A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for a gluten-free Flourless Chocolate Cake made with garbanzo beans (AKA chickpeas). At the end of the post, I promised to create a brownie recipe using black beans which is something I have wanted to do for years.
Lucky for me, after reading my post, Mindy, a mom of 8-year-old twins from the suburbs of Chicago, sent me her family’s favorite Black Bean Brownie recipe from All Recipes.com. Mindy told me her kids gobble them up and ask for seconds and thirds. “I don’t feel bad about my kids eating seconds of these brownies because I know they are getting fiber and protein in every bite.” That, plus the fact that Mindy’s sister-in-law is a pastry chef in Phoenix and makes theme all the time for her family, convinced me to give the recipe a try.
Mindy’s recipe called for a can of black beans, a small amount of vegetable oil, sugar, and half a cup of chocolate chips. Given my inability to leave well enough alone, I tweaked the recipe a tiny bit and came up with brownies so good, you simply won’t believe they’re made with black beans (nor will your kids).
- Serves: 16
- Serving size: 1 brow nie
- Calories: 120
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Sodium: 95mg
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed very well
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons expeller pressed canola oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract, optional
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, peppermint extract as desired, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth. Add ¼ cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing into 2-inch squares.
A few things worth noting about this recipe:
A recent University of Tennessee study found that draining and rinsing canned beans washes away 41% of the sodium.
If you like nuts, you could add half a cup of walnuts or pecans, chopped.
The original recipe called for topping the brownies with all the chips. We decided to add half to the batter and half on top.
Also, the original didn’t call for any baking powder. We added ½ teaspoon per Mindy’s suggestion because the first time she made the recipe, the brownies came out flat.
I made these brownies last weekend, Liz. They are so good! I’ve tried two other recipes using beans in a brownie or blondie, and this is by far the best recipe of the three! Just a quick tip for those whose food processor might not be super high in power: I found it helpful to blend the three eggs when I pureed the beans, as the extra liquid from the eggs made it easier for my old Cuisinart. Then I transferred the egg and bean mixture to a mixing bowl to stir in the rest of the ingredients. They were really yummy on day one, but even better on day two, when the flavor and texture became even more fudge-y and less cake-like. I’ll be making this recipe again! Thank you!
Hi Karen: So happy to hear you loved the recipe. And I think your egg hack is spot on! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Can I use cacao powder instead of cocoa? If so what would be the appropriate amount? Thanks!
This is what I read on MyRecipes.com: (But since I only call for 2 TBL of cocoa in the recipes, I think you should be FINE to substitute w/ 2 TBL cacao)
When you’re making something that calls for either cocoa or cacao powder, it’s probably best to just stick to the recipe. However, if you absolutely insist on substituting one for the other, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Cacao powder has a stronger flavor, so you’ll probably have to use less of it than you would cocoa powder.
Cocoa powder does not absorb as much liquid as cacao powder, so you may have to use more or less liquid depending on what you’re substituting.
Cocoa powder is less acidic, so it will not react with baking soda in the same way that cacao powder will. If you’re using cocoa (opt for natural cocoa over Dutch-processed) in a baking recipe that calls for cacao, you should probably also substitute baking powder for at least part of the baking soda.