Based on the famous BBBs…
Posted by Celine on January 2, 2008
aka black bean brownies, courtesy of Activist Mommy. [I know it's the right URL I have, but it's not going anywhere for some strange reason...weird!]
so I made the original version before, obviously, and wasn’t all that wowed by them because of the mushiness, but the taste was pretty great considering how healthy the ingredients were.
this time, I decided to nix the applesauce and just throw stuff in that needed to be eaten, and I could honestly eat the whole pan by myself right now, they’re so good! and still pretty healthy. and so not mushy!
14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 T mild-tasting oil [grapeseed, corn, canola, vegetable...]
1/4 cup carob powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar in the raw
2 medium ripe bananas
1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or not, doesn’t matter)
1/3 cup almond (or any nut) meal
1/4 cup oat flour (= scant 1/3 cup oat flakes)
2 T brown rice flour
preheat oven to 350F. prepare 8×8 square pan with non-stick cooking spray.
place all ingredients in your food processor, scrape the sides often with a rubber spatula, and blend until completely smooth. pour into prepared pan, bake for 30 minutes or until brownies appear to be set and firm.
let cool before attempting to serve. they taste best after spending some time in the fridge. also, they freeze well.
January 2, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Wow, brownies with beans… what will they think of next? Definitely a good way to start the new year with a semi-healthy treat!
January 2, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Wow! I am definitely going to try this recipe. Black beans have such a delicate flavor and a great consistency, I can see why this works! Hopefully I don’t burn them like my last batch of brownies. Ha.
January 2, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Thanks! I’m going to try this.
January 2, 2008 at 6:40 pm
:O!
those look *amazing*, and almost guilt-free besides! Somehow I’m just tickled by the concept, too.
January 2, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I must admit, I’m still a bit skeptical of putting beans into brownies… But hey, I guess it’s not so different from using soybeans (tofu) into cakes, huh? Maybe I’ll give ‘em a shot!
January 2, 2008 at 9:38 pm
black beans?? in brownies?? sounds quite enticing!!
January 2, 2008 at 10:31 pm
so crazy!
January 2, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Somehow the other black bean brownies sounded freaky to me, but now you’ve gone and put all kinds of other exciting things in these and they sound AMAZING! nicely done!
January 3, 2008 at 7:16 am
Wow! Those do look good. I never would have thought of black beans and brownies…but the picture really does sell it.
(Speaking of beans in recipes, I made the white bean spread…oh, Mr. Cakespy and I licked the bowl! Gross? Sort of. True? Yes.)
January 3, 2008 at 10:13 am
you’re a bowl-licker like me, Jessie! it’s reassuring. and you won’t hear me say it’s gross. frankly, what’s cuter than a bit of brownie batter or white bean spread on the tip one one’s nose? nothing, that’s what.
other reassuring fact, everyone: you really can’t taste the beans in this. I promise. I wonder where Activist Mommy went, though, I need to try her URL once more.
January 3, 2008 at 10:21 am
I’m loving all the brownie posts! I’ve only made them once and have been looking for recipes - with black beans, that has to be amazing.
January 4, 2008 at 1:48 am
It’s been brownie city over here lately! I love it!
January 4, 2008 at 4:44 am
yum brownies! i’ll admit, the black beans still scare me though.
January 4, 2008 at 9:45 am
don’t be scared of the black beans, Hil! they mean you no harm. just gas.
January 5, 2008 at 8:43 pm
haha, I really wanna give them a try, maybe I will. I know I have some black beans in my pantry.. :]
January 6, 2008 at 3:35 am
how very interesting!
January 6, 2008 at 5:01 am
These sound weird, but good. I’m intrigued!
January 6, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Your post motivated me to bake a batch of black bean brownies this morning. I had intended to make two batches, the first an adaptation of the original recipe and the second an adaptation based on your changes. I only had enough beans and bananas for one batch so my second batch was a pumpkin puree brownie. My husband and I will be eating a lot of brownies during the next few days.
Love your blog! I’ve been following it for quite some time now.
January 7, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Everything on that plate looks amazing!I would love to try this, sounds very simple and nice:)
January 7, 2008 at 3:55 pm
if you’re a bit frazzled at the thought of eating brownies for a long, long time: you might like to know these brownies freeze amazingly well, Lisa! I just had a piece of one that had spent a few days in the freezer, and I think it might have been even better than when eaten fresh. the gift that keeps on giving?
January 8, 2008 at 5:38 pm
They look so fudgy. This reminds me of the black bean cupcakes recipe I saw in a VT from a few years ago.
January 8, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I’m for sure going to try this recipe…Me and chocolate are one!
January 8, 2008 at 6:35 pm
oops…i realized i put the wrong addess on…sorry! :-/
January 9, 2008 at 4:57 am
I love your posts and recipes. I’ve linked to you from my site because I like for people to be able to see all the goodies you prepare and how easy you make it look.
Beans and brownies. One I’ll have to try.
January 9, 2008 at 7:25 am
awesome, Jackie, thank you! I never saw that VT cupcake recipe but I’m going to hunt for it on their site now, since I love these brownies so much.
don’t worry about it, Rage and Love, and I’m so hooked on chocolate at the moment, I think I need to join a club or something.
January 10, 2008 at 1:35 pm
These sound and look terrific!!!
January 12, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Hey Celine!
A quick question regarding those tantalizing brownies… How big the black bean can? Most of the cans in Canada contain 28oz of beans. Is that about right?
Thanks
Can’t wait to try the recipe.
January 12, 2008 at 4:24 pm
15oz is what you need here. so about half of your average Canada can. aka Can-can.
January 20, 2008 at 7:38 am
Celine, glad to hear they freeze well because I have been baking up batch after batch of black bean brownies playing around with the recipe. I like your idea of using oat and brown rice flour, as gluten free flour always adds an interesting texture to baked goods.
January 28, 2008 at 1:00 pm
[...] I took a peek at Celine’s fabulous blog and–voila!–there is a recipe for Black Bean Brownies, based on a still-earlier version from Activist Mommy. See what I mean? It’s that 100th [...]
January 28, 2008 at 8:31 pm
And gluten-free! YUM. i will definitely be trying these out.
March 20, 2008 at 8:11 pm
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April 6, 2008 at 11:11 am
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April 17, 2008 at 1:35 pm
[...] past few days: cornmeal muffin tops (sans white chocolate chips), best pumpkin muffins from VWAV, adapted black bean brownies (I love them so!), adapted fudgy brownies from My Sweet Vegan, low-fat cinnamon rolls & almond [...]
April 21, 2008 at 5:11 pm
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May 9, 2008 at 5:23 pm
[...] those of you who like the adapted black bean brownies I’ve talked about over and over again: I lowered the sugar amount to 1/2 cup, and they came [...]
May 11, 2008 at 7:52 pm
there is a really good black bean brownie recipe from Baking with Agave Nectar which uses agave nectar in place of sugar. it also doesn’t use flour; the brownies come out amazing! (i’m sure you can make a vegan version!) its one to try esp. if you are trying to cut down on using refined sugar :)
May 11, 2008 at 7:58 pm
thanks for the tip, Sharon: I’ve been planning on making these up here soon with agave or maple syrup and playing around with the rest of the ingredients, so I’ll keep this blog updated with any positive [or even negative] outcome.
May 29, 2008 at 7:49 am
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May 29, 2008 at 11:42 pm
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May 30, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Immediately after coming upon this delicious looking recipe today, I decided to make them . I love the black bean idea in a sweet dish!
I replaced the bananas with pureed prunes and replaced the sugar with Xylitol (an all natural, low glycemic sweetener made from birch bark). I haven’t tasted em yet because I still need to make a frosting…still trying to decide on what kind - but I cant wait to sample!
June 3, 2008 at 11:10 pm
I really want to try making this without sugar using agave. What adjustments do you think should be made??
June 4, 2008 at 5:58 am
I would simply add 1/4 cup agave instead of the sugar, and not make any other changes. that’s if you’re using carob powder. if using cocoa powder which is less sweet than carob, you should add a bit more, probably 6 T in all [not added to the 1/4 cup] or 1/3 cup, as well as throw in a bit more ground oats.
June 4, 2008 at 5:59 am
ninaki: a quick note that I have been planning on making these with agave for a while and am just about to do it, so if you want to wait to make sure it works, give me a few days.
June 30, 2008 at 9:36 pm
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