Black Bean Brownies

Daddy found a new recipe that he wanted me to try - black bean brownies.  I have actually seen this recipe a few times, and was intrigued, but too wary to try it. But he was feeling daring, and, hey, they're brownies, so how bad could they be?

It starts with the wet ingredients...

...which are then mixed in a blender. Or in a bowl with an immersion blender, in my case. Once the wet ingredients are well blended and smooth, the dry ingredients are added to the bowl.

 A little more blending, then add in some chocolate chips.

Just a bit more blending... fold in just a few more chips and bake!

You have to be careful as these bake - if you over-bake them, the consistency becomes chalky, so I started checking on them a little early, and pulled them from the oven as soon as the middle set.

They looked and smelled pretty good!

After 15 minutes of cooling in the pan, I lifted the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper liner and set it on the cooling rack to cool completely. I then proceeded to do some chores around the house... folding some laundry, washing some dishes... you know, just keeping busy.

At some point in there, I noticed that little man had wandered off and become very, very quiet.  So I ran to the kitchen.

He found the brownies.

And apparently really liked them.

So I cut them into squares and tasted them myself.

Little man has good taste.

Little miss loved them, too. Even when daddy told her what the secret ingredients was!

 Nicely fudgy, deliciously rich - these are brownies without the guilt!  We'll definitely be making these again.

Flourless Double Chocolate Black Bean Brownies
(only slightly adapted from cHow Divine)

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (I used a 15 ounce can - measured out perfectly)
1/4 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon instant ground cinnamon
1/4 + 1/4 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used 1/4 cup semi-sweet mini chips and 1/4 cup regular semi-sweet chips)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
powdered/confectioners sugar for dusting (Optional)

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.
Add all of the wet ingredients – beans, oil, eggs, and vanilla – together in a bowl. Using an immersion blender, pulse the mixture a few times to get the ingredients to come together. Then blend fully until the mixture is smooth. Add the dry ingredients – cocoa, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder to the bowl. Again with the immersion blender, pulse a few times again and blend until the mixture is smooth. Add half of the chocolate chips (this is where I used the mini chips). Pulse a few times again and blend until the mixture is smooth. The chocolate chips do not have to completely disintegrate.
Add the other half of the chocolate chips to the mixture. Fold in the chips with a spatula (do not blend). You want these chips to remain whole. Alternatively, reserve the chips to sprinkle on top before baking. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If you chose to reserved the chips, sprinkle them on now. Bake for about 20-23 minutes, until the center is set - do not overbake.
Allow the brownie to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Lift the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper and transfer it to a cooling rack to cook completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Cut them into squares and enjoy!

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.

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