Vegan Halloween Recipes: Boo-tiful Gluten-Free Bean Brownies

You had good intentions, buying all that candy for the trick-or-treaters who you were *sure* would show up at your doorstep on October 31st. It'd be just wasteful to throw out the extra, right? Maybe you're thinking this to yourself post-Halloween, or pre- (if you simply couldn't resist those adorable chocolate confections and orange-filled Oreos that seem to have been made to tempt vegan dessert-lovers and the inner child in us all). And maybe you're now feeling a bit over-sugared but still wanting to participate in the fun of this sweet-filled season that's really only beginning. For your Halloween bash, or any holiday gathering that's on your calendar in the next two months, these unconventional brownies promise to deliver and may even arouse a shriek or two from your friends and family when they hear the ingredients. That's because it's frankly shocking--scarily so!--that a dessert so moist, chocolate-y, and rich is made from--can you guess?--beans. The just-right-Goldilocks sweetness comes from an equally surprising source, dry dates, nature's candy as they say and an alternative to the many processed forms of sugar that are on supermarket shelves. I wouldn't call them "sugar-free" per se, but these bean-ies are by far a healthier take on the boxed variety. The final touch of dried coconut adds a spooky, cobweb or skeleton vibe, too, which brings home the boo-factor in a dessert that you'll be adding to the rotation for special occasions of all sorts...like Mondays.