Blog

Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

 

By Cassie Tatone

I don’t know about you, but I have a total sweet tooth. Anything with sugar or chocolate is a definite weakness for me, so I do my best to add healthy ingredients whenever I’m baking. That is where these black bean brownies come in; they are wheat and gluten free, relatively healthy for a dessert, and have some added protein to boost. I know the idea of beans in a brownie sounds a little strange, but black beans are relatively flavourless, and when mashed, they provide the perfect texture to replace flour. I’ve tried this recipe on some of the pickiest eaters I know, and no one could guess my secret ingredient. Try it out, and you’ll see how hard it is to eat just one!

Ingredients (Makes 12 brownies)

–       1 can of black beans, rinsed

–       3 eggs

–       ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa

–       ½ cup of butter, or coconut oil

–       ¾ cup of granulated sugar, or your favourite sugar alterative

–       ½ cup to ¾ cups of unsweetened chocolate chips*

–       1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

–       ½ teaspoon of baking soda

 

*Use your discretion with the chocolate chips. If you like them very chocolate-y, then opt for more (I like sprinkling some extra on top). Otherwise, use a little less, and maybe try adding in some chopped walnuts or almonds (about 2/3 of a cup).

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F
  2. Add all your ingredients to a food processer or blender (unless you are adding nuts, keep those aside). If you don’t have a food processor, a regular blender, or a submersion blender (my favourite) also works great.
  3. If you are choosing to add crushed walnuts or almonds, stir them into the batter now
  4. Add brownie batter to a pre-greased 8 by 8 inch pan, or if you want bite-size brownies, put them into a mini muffin tin!
  5. You may want to sprinkle some extra chocolate chips or walnuts on top before putting them into the oven
  6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean
  7. To make these more festive, you can always add festive sprinkles, or top them with a bit of crushed candy cane or even some shredded coconut. You could even swap out the vanilla extract for peppermint extract to make mint-chocolate brownies!

 

 

 

 

 

Image from Desserts with Benefits