There are a lot of different recipes for them, but these are my favorite Black Bean Brownies.
I don’t know the origin of the recipe or whose idea it was to put black beans in brownies, but I discovered the version I like best years ago on AllRecipes. They’re different from regular brownies, but they taste great in their own right and satisfy chocolate cravings without being devoid of nutrients. The three eggs add protein and moisture, the amount of oil is fairly modest, and the brownies are gluten-free (which some people appreciate). For chocolate flavor, I’ve always found 1/4 cup cocoa powder, in conjunction with the espresso powder, vanilla and chocolate chips to be just right. As for texture, I like the density of the brownies as is, but some people add a teaspoon of baking powder or a combination of powder and soda.
Still, I do make minor changes from time to time. For instance, in this batch I used a coconut oil with butter flavor for the oil (something I found at Whole Foods), and used demerara sugar instead of granulated.
I can’t really tell if the two new products did anything, but the brownies sure are satisfying without being too rich. According to the Calorie Count website, this recipe only has around 108 calories per brownie. That’s for 1/16 of an 8 inch square pan. I think 1/8 might be a more realistic serving size.
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup demerara sugar (or just use granulated)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter flavored coconut oil (or any kind of oil)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (I used Rodelle Dutch)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips plus a few extra
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch metal pan with foil and grease foil.
- Put the drained black beans in a food processor (or blender) and process until very smooth. Add the sugar and process for another minute or two, stopping once to scrape the sides of the processor.
- Add melted coconut oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, espresso powder and eggs and process until very smooth. Batter will be fairly thin, so be careful removing the processor bowl if using a processor.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and stir in the chocolate chips, coating them with batter but allowing some to poke through the top.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. The top will look dry, but the brownies might be a little shaky and seem underdone on the inside at first. This is okay – just let them cool completely.
- Cover the brownies and store in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temperature the next day and they’ll taste even better!
I haven’t thought about black bean brownies in a long time. These look satisfying without being too decadent.