Unbelievable Black Bean Brownies {Recipe}

When I think “black beans”, the last thing that comes to mind is dessert. I love black beans in my Chipotle burrito bowl, black beans in tamales, black beans in bean salad … but never before had I encountered a dessert made of black beans.

As I made this recipe for the first time, I was having serious doubts. Forty minutes later, the moment of truth came … and I found I liked black bean brownies. A lot. And you know who liked them even more than me? One of the pickiest eaters in the world — Hernán {who you met in my Belated About Me}. I have made this recipe countless times now, and he consistently eats the entire pan.

As a disclaimer, I’ll tell you that while these are healthier than your average brownies, they’re not the picture of a perfect dessert {I suppose a perfect dessert is just fruit, which is unfortunate as “just fruit” doesn’t have any chocolate in it}. This black bean brownie recipes utilizes honey rather than sugar — and while the body processes both sweeteners the same, honey does have some good nutrients {and you can purchase local honey to support your economy}. They’ve also got eggs, so they’re not vegan. I have whipped up a batch of these brownies using the “flax seed egg“, and I ended up with a chalkier — albeit still good — brownie. So — if you are a brownie/chocolate cake addict {I know we can’t get enough chocolate here}, and you would like an alternative, healthier dessert, you’ll love these. I guarantee it.

My recipe is adapted from the adorable blog Bare Root {check it out, she’s got some amazing recipes}:

Black Bean Brownies

• 15 ounces {around 1.5 cups; or 1 can} black beans, rinsed and blotted dry
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 TBSP. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. Tecchino {Mediterranean herbal coffee}, 100% optional
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 100% optional

First, you’ll want to preheat the oven to 350 degrees {Farenheit}. Next, melt the honey and the coconut oil in a small pot over medium heat. If you’ve opted to add Tecchino for some extra flavor, put it in the pot, too.

Unfortunately, this is one of those recipes that you need a food processor or a blender for … otherwise you’ll be dealing with black bean chunks. Dually, put the somewhat cooled honey-coconut oil-Tecchino mixture in the food processor {or blender} with all ingredients EXCEPT for the chocolate chips.

Blend the mixture for a couple of minutes until you have a smooth texture like this {you may need to pause, scrape down the sides, and blend again a time or two}:

Now, pour — and I really do mean POUR; the batter should be quite runny — the mixture into a greased 11.5″ x 8″ pan.

If you’re using chocolate chips, sprinkle them over the top. They will sink down into the middle of the brownies.

Bake the brownies for 30 minutes in your preheated oven. After 10 minutes, you’ll notice a heavenly smell coming out of the kitchen … and once those 30 minutes are up, you’ll end up with this:

These black bean brownies are hard to explain until you actually make them. I’d describe them as having a pleasing flourless chocolate cake texture. They’re sweet and delicious whether you opt to add chocolate chips or not. I love that their main ingredient is black beans; all the fiber makes us full and satisfied! When you do make these, be forewarned that the whole batch will be gone within a day. On the rare occasion that they aren’t inhaled within hours after baking, I send a couple to school with Hernán; he loves them as a filling snack. So, if you have kiddos, slip these in the lunch box and don’t tell them the secret ingredient!

I hope you enjoy these black bean brownies! I think cooking and experimenting with recipes is a big part of DIY and creating — along with making life prettier/more delicious — so my new recipe post series will fit right in with the TPK philosophy. Rest assured I will still be blogging about art, crafts, and projects as well!

Have a wonderful day, and give these brownies a try — trust me, you’ll love ’em! As always, thank you for reading and coming by. You all are the best readers a girl could ask for!