The BEST Black Bean Brownies You Will EVER Eat! AND, They're Gluten-Free!

First off, let me say that though these brownies are DAIRY FREE, VEGETARIAN,  GLUTEN-FREE they are to DIE FOR! 

I know, you're thinking "EW! Brownies with BLACK BEANS?" I felt the same. But after creating a dinner just this past week and having leftover black beans, I thought I would FINALLY give it a try! MAN, was I glad I did. And most of Ya'll know, I really dig sweets! 

When having to switch my lifestyle to Gluten-free it was quite the challenge, especially with baked goods because when baking with Gluten-free flours it is not the same. Am I right? It truly takes practice and a very long learning curve to perfect what used to come easy - and make even BROWNIES eddible.

Well, this recipe is SUPER EASY and is FLOUR FREE using only a few ingredients. Trust me, you're going to love these. You'll see a few black beans in the mix unless you spend a few minutes more at the processor mixing these up. But I didn't have to fool any small children (or husbands) into thinking these didn't have beans in them so I didn't worry too much with that! 

They are super moist, very chocolaty, so scrumptious and packed FULL of Fiber! In addition to these being gluten-free, it uses a cup of black beans. And a cup of black beans has about half the calories that a cup of all-purpose flour has, has 20% of your daily iron, AND it has a slightly higher protein content (15g).

You’ll need to rinse, drain, and puree a can of black beans
(or use cooked, dried beans) to make a good pastey base,
then mix in the rest of your wet ingredients (3 eggs,
3 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract).

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients
(¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, ⅔ cup sugar, ½ tsp baking
powder, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp coffee). The coffee can be
omitted if you don’t want to incorporate it and you can use
​decaf if you're worried about caffeine.  But I STRONGLY urge you (see what I did there?) to leave it in. It just seems to
add a depth of flavor. Coffee always seems to work so well with chocolate. Don't you think?

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BAKING TIP:
I'm sure most of you know this, but when you're baking,
you'll want most always to mix your wet ingredients with 
your wets and your dry ingredients with your dry. Keep
them in separate bowls then slowly incorporate them 
together after you have first mixed them with LIKE
ingredients.  This helps ensure they get evenly mixed. 

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The BEST Black Bean Brownies You Will Ever Eat
RECIPE
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 - 35 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 15-oz can black beans rinsed and drained (or cooked dry)
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ⅔ cup sugar (or honey)
• ½ tsp gf baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp fine ground coffee (optional)
• ½ cup semi-sweet dairyfree chocolate chips

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Instructions:

1. Puree black beans in food processor or blender (or you can mash with a fork but this is a little too much like work).
2. Mix black beans, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl mix cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt, and coffee.
4. Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients a little at a time. Then stir in your chocolate chips.
5. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake about 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees, until center is no longer wet (knife will come out clean).
6. Allow to cool slightly before cutting.

This post was written by Susan Avello, Personal Chef at Lean Bean Chef Personal Chef Services in Dothan Alabama - offering Healthy Meal Prep, Meal Planning, Private Cooking Classes, Private Dinner Parties and Education on Healthy Eating. ​​