Black Bean Brownies

I finally made black bean brownies. And guess what? They are good! Good, good, good!

I will admit I was skeptical. That's why it took me so long to give the recipe a try. I'll also admit to telling my six year old and husband I was just making (regular) brownies. It wasn't until after they asked for seconds did I tell them it was black bean brownies they were eating (and loving). There was a brief pause and a couple of strange facial expressions then they went back to eating them.

These brownies are easy to make. You throw all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, blend it all up, fold in chocolate chips, pour into the pan and sprinkle with more chocolate chips then bake. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool! The smell of yummy brownies will fill your kitchen (and entire home if it's as small as ours). That's why waiting for them to cool is tough, they smell so good. Initially, I thought getting 16 brownies was going to yield a teeny tiny brownie rather than a decent size piece but I was pleasantly surprised. They aren't huge but they aren't tiny either. However, I think it's safe to assume most people eating one will go back for a second.

The texture of the brownie is more cakey than fudgy in my opinion. It's cool to me that blending down black beans eliminates the need for flour. And, it's amazing to me that you cannot taste them. Chocolate can really turn anything into a dessert. Again, I was skeptical but these are good. I encourage you to give it a try. Oh, one more thing, when my youngest got home from school, I offered him a brownie. Before I could hand him one, my older son told him they were black bean brownies - he instantly said yuck and didn't want one. I knew that would happen that's why I didn't say anything initially. Funny, too, my little guy loves black beans but in a brownie? Nope. Not yet anyway. I'll get him next time!

Black Bean Brownies
Makes 16
Original recipe here.


Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) canned organic black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of ground coffee
1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips, divided (I used both)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease a nonstick 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper.

Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in a food processor until smooth. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips until combined. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies.

Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!