Thursday, April 1, 2010

Black Bean and Avocado Brownies

I assure you - this is not an April Fool's joke!

Cara's Cravings published this recipe on Valentine's Day, and it took me up until now to actually make it. It looked interesting... and I know it's healthy... but there was just something mental that wouldn't let me try them.

Even after making them, it took me a good day and a half to work up the nerve to take a bite. Although most of the ladies on my cooking message board love these, there was still something holding me back.

But... I did it. I ate one. And they are GOOD!

Don't get me wrong - you won't be confusing these with a Ghiradelli brownie or anything. But they are definitely chocolatey and brownie-like enough that I can see myself making them again. The nutritional info works in their favor as well - each brownie has more than 4g of protein and less than 2 grams of fat. Cha-ching!

They aren't bad at all on their own, and I imagine they would be even yummier with a scoop of ice cream on top.


Ingredients
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3/4 cup egg substitute
  • 1/4 cup agave syrup
  • 1/2 of a ripe avocado (60gm)
  • 6 tbsp cocoa powder (30gm)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoons white sugar (75gm)
  • 2 teaspoons instant espresso

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.

Combine black beans, egg substitute, agave syrup, and avocado in food processor. Blend for a few minutes, until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until fully combined, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spread into parchment-lined baking dish. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the brownies comes out clean.

These are best if you let them sit overnight before slicing and enjoying!

4 comments:

  1. What's your opinion on how the taste would be affected if the espresso was omitted from the mix? I'm definitely e-mailing this to my mom. She cooks pretty much anything that uses agave syrup and I'm excited to see what her thoughts are.

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  2. I'm not really sure, Aimee. I can say, though, that I couldn't really taste it. I think the espresso just helps deepen the chocolate flavor, so it might be a little to bean-ish without it.

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  3. Glad you liked them! As for the espresso powder, I had a hard time answering this question too because I knew that it was helping to intensify the chocolate, but I had no idea whether it was also covering up the bean flavor. However, one reader confirmed for me that she enjoyed them plenty without the espresso, so I guess you're good to go!

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  4. I've been wanting to make these!! Look good!

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