I've read about the "Black Bean Brownie" phenomenon around the web several times in the past few months.
Honestly, the first couple of times I read the recipes, I thought the people must be just plain nuts.
Who in the world would substitute beans for flour in a dessert?
Better yet, how could it be possible for the brownies not to taste like beans?
Who could possibly be fooled by such a thing?
Curiosity finally got the best of me after reading reports of how good black bean brownies are from so many sources, so I broke down and made some. I did it during nap time, so none of the kids or the husband had a clue.
When I served them up, I informed Grant that the brownies had no flour in them. He was surprised and very skeptical.
He took a small piece, said they were pretty good but not his favorite, and left it at that. When I eventually told them what the secret ingredient was, he was nothing short of incredulous.
Could. Not. Believe. It.
"Knowing that makes them taste SO much better! I feel like I'm getting healthier just by eating them!" he exclaimed. He went on to eat a couple of large pieces.
Personally, I think they're great!
No, they're not my favorite brownie (like this one or this one), mainly because the texture is kind of - for lack of a better word - feathery. They almost melt in your mouth. Not in a bad way, but I prefer brownies to be chewy.
Other than that, they're really chocolaty, have absolutely no bean flavor at all, and except for the sugar content, are pretty much guilt-free.
I love having this recipe in my repertoire, for occasions when I want to make a dessert for someone who is gluten-free, and also for when we want a simple and delicious chocolate treat that isn't tremendously unhealthy.
I'm told that if you add 1/3 cup flour to the recipe, the texture becomes more like traditional brownies - I may try that sometime. Just to see. But I really like them the way they are.
Recipe: (adapted from Life in a Shoe and Finding Joy in my Kitchen)
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Dark)
3 eggs
3 T. oil (I used coconut)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (can try peanut butter chips, Andes baking bits, etc)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Drain beans in a colander and rinse very well. Put beans in a blender with all other ingredients except chocolate chips and puree until completely smooth.
Pour into a greased 8 or 9" square baking pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.
Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday
I've read about the "Black Bean Brownie" phenomenon around the web several times in the past few months.
Honestly, the first couple of times I read the recipes, I thought the people must be just plain nuts.
Who in the world would substitute beans for flour in a dessert?
Better yet, how could it be possible for the brownies not to taste like beans?
Who could possibly be fooled by such a thing?
Curiosity finally got the best of me after reading reports of how good black bean brownies are from so many sources, so I broke down and made some. I did it during nap time, so none of the kids or the husband had a clue.
When I served them up, I informed Grant that the brownies had no flour in them. He was surprised and very skeptical.
He took a small piece, said they were pretty good but not his favorite, and left it at that. When I eventually told them what the secret ingredient was, he was nothing short of incredulous.
Could. Not. Believe. It.
"Knowing that makes them taste SO much better! I feel like I'm getting healthier just by eating them!" he exclaimed. He went on to eat a couple of large pieces.
Personally, I think they're great!
No, they're not my favorite brownie (like this one or this one), mainly because the texture is kind of - for lack of a better word - feathery. They almost melt in your mouth. Not in a bad way, but I prefer brownies to be chewy.
Other than that, they're really chocolaty, have absolutely no bean flavor at all, and except for the sugar content, are pretty much guilt-free.
I love having this recipe in my repertoire, for occasions when I want to make a dessert for someone who is gluten-free, and also for when we want a simple and delicious chocolate treat that isn't tremendously unhealthy.
I'm told that if you add 1/3 cup flour to the recipe, the texture becomes more like traditional brownies - I may try that sometime. Just to see. But I really like them the way they are.
Recipe: (adapted from Life in a Shoe and Finding Joy in my Kitchen)
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Dark)
3 eggs
3 T. oil (I used coconut)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (can try peanut butter chips, Andes baking bits, etc)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Drain beans in a colander and rinse very well. Put beans in a blender with all other ingredients except chocolate chips and puree until completely smooth.
Pour into a greased 8 or 9" square baking pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.
Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday
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