By Sofia presented quarterly numbers — revenue strong, margins healthy, both bakeries growing. The Anapra bakery has become self-sustaining. The El Paso bakery is the flagship. Together they generate what neither could alone. The together is the strategy. The strategy is Rosa.
The small El Paso-Juárez border-cousin-network continues. The small Juárez-side of the family (Maria Elena’s mother’s family) crosses the small bridge for the small family-events. The small cross-border family-life has been the small constant. The small post-Carlos-killing has changed the small relationship to the small Juárez-side.
The five children: Carlos (the small eldest) had been killed in Juárez in 2008 at age 19 in the small cartel-violence. The small loss is the small permanent-wound. The small four-surviving-children are: Roberto Jr. (now 38, runs the small bakery’s wholesale operation, married with three kids), Elena (now 35, a small ER nurse, married with two kids), Mateo (now 32, a small high school teacher, married with one kid), and Sofia (now 28, the small bakery’s manager, engaged).
The small Mexican-cooking-tradition runs through the small kitchen-and-bakery. The small mole, the small chiles rellenos, the small tamales-at-Christmas, the small posada-foods, the small Three Kings Day rosca. The small recipes have come down through four-and-five generations of the small Gutierrez-Hernandez women.
The small Panadería Rosa in the small downtown El Paso continues to be the small business. The small bakery operates from four AM to six PM six days a week. The small pan dulce, the small empanadas, the small bolillos, the small conchas are the small daily-product. The small bakery is the small Maria Elena and Luis Gutierrez inheritance from Maria Elena’s parents.
The five children: Carlos (the small eldest) had been killed in Juárez in 2008 at age 19 in the small cartel-violence. The small loss is the small permanent-wound. The small four-surviving-children are: Roberto Jr. (now 38, runs the small bakery’s wholesale operation, married with three kids), Elena (now 35, a small ER nurse, married with two kids), Mateo (now 32, a small high school teacher, married with one kid), and Sofia (now 28, the small bakery’s manager, engaged).
The small twelve-grandchildren are the small joy-of-the-small-final-third-of-life. The small grandkids cycle through the small Sunday-bakery-and-Maria-Elena-house from morning to evening. The small intergenerational kitchen runs on the small Sunday.
The small Mexican-cooking-tradition runs through the small kitchen-and-bakery. The small mole, the small chiles rellenos, the small tamales-at-Christmas, the small posada-foods, the small Three Kings Day rosca. The small recipes have come down through four-and-five generations of the small Gutierrez-Hernandez women.
Luis (the small husband) operates the small bakery’s production side while Maria Elena runs the small front-of-house and the small recipe-development. The small forty-year-relationship (married against both small families’ wishes) has been the small life-partnership. The small Javier-loss in 1993 had been the small permanent wound the small family carries. The small marriage-survived.
The small El Paso-Juárez border-cousin-network continues. The small Juárez-side of the family (Maria Elena’s mother’s family) crosses the small bridge for the small family-events. The small cross-border family-life has been the small constant. The small post-Carlos-killing has changed the small relationship to the small Juárez-side.
The bakery runs on bolillos and conchas, but at home on Sundays, when the grandchildren cycle through and the kitchen belongs to everyone at once, I reach for something that honors the pantry my mother and her mother kept — black beans, always black beans, a constant across the border and across the years. This recipe feels right for a Sunday like that: simple enough to make with small hands nearby, grounded in something familiar, and sweet in the way that steady things can be sweet. It’s not from the bakery case. It’s from the house kitchen, the one that has absorbed forty years of this family.
Black Bean Brownies
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or neutral vegetable oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Blend the base. Add the drained black beans and eggs to a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth, about 60 seconds, scraping down the sides once. There should be no visible bean pieces.
- Combine. Add the cocoa powder, sugar, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt to the blender. Pulse until fully incorporated and the batter is uniform.
- Add chocolate chips. Transfer batter to a mixing bowl and fold in 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips by hand.
- Pour and top. Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips across the top.
- Bake. Bake for 22—26 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake — the center will firm as it cools.
- Cool completely. Let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before cutting. They slice cleanest when fully cooled.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 128 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 148mg