Kitchen Time: Black Bean Brownies #2

So recently I posted a pretty in-depth post about a recipe for Black Bean Brownies that I’d tried.  Well, after trying that one out, and after sharing it with my family, I decided to give another one a try. 

This recipe was taken from a blog, “Chow Divine,” and I’ll just say it right off the bat, I like this recipe better.  The prep was just as simple, but the overall result was just a tad better.  If you were only going to choose one recipe to try, I’d try this one. 

So, without further ado, here is the recipe! (I’ll also have the recipe, along with the blog, linked down below)

Flourless Chocolately Black Bean Brownies

1 ½ cups cooked black beans

¼ cup canola oil

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ sucanat or light brown sugar

1 tsp instant coffee

¼ & ¼ dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ tsp baking powder

1-2 TB powdered/confectioner’s sugar for dusting (optional)

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9″ x 9″ (8″ x 8″ works too) baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Leave enough parchment paper on the sides to create a sling. This will make it easier when you lift out the end product.

2.     Add all of the wet ingredients – beans, oil, eggs, and vanilla – together in a blender. Pulse a few times to get the ingredients to come together. Then blend until the mixture is smooth. Add the dry ingredients – cocoa, sugar, coffee, and baking powder to the blender. Pulse a few times again and blend until the mixture is smooth. Add half of the chocolate chips. Pulse a few times again and blend until the mixture is smooth. The chocolate chips do not have to completely disintegrate.

3.     Add the other half of the chocolate chips to the mixture. Mix, NOT blend. You want these to be whole. Alternatively, reserve the chips to sprinkle on top before baking. Pour the batter to a prepared pan. If you chose to reserved the chips, sprinkle them on now. Bake for about 20-23 minutes, until the center is set. Don’t overbake.

4.     Allow the brownie to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Cool completely on a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Cut them into squares and enjoy them with a glass of milk or a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Cook’s Note: It’s important that you don’t over-bake these brownies. Due to the nature of the ingredients, the brownies will become powdery or cakey if you over-bake them. Just bake until the center sets.

Sucanat is a type of sugar that has been minimally processed; thus, the vitamins, minerals, and molasses are intact. If you can’t find it, it is perfectly acceptable to use light brown sugar. And dairy-free chocolate chips were used for this recipe.*

I will give you one warning: the batter gets VERY thick.  It got to the point where my blender couldn’t handle it and I had to take the last bit out and hand mix it in a bowl with a spatula.  But it turned out just fine.  And, because of it’s thickness, I actually needed my Mom to hold the parchment paper in the pan so that I could spread the batter out evenly.  Worth the extra hassle?  Definitely.

Overall, my experience with Black Bean Brownies has been different from what I was expecting.  I was expecting to be blown away be the grossness of it all (as I am just NOT a bean lover), but instead, I embraced something new and found that it actually didn’t kill me, and it wasn’t so bad.  Is it my favorite thing in the world?  No.  But is it a good, healthier dessert option?  Absolutely.

The Original Recipe: http://chowdivine.com/flourless-chocolatey-black-bean-brownies

Chow Divine Blog: http://chowdivine.com/