Most of the people I’ve said “black bean brownie” immediately wrinkled up their noses. Gabriel didn’t. But I’m pretty sure it was just because he’s used to me trying to get a reaction out of him.
At first glance, it does sound a little gross but bear with me a little bit.
Most of you who are familiar with grain-free, gluten-free recipes, are probably already aware of bean flour. This is really no different than using bean flour, but instead of grinding your beans, you’re cooking them first. And since the flour (beans) are already hydrated, you won’t need to add extra liquid like you would if you were using dry flour.
Consequently, if your diet is rice-heavy like ours, this is a great recipe for a yummy baked dessert that doesn’t contain rice.
I first heard of black bean brownies while reading over on Money Saving Mom and followed the link she provided to the recipe. I tweaked it a little, though, because canned beans are a tad pricey.
I usually have quart-sized bags of cooked beans in the freezer in case I get the notion to make burritos for lunch, so now it’s way too easy for me to make these brownies on the spur of the moment. I justify it by telling myself that they’re actually fairly healthy.
Black Bean Brownies
Black Bean Brownies
Don’t let the name fool you, these Paleo brownies are delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked, drained black beans
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 C. melted butter or coconut oil
- 1/4 C. cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 C. maple syrup (or honey)
- 2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 and lightly butter an 8×8 glass baking dish.
- In blender or food processor, puree beans, eggs, butter, cocoa, salt, vanilla and maple syrup, and arrowroot powder until smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
- Bake 30 minutes or until center is set.
- Cooking notes: Dry beans typically triple their volume so 2/3 cup of dry beans should equal about 2 cups cooked.
- The original also calls for chocolate chips and walnuts. Needless to say, those are expensive ingredients and I don’t (usually) use them.
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[…] I’m really on a black bean kick lately. It was black bean burgers last week, and then we had black bean brownies for dessert one night. Today, it’s black bean […]