Looking for a dense, fudgy, slightly chewy, decadent brownie that will cover the palate of your mouth with a smooth, rich, chocolaty taste that wont put on the pounds?
THESE ARE THE BROWNIES TO MAKE. :-)
Still not convinced? Man, you guys are difficult! Tell me that doesn't look like a ray of heavenly light falling upon that brownie.
Alright, you guys are on your own. I'll give you the recipe and you can choose to experience this utopia for yourself or not. (-:
Black Bean and Avocado Brownies
(yes, as an extra they happen to be sugar, and gluten free)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate (like Bakers brand)
1/2 c butter
1/4 c coconut oil
1 c almonds
2 c cooked black beans
1/2 large or 1 small avocado
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
3/4 c agave nectar
1/2 c warm water*
1 Tbsp chia seeds*
1 Tbsp NuStevia powdered stevia*
1/4 c instant espresso or natural coffee alternative.
4 eggs
First off put your chia seeds and stevia in the 1/2 cup of warm water. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes. The seeds can hold 10x their weight and will thicken up the water. The benefit of chia seeds are AMAZING and can be found here. (* If you do not have access to chia seeds and can't make this mixture just skip it and increase your coconut oil with an additional 1/4 c and add an additional 1/2 c agave nectar)
Melt butter/oil in a glass dish with your chocolate. Microwave in one minute intervals and stir till just melted.
Place the beans, almonds, avocado, vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into a food processor. Blend till smooth. Dump in mixer.
(I'm just going to make this easy since that is how I bake. I am sure some culinary baker is flinching when I tell you I just dump everything into a mixer.)
Next I add the rest of the chocolate, coffee or coffee substitute, chai/stevia mixture, agave, eggs and salt.
Stir till well blended and it's creamy looking. Pour into a greased 11x9" baking pan. Bake at 325 F for 35 minutes or till set.
COOL COMPLETELY before cutting or better yet but these in the refrigerator. They taste best after they sit for a while and cut so much nicer. If you want a warm brownie I suggest just microwaving your individual piece.
ENJOY!!!
Guess what else - kids love them. I'd say that sums it all up right there! (I have picky kids) At least when you eat five of them you won't feel guilty because your just eating your beans and vegetables. (-:
If you have any questions or comments PLEASE leave one. I am happy to help in any way. A lot of the ingredients I list can be purchased at your health food section in a regular grocery store or on line. My favorite online store is iherb. They have the best prices and free ground shipping with a $40.00 order. Plus enter code ESE794 for $5.00 off your order. (I'm very thrifty so believe me I'm giving you the best on line site I know!)
SPECIAL thanks to the crafty site Jen @ Tater Tots and Jello and the cooking site Amy @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free for featuring this! Please check them out they both have wonderful sites!
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Serious~ that avocado picture with the beans is amazing. Like food network or something. You're so professional! And featured on not one, but TWO blogs. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteSo these look do-able and yummy. My only concern is that we hate brownies with nuts. Can you grind them up super fine in the food processor without changing the texture too much? And if I use Xylotol powder, is that going to be way different than Stevia? Inquiring minds want to know.
One more question (sorry!) did you make that whip cream or is it in the can? I bought three cans at Costco for mom's night out remember, and so far it's been going on my coffee and Rowan is constantly saying "Hey, Mama, der's whip cream in da fridge. A wittle squirt in my mouth, k?"
Kira, it would be VERY easy to just grind up the nuts so that you would not know there were any nuts in the brownies. (I have done it that way before) It tastes awesome that way too. I have not used Xylitol yet but I would just play around with an amount to accompany your taste. Lastly I did make the sugar free whip cream but Costco comes in very handy too!
ReplyDeleteI have to send this recipe to my sister. She is all about Chia seeds! Also, you should add them to my Cookie Exchange Blog Hop!
ReplyDeleteI might have to give these a try. My boys LOVE brownies. Thanks for linking them up today!!!
ReplyDeleteIm so glad you posted this, cant wait to try it out on the fam. So... where did you end up getting your chia seeds,from that site you linked to or from one of our local grocery stores?
ReplyDeleteHey Jen,
ReplyDeleteYou can get them from iherb.com but I ordered them from Azure Standard because Heather was placing an order. I have not seen them in the local grocery store but I wasn't searching hard. I have found that buying health food is cheaper on the internet. (although supporting mom and pop stores is a great thing too.) Hope that helps! Let me know how they turn out for you!
SO different...yet so delicious looking! Poppin' over from the virtual cookie hop!
ReplyDeleteThese look amazing! And I think it should be classified as a protein!
ReplyDeleteI've seen black bean brownie recipes, but not with avocado. I love treats that are good for you.
ReplyDeletehttp://nurturedfamilylife.blogspot.com
I am intrigued but not sure if I can do it...
ReplyDeleteWould love for you to come link up!
http://gigglesglitzandglam.blogspot.com/2011/01/glam-party-9.html
I am trying to cut back on sweets but still have such a sweet tooth. Can't wait to give these a try. Wondering if I can I substitute another oil for the coconut?
ReplyDeleteReply to Julie: Sure - try it with slightly melted butter. I don't think you can go wrong with these :-) Let me know how it turns out.
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing about these and I need to try them! HOw can you beat healthy chocolate?
ReplyDeleteThat's fascinating. I am a fan of healthy sweets (been told my chocolate chip cookies eat like a meal, but people keep eating them anyway) so I will have to try these out.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking... Seriously? Healthy Brownies? And now I see you are right. I'm scared, but I think I'm going to try this!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why these would be considered "sugar free". Although there isn't "sugar" in the ingredients, there is agave nectar, and a whole lot of it, which has about the same effect on your body as corn syrup. How could these be made without that?
ReplyDeleteReply to Jen: Yes, there is a lot of controversy about agave nectar. I have heard you can make a great syrup out of water and palm sugar. (a natural sugar from the coconut) Also I would experiment with only using the chia seeds and stevia if you are opposed to agave. I bet it would still turn out delicious. (so increase water to 1 1/4 c and add 2-3 Tbsp of Chia and extra stevia to taste)Let me know! Thanks
ReplyDeleteI have made Pumpkin Black Bean Enchiladas and Black Bean Burgers this week. Next on my list is to try black bean brownies. I think these look fabulous. The picture of the avocado and the black beans is great! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Candace
ReplyDeleteHi, Selina!
ReplyDeleteI found this post while traipsing around the net and first off, I think this is a really novel concept and I may work up the courage to try it eventually. :)
Second, I noticed that Xylitol got mentioned in the comments. Well, I can say from experience that Xylitol is alright for some baking, but not for all. It's reasonably good for chocolate, cakes, scones, cookies, coffee, and pie fillings, but it gives muffins what I can only describe as a slightly sandy texture. I prefer Sucanat, honey, or as you mentioned, agave juice, myself.
Also, Xylitol can cause some, ah, serious gas. Oh yeah. Trust me on this one. If you try it out, you may want to make sure you won't be around people for the next 2 or 3 days, depending on your digestive system. Some people digest it just fine, but the majority of my clients do tend to report this problem.
It's never really stopped me from eating the chocolate made with Xylitol though. Because hey...chocolate.
These look amazing and I love how healthy they are! I also love the first picture of the brownie - I can almost hear the angel chorus ringing in the background. haha.
ReplyDeleteCame over from the Linky Party. This recipe looks amazing and who would have thought the addition of black beans...brilliant!
ReplyDeleteLook forward to trying this recipe - I've tried bean brownies before, but they were D-R-Y!
ReplyDeleteanother great {easy} veggie recipe you'll enjoy!
http://bit.ly/b4l9bL
Blessings!
LIB
I tried this recipe and it IS AMAZING!!! Thank you for posting. I am gluten intolerant and try to fix healthy food for my family. My husband, who can be critical to the real thing, even liked them and wanted more! Great recipe! Thank you again! ;-)
ReplyDelete