Who would have thought these brownies, basically consisting of blended beans, cocoa, sugar, and eggs, would be so delicious? I know I never did. I'd read about them here and there, and finally decided to give them a try. They are absolutely fudgy and amazing! They have a great texture. What's more, they are simple to make.
If I'm going to bother making something, it's got to be healthy, so I haven't actually made brownies in a long time. This was a nice change! I've brought these brownies to potlucks, where everyone was impressed that they were eating beans. You won't taste the beans! I've also found that this recipe works great to make black bean chocolate cake pops, for the 4 year old in all of us ;)
The candied walnuts on top are a simple addition that makes them divine. Leave them out if you don't like nuts. My kids prefer them that way, but then, they are nuts ;)
You can start with canned beans, but I just cook extra beans when I make a batch of soup. After they're tender, and before adding anything to the soup, I remove the two cups of beans for this recipe. If you're using canned, I've read that it's best to rinse them so they don't have such a strong flavor. I haven't found that the beans need to be rinsed when cooked fresh.
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| The batter is so good you could make it into ice cream. |
2 c cooked black beans, drained of all liquid.
2/3 c sucanat, or sugar of choice
1/3 c cocoa, or carob powder
2 tb coconut oil, or butter
3 eggs, or flax seed egg substitute
1 1/2 tb vanilla extract (try making your own!)
1/4 t sea salt
Pour into greased 8"x8" pan. Top with optional walnut topping, and bake at 350 until done- maybe 15 minutes. I stay near the oven so I can smell them, and when the top starts to crack, they're golden.
Optional Walnut Topping:
1/2 c walnuts, broken or chopped into small pieces
1 tb agave
Stir together in a bowl until nuts are coated in agave. Sprinkle over batter before baking.
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Grain-Free Black Bean Brownies
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42 comments
Write commentsMMMMMMM. I know where I am going for dessert!
ReplyI'm not a chocolate lover, but I know a lot of people who are. I'll make this sometime and see if they can tell.
ReplyThis recipe works great with carob instead of cocoa, if you like the taste of carob any better...
ReplyI'll definitely make them for you sometime, Rob!
ReplyHey! Just found your blog and I'm really enjoying it! I totally agree with your philosophy and love the ingredients you use. Thanks for writing and I look forward to reading more :)
ReplyThank you Gabby, that is so nice to hear!
ReplyI've seen a similar recipe and I really need to try these! I'm dying to taste the difference! :) Please come share this at our link party - "Home is Where the Heart is" Homesteading and Homemaking http://www.homesteadsimple.com/home-is-where-the-heart-is-link-it-up-wednesdays-2/
ReplyPlease feel free to link any other posts you'd like to share!
Thanks, I will!
ReplyThese look amazing! I can't wait to try them. And so healthy which makes them perfect!
ReplyI agree, they're so good!
ReplyI've tried a very similar recipe (I use honey to sweeten it) and love it! Instead of nuts I throw in some chocolate chips. (As if they weren't chocolatey enough as they are . . .)
ReplyErm....wow! I tried a brownie recipe 2 weeks ago that subbed tofu for the non-vegan ingredients, but I keep meaning to bake a treat with beans. Do you reckon I could use maple syrup for the sugar? And the walnut topping excites me too. If I try it I'll link you up to show how I get on!
ReplyThanks for sharing, I'm now off to browse the rest of your blog - I really like your style :-)
Thank you! If you're vegan, these brownies are easy to make with no butter or eggs. I'm sure maple syrup would be fine. Let me know if it works out!
ReplyMmm, I just recently tried my hand at black bean brownies and absolutely loved them! I'm definitely going to try your recipe b/c it looks amazing! They look so nice and fudgey too :) Nice touch with the walnuts! Thanks so much for sharing at Tiny Tip Tuesday!
ReplyBy the way, I'm featuring you on my blog tomorrow morning, so come check it out!
Thanks for featuring me, that's awesome!
ReplyI LOVE black bean brownies!!! Thank you for sharing your yummy recipe at Fit and Fabulous Fridays!
Replyoh my! You are making me hungry. Yum. :) Thanks for sharing this on my blog hop!
ReplyThese look absolutely gorgeous. I love finding healthy foods which are also delicious. Many thanks.
ReplyI've seen this recipe a few times now and have been meaning to try it. I think it would be the perfect way to sneak healthy food into my toddlers diet. :) Thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul.
ReplyI just made this recipe today and my husband loves it! Even after I told him that it was made with black beans ;-). I used raw honey in the recipe, which we have found does not raise my husband's blood glucose levels, so this is diabetic friendly. This is a keeper, for sure!
ReplyThat's great that it works with honey. Glad you guys liked it! At first I hid from my kids that the brownies are made from beans, but the secret's out. It hasnt' ruined the experience for them- my kids are pretty progressive that way ;)
ReplyThese look so good. I never thought of adding black beans to the brownies. I am going to have to try this. Thank you so much for sharing with Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party last week. This weeks Link Party is opened at http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/08/tangerine-toner-and-wednesdays-adorned.html
ReplyHope to see you there.
Debi Bolocofsky
Adorned From Above
www.adornedfromabove.com
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays recipe party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry! :) YAY! Thanks for helping us build a wonderful Gluten Free Community! Its great to connect! See you next Friday! Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
ReplyI've made these before using eggs and they came out great! But nowadays I can't eat eggs so I made them using the flax seed egg substitute. I baked these for 30min and they still didn't seem done but I didn't want to over cook them so I took them out to cool thinking they would set up a little more. The edges are the only part that cooked :( I wonder if using Ener-G egg replace might be a better substitute? -Jackie
ReplyThe flax egg substitute usually works great for my baking. I wonder if you could bake these in muffin pans, and just make shallow, round brownies. They would bake more quickly and evenly. I do bake mine in a very thin layer; when I tried a thicker layer (more batter or smaller pan size) they didn't cook all the way. A slightly larger pan, or two small pans, might make the difference for you as well.
ReplyThose look really good! I wonder how they would work with white beans so that they would be GAPS legal. I might have to do an experiment. : )
ReplyThanks for sharing this at Fill Those Jars Friday. Hope to see you again tomorrow!
Woah, that's interesting that you can have white beans but not black beans on GAPS. You could make "blondies" with white beans. I've never made blondies, so I don't know what flavors them, but they are delicious! You could do this same recipe with white beans, but it might not be quite the right color.
ReplyOmg!! These look sooooo goood!!!! I can't wait to try to make them. Paul Pitchford has a recipe for carob/adzuki bean brownies, I was just planning on trying to make those. I may try to make these instead! yum!! I am blogging at www.acraftygourmet.com
ReplyI have made the black been brownies before but with canned beans (rinsed well) and unfortunately, it tasted like black beans to me. Could there be that much difference when using dried beans?
ReplyI think there could be! I've never made this with canned beans, and I've never had anyone complain about the flavor. My kids know they're black bean based now, but they had no idea until I told them.
ReplyI had the same problem with flax eggs. I now have them in the oven on the "warm" seting hoping to just dry them out. They smell SO good though!
ReplyToo pretty to eat!
ReplyThanks for a healthier option for brownies. I used canned aduki beans, as that's what I had, and added some choc chips sprinkled on the top with the maple walnuts. It took 25 mins to bake, and turned out delish!
ReplyYum. I have made something similar but like that these are completely grain free.
ReplyThanks for sharing at Wildcrafting Wednesday.
They looks so fudgie and delicious! Thanks so much for sharing on The Creative HomeAcre!
ReplyHope to see you again tomorrow at:
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/05/thecreativehomeacrehom17.html
Hi! visiting from Fluster's Creative Muster and following you via GFC! I have heard of these brownies made with black beans but I was afraid to try them. I will take your word for it that they are good!! Have you tried the brownies with avocado in them....delish! I think you can get the recipe on Pinterest!
ReplyI'm a bit leery about trying brownies with avocado baked into them... but I guess that would probably be something I would actually like ;)
ReplyChocolate chip cookies with whole garbanzo beans (I used canned) in them were another odd thing that turned out great.
One word - Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......
ReplyThanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Have a great weekend and hope to see you soon!
ReplyMiz Helen
Yum!! Thanks for sharing with Natural Living Monday!
ReplyThank you for sharing your recipe with Fabulously Frugal Thursday! I loved the idea of candied walnuts. I need to try that with your brownie recipe.
ReplyOne of my girlfriends makes these and swears by them. I will have to give them a go! Thanks for sharing on Tuesday Greens!
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