Personal Recipe: Black Bean Brownies

Woah! Hold up! Black bean brownies?? How does that even make sense?? Am I supposed to actually eat them?? Whatever happened to regular brownies??

I can picture the doubt on every one's face as they read the title of this post. It's understandable...but it's also totally misdirected. A key element of gluten-free cooking and baking includes being adventurous and innovative...and these brownies will turn all you skeptics into believers. I promise. Give this recipe a try.

Firstly, I need to give a shout-out to my sister, Savanna. A couple years ago, she brought over a pan of decadent brownies and then LEFT IT in my fridge. They were black bean brownies....and they disappeared, square by square from that pan in my fridge. They were delicious, and unexpected. And by the way...they're so healthy, you can eat them for breakfast! Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of brownie recipes I have tried over the years, and many of them are super tasty, if not nutritionally void. I made my own recipe for black bean brownies after being so inspired by Savanna's creativity, and I'm offering it to you all now so your minds can be blown and you can proudly say "I ate brownies for breakfast!!"

The recipe has been doubled and tweaked as I found a single batch was just not enough for sharing.

Black Bean Brownies:

Butter, for greasing pan

1 can black beans (rinsed really well)

3/4 cup vegetable oil, or olive oil

3 eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar (I prefer organic, unrefined. ‘Panela’ is a good brand)

1 tbs instant coffee or espresso (optional, but its a good pantry staple)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

2/3 cup gluten-free flour (rice flour or buckwheat flour works well)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 by 9-inch square baking pans

In a blender, puree the beans with the oil. Add the eggs, cocoa, sugar, coffee, and vanilla. Melt half the chocolate chips and add to the blender. Blend on medium-high until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, and baking powder. Add to the blender and pulse until just incorporated. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until the surface looks somewhat matte around the edges and still a bit shiny in the middle, about 20 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting and removing from the pan. Lightly dust with icing sugar if you wanna impress someone.