Let me start this post off by saying A.) I don’t think these are “healthy” or a free for all because they have beans in them and B.) I’m not against indulging in REAL full fat style desserts now and then.
Now, since we have that out of the way…. IF I can feed my kids (and myself) yummy, gooey, amazing brownies on a special occasions that have less fat, more fiber and more protein why wouldn’t I do that?!?
These things were amazing! I could have seriously eaten the whole batch myself. Even the dessert indifferent husband ate some and had nothing but good things to say. Of course he changed his tune once I told him how I made them.
Typical.
However, I also had guests and, well, let’s just say there was only a nibble left on the plate by the end of the BBQ.
I’ve seen this idea around the interweb for some time but when Snack Girl posted it earlier this week I was inspired to give it a whirl.
This will be my go to brownie for any occasion. That’s how much I liked them regardless of the “lighter” aspect. Speaking of, preparing the brownies this way saves 5g of fat but it also ups the fiber and protein by 2 g each. Again, not earth shattering but slightly tipping the scales towards a more balanced nutritional profile and that’s my goal. 
Balance.
Here’s how I made them…
- 1 18oz Brownie Box mix (I used Ghirardelli Chocolate Brownie Mix, Double Chocolate)
- 1 15.5 oz can of Black Beans
- water
- sprinkles (optional)
First drain and rinse the beans. Place beans back into the can and fill with water. The idea here is to replace the salty bean juice with fresh water to reduce the sodium. If you have sodium free beans this step is unnecessary.
Puree the beans and water together. I used my bullet for this. Worked like a charm…
Add the bean puree and brownie mix to large bowl.
Mix well with a spatula until combined.
Taste test. :)
Spray your brownie pan with non stick spray and pour in the batter. I used an 11×7 glass pyrex.
Top with festive sprinkles if you like.
We were making for a 4th of July BBQ.
Bake for 30 minutes. This may vary based on your pan size and material. They take less time then the package states for traditional eggs/oil. I found 30 minutes to be perfect. A toothpick stuck in came out clear and the top was firm to the touch. If you bake longer they will start to dry out and become more cake like. I went for gooey.
Remove form oven and let cool in pan.
Cut into 16 squares and try to contain yourself…
or him for that matter…
I let him have one before the party as the official taste tester. This was his ruling…
lol Little Bean had one at the party…
He liked them too, as you can see from his chocolate covered little face. :)
| Servings | Amt per Serving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | ~ 2 inch brownie | |||
| Calories | Fat | Fiber | WWPs | |
| 165 | 3.5g | 3g | old: 3 | new: 4 |
| Sugar | Sat Fat | Carbs | Protein | |
| 18g | 1.5g | 30g | 3g | |
I cannot wait to try these and so simple too! Thanks for sharing
I love to make black bean brownies. I find that the raw batter is a little “beany” but once they are baked they are delicious with no bean taste – and extra dense and moist, which is perfect for me. I do find that if they don’t get eaten in a few days, the bean flavor does start to increase and become a little more noticable. But when I freeze them, no problem.
Hi Roni,
I have made these with a can of pumpkin. They were really really good. I liked everything about them, the flavour, texture, just perfect sweetness….BUT….the gas I got from them was like an out of body experiece. Even my hubby was shocked at the fumes and noise level. Sorry I know this is TMI but I can laugh about it now. I’ve been too afraid to make them again:)Sad because I really liked them:)
Did they cause you any issues???
Not that I noticed but If I’m being honest.. our house is already gas central. LOL We eat a LOT of beans and produce. A LOT! lol
Do you think you could substitute navy beans?
I don’t see why not but I haven’t done it.
I tried it – they turned out good, maybe a little lighter color than in your picture but I expected that. I’ll have to try them with black beans next time. :)
Isn’t there a way to make these without the dreadful brownie mix? I hate baking with mixes. Have seen many bean-brownie recipes, but they ALL seem to call for that stupid mix.
Well, some day I will have to come up with my own…
Well that’s that simplicity of the idea. Make a mix slightly healthier for a quick treat but I have seen and dabbled with a mix-less black bean browning years ago. Check out some vegan sites. They always have mix-less, non traditional recipe ideas using beans and purees. Just a thought!
I’ve had garbanzo bean cake, and I imagine it’s fairly similar to these awesome looking brownies. The garbanzo bean cake was soooooo good and moist! Will definitely try these sometime when it’s cool enough to turn the oven on again :)
These look devine! I love brownies, but have yet to try them with black beans! I will try this out soon. :)
For Diandra: Here is a black bean brownie recipe that does not use the mix–from happyherbivore.com.
Oops! Forgot to include the link for Diandra. Here it is: link to happyherbivore.com
OK, I had no idea you could do such a thing with beans! Amazing! I have done this swap with canned pumpkin, pureed squash, and yogurt, but beans are such a wonderful idea for protein and fiber. They look so fudgy and good, too – not like a sacrifice at all!
We baked these yesterday and they were surprisingly good. I refrigerated them overnight and they got even more gooey and tasty!
I’ve never tried it with a mix before! Great idea!
Saw someone ask about a recipe with only beans… here’s the one I’ve used. Turns out more like fudge! yum!
link to naturallyknockedup.com