Healthy Black Bean Brownies

What would you say if I told you that you could make a chocolatey, fudgy brownie that was under 100 calories and only 2.5 grams of fat per 2.5 inch square? One that was high in protein and not totally overboard in carbs, either?

Yeah, I thought you might. 

Credit for this recipe goes to a lovely new friend of mine, Kate, who has been helping hubby and I create some guilt-free versions of the types of things that he and I like (which are typically horribly unhealthy, of course). 

No one in your house has to know that these brownies are healthy or what specifically goes into them. To be honest, you probably don't want to tell them. But you'll know. 

Start off with a can of black beans. Yes, black beans. Rinse those babies off and put them in a blender. These brownies aren't going to assemble like the ones you're used to.

Add 1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 single-serve container of unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup of pumpkin puree

1/4 cup (or 2 large eggs worth) egg whites. I used Egg Beaters in a carton.

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

and 1/4 teaspoon of salt

And then blend it allllll up!

Once it's smooth, fold in a tablespoon of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. Or more, I won't judge.

Spread the mixture into a square pan and tap it on the counter to get the air bubbles out,

and top with more mini semi-sweet chips (I should have pushed them down into the batter a bit but I didn't think of it).

Then bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. That's it!

After they cool completely, cut into 9 squares, and you're all set. So yummy.

Full disclosure: They're not 100% convincing. My regular brownie recipe has 2 sticks of melted butter and something like 1.5 or 2 cups of sugar, and nothing's quite going to match that sinful taste. But, these are pretty good, and if you don't tell your kids they are healthy, I doubt they'd really know. 

For those who would like to give it a try, here's the recipe.

Black Bean Brownies


1 15 oz can black beans (rinsed, drained)
1/2 c (40 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c (113 g, one single-serve container) unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c (60 g) canned pumpkin
1/4 c (60 g) egg whites (2 large)
1/4 c (40 g) whole wheat flour 
1/2 c (100 g) sugar 
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt 
3 tbsp mini semi-sweet choc chips



Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick. Put all ingredients in blender or food processor EXCEPT chips. Purée until totally smooth. Fold in 1 tbsp chocolate chips. Spread mixture in pan and bang on counter to smooth out the top. Sprinkle remaining chips on top. Bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out mostly clean in center. Let cool COMPLETELY before cutting. Cut the pan into 9 pieces which makes them about 2.5 inch squares. 98 calories/serving. 2.5g fat, 22g carb, 4.5g protein.


Enjoy!


(Thanks again, Kate!)