Ok, I had heard the fuss about black bean brownies and wasn’t interested. How could that possibly taste good? I don’t know what possessed me to give them a try last week, but I’m a believer! I totally tricked Mac…he had no idea there were black beans in them and he loved them! In fact, I had to hide a few for myself in an undisclosed cupboard, to make sure that I would get a few! I used this recipe, which was vegan, and made a few changes. They are still gluten free and taste super yummy! I would describe them as a dense, healthy, guilt-free version of two bite brownies. Look, I’m definitely not vegan and I don’t have a gluten allergy, but I’m all about eating whole foods that are good for you…but they have to taste good or why bother, right?
- 1 15 oz (425g) can black beans, rinsed and drained well
- 3 eggs
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup cocoa powder (the higher the quality, the better)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- Optional toppings: crushed walnuts or pecans or semisweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease standard 12 slot muffin pan or use parchment liners.
- Add all ingredients to food processor or Vitamix and puree about 3 minutes to make a smooth batter. Stop and scrape the sides as necessary.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tin and smooth the tops.
- Optional: Sprinkle with nuts or chocolate chips.
- Bake for 20-26 minutes until the edges start to pull away from the sides and the tops are dry. Do not overbake.
- Remove from oven and let cool 30 minutes before removing from pan as they will be delicate.
- Enjoy!
This recipe comes together very quickly. High quality cocoa powder really is key. I used Camino Dutch processed cocoa powder. And I topped them off with no sugar added chocolate chips. You can store these in an airtight container for a couple of days.
The bottom line is these don’t look pretty, but they are a healthy treat you don’t have to feel badly about eating or giving your kids. Sometimes you just need chocolate, or at least I do, and these will do the trick!
