Healthy Fudgy Brownies

 

Skeptical of black bean brownies? Don’t be. You won’t find any black bean flavor in these brownies. This classic treat is a dessert after all, and you want your brownie to taste like a brownie. There may be some nutrient-dense ingredients in this recipe, but there’s no flavor sacrifices being made here.

In fact, black beans make these brownies even better by adding irresistible creamy, fudgy texture. Plus, they provide protein and fiber to help reduce blood sugar spikes (which leads to energy crashes in the short-term and may promote weight gain and insulin resistance in the long-term). Black beans also contain a healthy dose of important minerals like folate, magnesium, manganese, and iron.

Just add a can of black beans and the rest of the delicious ingredients to a food processor to create the batter for the ultimate healthier brownie. Some other ingredients you’ll find in this recipe:

  • Oats: Rolled oats are blended into a fine flour to provide a slightly cakey texture and soluble fiber, which is helpful for slowing digestion and blood sugar control.

  • Almond butter: A good source of healthy fats & protein

  • Cocoa powder: Provides rich, chocolatey flavor and contains polyphenols, which have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

  • Maple Syrup & Dark Chocolate Chips: These two ingredients bring the sweetness. You could skip the dark chocolate chips, but I think they really take these brownies to the next level.

Find the recipe for these rich, chocolatey, fudgy brownies below:

Healthy Fudgy Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rolled oats

  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder*

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

  • 1 15.5 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

  • 2/3 cup maple syrup

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/4 cup creamy almond butter

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

*the better the quality of the cocoa powder, the better the brownies. I used Guittard Chocolate Cocoa Rouge cocoa powder.

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line an 8” x 8” baking dish with parchment paper.

  2. Blend oats in a food processor until a fine flour forms.

  3. Combine dry ingredients: Add baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder to oat flour and briefly blend until mixed.

  4. Add black beans and blend again.

  5. Add wet ingredients: Maple syrup, egg, almond butter, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth.

  6. Stir in chocolate chips and pour batter into parchment-lined baking dish. Spread batter evenly and top off with a few more chocolate chips.

  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes (brownies will still be fudgy when fully baked). Let cool for approximately 10 minutes before cutting.

*If you don’t have a food processor, you should be able to use a high-speed blender instead (but I haven’t tried it)

 
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