the other one a bright green mixture.

Build the mini brownies

Line a muffin tin with 9 paper liners. Divide the dark chocolate mixture in between the 9 muffins. Using a spoon, smooth their surface as evenly as you can.

Then, divide the matcha mixture over and smooth the surface too. You can also add extra chocolate chips on the matcha layer if you want.

Bake in the oven.

In process picture: you can see a muffin pan that has 9 muffin paper tins containing a chocolatey batter mixture.

In process picture: you can see 2 hands smoothing the top green layer over a cake batter in a muffin pan.

Watch how to make them

Secret to extra fudgy mini matcha brownies

We all know that the best brownies are the fudgiest! These matcha brownies are moist and soft because:

They have lots of chocolate, which, especially when melted, creates a texture super rich and soft.
They are baked long enough to be cooked through, but also slightly under baked to keep them moist.
Made with white beans, they help keep their texture creamy and soft. And the leading matcha + chocolate flavors make sure you won't even know they are there!
Also, they are softer when slightly warm, so make sure to heat them up for a few seconds after storing them.

Front angle view on a few mini matcha cups that are pilled in a large white bowl that was also first covered with white parchment paper. You can see that the mini cups are layered with a bottom dark chocolate classic brownies then topped with a bright green matcha brownie topping. The cups are also topped with a few chocolate chips. There is a cup of tea in the background.

Tips when making mini matcha brownies

I usually feel like I don't have to, but you can try sifting both the cacao powder and matcha powder before adding them to the batter. This will help avoid clumps (static tends to clumps these fine powders).
You will have to stir for about a minute when adding the cacao powder to the batter. The cacao is super dry and you have to work a bit to incorporate it to the batter. You want to avoid any clumps. Because of this, I recommend to first combine the cacao, and only after it is uniform, you can incorporate the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Make sure to use regular sized muffin tin (not the mini ones). And make sure to use paper liners so they unmold easily.

Serving suggestions

Obviously, these brownies are excellent, just like that. I recommend to warm them up after storing so they get nice and gooey.

If you are looking for a total treat, then add a scoop of ice cream (over warmed up brownies, so it melts just a little, whoa) and sprinkle extra matcha powder over (use a sifter for better sprinkling effect). I love enjoying them with a cup of warm tea as an afternoon snack too.

I love to top the matcha layer with a few chocolate chips before baking them, but you can also use other garnishes if you prefer, like shredded coconut, sea salt, nuts, white chocolate, etc.

Close up on 2 mini matcha brownies that are pilled on top of each other with a bite taken off on the top brownies.

Storage tips

Once they are completely cooled down, store them in a air-tight container so they don't dry. You can keep them at room temperature for a day or two, but for longer storage, keep them in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. Don't forget to warm them up a bit before eating for best texture.

You can also freeze them in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

Other chocolate recipes you might like

More matcha recipes

I hope you enjoy these mini matcha brownies as much as we do! If you try them, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how they were. Your feedback is so helpful!

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*THANKS TO MY SISTER SONIA WHO HELPED DEVELOP AND TEST THIS RECIPE*

Mini Matcha Brownies with White Beans

PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time19 mins

Total Time34 mins

Servings brownies

Author Jessica Laroche

Ingredients

1 tbsp ground flax seeds - + 2 tbsp water
15.5 oz canned cannelini beans (or navy beans) - drained and rinsed
½ cup maple syrup
⅓ cup coconut oil - hard, room temperature
½ cup flour - I use white whole wheat flour, but all purpose flour works too
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp raw cacao powder - cocoa powder works too
½ cup dark chocolate chips - plus more for topping, if desired
½ cup walnut - roughly chopped
2 tsp matcha powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350º. Cover 9 regular size muffin tins with paper liners.
Start by combining the 1 tbsp of flax seed with the 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes.
In a food processor, process the white beans, maple syrup, coconut oil and flax egg together until uniform. Then, add the flour and baking powder and process until just combined (do not over process)
Divide the dough in between 2 medium bowls (about 1 cup in each bowl)
In one of the bowl, add the cacao powder over the batter and stir until well combined. You want to stir until you see no cacao powder clumps (you can also sift the powder over the batter). Then, add the walnuts and chocolate chips and combine. In the other bowl, add the matcha powder (also sift if you want) and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
Divide the chocolate batter in between the 9 muffins in the bottom of the cups. Use a spoon to even their surface as much as you can. Then, top with the matcha batter and also smooth the surface. Add a few extra chocolate chips over the matcha layer, if desired.
Cook for 19 minutes, then let the mini brownies cool down for a few minutes in the muffin pan before removing. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Choose for a refined coconut oil to avoid a coconut flavor, although both kinds works great.
I choose a culinary grade matcha from Jade Leaf to make them.
Once cooled down, store the mini brownies in a air-tight container so they don't dry. You can leave them at room temperature for 1-2 days, but then transfer in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
After they were stored, I recommend to slightly warm them up in the microwave, just for a few seconds, so they get nice and gooey.

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