Favorite Black Bean Brownies

Black Bean Brownies are much better than they sound, and this is my favorite recipe for them.

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.

Why Black Bean Brownies are Better

The three eggs add protein and moisture, the amount of oil is fairly modest, and the brownies are gluten-free. For chocolate flavor, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, in conjunction with the espresso powder, vanilla and chocolate chips is 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. I sometimes use a coconut oil with butter flavor for the oil (something I found at Whole Foods) or 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 of black bean brownies.  I think 1/8 might be a more realistic serving size.

Favorite Black Bean Brownies

Cookie Madness

Favorite Black Bean Brownies are made with black beans, coconut oil, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. For more flavor, I used demerara sugar in place of granulated.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Ingredients

 

• 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

Instructions

 

• 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!