Black Bean Brownies

Don't be fooled, despite the near-30 degree drop in temperature since last week, my oven is still on hiatus.  I've just been holding out on you with these brownies....for almost a month.  I apologize.  This is the sort of thing I really should have shared with you immediately.  These brownies are too good not to share!

This was my first experience with black bean brownies, both making them & eating them, and oh was it good!  I have to admit, though, before making these I was pretty skeptical about black bean brownies.  They're perplexing.  While I heard nothing but rave reviews from everyone I knew who'd tried these treats, I didn't quite see how these could come close to matching up against "real" brownies.  I mean, I do love black beans, and there's no question as to how much I love chocolate, but I just wasn't sure about I could like them together.

My curiosity finally got the best of me, when I read Jess' post about black beans brownies over at Forgiving Martha.  Those brownies looked simply delicious, and anything dessert that's described as being so good you can't help but eat it straight from the pan, deserves to be made. 

To all you skeptics out there, don't just get yourselves in the kitchen and make these brownies, but have a fork in hand for when the pan comes out of the oven!  So de-licious!!  They're ever so slightly rich, chock full of chocolaty goodness, and if you didn't know these brownies contained black beans, I guarantee you'd never guess.  The biggest difference to note between these brownies and classic brownies is the consistency, which black bean brownies being softer, less dense and not quite willing to hold a clean square shape.

Print Recipe

Black Bean Brownies

(Adapted from Whole Foods)

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter, plus more for the baking dish
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter & lightly flour an 8-inch square pan (or, my preferred method which also makes getting brownies out of the pan a cinch, line the pan with foil).  

Thoroughly drain and rinse black beans.  Add black beans and melted butter to the food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth.  Add eggs, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla & sugar and blended until the mixture is completely pureed.  Gently stir in chocolate chips.  Transfer mixture to the prepared pan.  Bake the brownies for 28 to 32 minutes, or until just set in the center. 

Allow brownies to fully cool before cutting....it you can wait that long before digging in!

Enjoy!