Delicious Black Bean Brownies

A while ago, we had a visit from Capital Mom and family.  Their family brought a great dessert -- gluten free black bean brownies that her husband baked.  I loved them, but more importantly, the kids loved them. Even my son who absolutely refuses to eat anything resembling a bean, didn't notice that there were beans in them and even went back for more after we had told him. Of course, I had to ask for the recipe and we've made a slightly adapted version several times since.

 Ingredients

• 15oz can black beans  (I use Eden Organic because their cans are BPA free)


• 3 Tbsp of oil  (I use PC Organics Safflower Oil, but canola or sunflower oil will do too)


• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (I recommend fair trade Camino)


• 4 eggs


• 1 tsp vanilla extract


• 3/4 cup cane sugar


• 1.5 tsp baking powder


• 2 tbsp flax seed (optional)


• 1/2 bar of dark chocolate chopped into small pieces or 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (I recommend fair trade chocolate)

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit


• Grease a square baking ban (around 8x8)


• Drain and rinse the black beans


• Either:




• High tech option: Put all ingredients (except the chocolate to go on top) into a food processor and process it until it is nice and smooth (I use this option -- less work and easier to get rid of the chunks of bean)


• Low tech option: Mash the black beans, mix in other ingredients, then use a hand blender to get rid of chunks




• Pour the batter into the greased pan and sprinkle it with the dark chocolate


• Bake for around 30 minutes

Nutritional Information

What I love about these brownies is that they taste great and help to fill in some nutritional gaps that my kids sometimes have. Instead of a brownie that is primarily wheat and sugar, like the PC Organics Chocolate Brownie Mix, these brownies have a similar number of calories (between 150 and 160 per serving if you cut it into 12 servings), but they have tons more protein, fibre, iron, magnesium. They also have less fat and sugar than the store mix.

Enjoy! :)

This recipe was adapted from the one that Capital Mom shared with me from Gluten Free College Living.

Comments

[Megan]

I'm so excited for these! Thanks for sharing. I actually have some black beans in my fridge and I may go make them right now!

[Jennifer Ruby]

Thanks for another recipe! I am excited to try this one this weekend! Would you happen to know all of the nutritional info on these?

[Barry Roberts]

Wonderful recipe. I used less sugar (a heaped 1/2 cup) and dark chocolate with orange for the top. I love that it's so easy to make. If I can do, anyone can! Next time I might add some orange zest for an extra twist. Thank you for an excellent recipe.

[Danielle]

I love that these don't have any flour = cheap to make! I made them today with some alterations, and some beans I had cooked and frozen a while back - I had put some cumin, oregano and chili powder in the beans prior to freezing, so the brownies came out chocolate and chili flavoured, which was actually a really nice twist ;p

[Nadia @ Red, White and GREEN M]

Made these. SUPER EASY!
I was thrilled to have all the necessary ingredients. Result = delicious. Though, next time I think I'll add chocolate chips in the mix instead of on top... I also want to try a variation. After it's done, slice in half length wise and cover with peanut butter (or other nut butter) and then put the layer back on top. Like a brownie peanut butter sandwich... YUMMM!!! Thanks for sharing :)

[Melissa]

Made these last night, and they were AWESOME! Thanks for sharing. I rarely bake or make dessert; now these will be a staple in our weekly menu (for which my partner thanks you!).

[phdinparenting]

Glad you all liked them! :)

[tracy]

Just made these tonight for a party tomorrow night. So good - yum! We have a small food processor so I did the beans and liquids in there and then mixed into the dry ingredients. Yum! Thanks for sharing!

[Black Bean Brownies!! «]

[...] friend and she freaked out (literally) about, which of course meant I had to try it.  I used this recipe it was great.  It took me about 5- 10 minutes to whip it all up together.  Then 35 grueling [...]

[Robbin]

These look delicious! I love desserts that "hide" healthy ingredients!

[Nutrition for Runners: Black B]

[...] my wife came across the following recipe and decided to make a batch. From a nutrition standpoint they have more protein, fibre, iron, [...]

[Conuly]

I have a similar recipe that uses avocado in lieu of the oil. It manages to taste EVEN BETTER than the plain black bean brownies.

[Black Bean Brownies | Forget T]

[...] Recipe Source: http://www.phdinparenting.com/2012/02/21/delicious-black-bean-brownies/#.UH7vgMXA_DM [...]