Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

V-day has passed, but that doesn't mean that we can't indulge in a little bit of chocolate right? ;)

I'm not going to lie, if you really want the true brownie filled with butter and sugar, then you might want to try this recipe.  BUT if you're looking for a healthy alternative that can make you believe that you're biting into that sinful chocolate brownie, you've come to the right place.

This "brownie" recipe mainly uses blackbeans as its base and is sweetened with an apple and some honey.  I imagine that if you don't want to use honey, then you can replace it with some brown sugar, or a natural sugar alternative such as stevia.

Cy is not a big black bean fan, but this recipe passed his test.  You can't tell that it's made with black beans and it's nice and moist and chocolatey.  Perfect with a tall glass of milk...or if you can't do dairy, a glass of sugar-free coconut milk (my fav)!

Black Bean Brownies

adapted from The Best of Clean Eating

Ingredients:

Olive or Canola oil cooking spray

1oz...dark organic chocolate (70% cocoa or greater)

1.5c..soft-cooked black beans, rinsed and drained (can will also work)

2.......eggs

1.......egg white

2tbsp.olive oil

1/4c...unsweetened cocoa powder

1tsp...espresso powder(optional)

1c......baking powder

1tsp...pure vanilla extract

1/4c...unsweetened applesauce **I didn't have applesauce so I just threw a small apple in the processor

1/3c...raw organic honey

1/3c...chopped toasted unsalted walnut

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350.  Mist an 8inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

2)  Melt dark chocolate in a double broiler over low heat with one tablespoon of water mixed in. (Or if you're in a rush, you can zap in the microwave for about 20sec and stir)

3)  Combine all ingredients except for walnuts in a food processor and process until smooth.  Stir in walnuts.  (If you want to add some more chocolatey goodness, you can also stir in 1/4c of semi-sweet chocolate chips).  Pour mixture into baking dish.

 

4) Bake for about 30min, or until tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides.  Let cool, and ENJOY :)   

**The texture gets even better if you leave it covered in the fridge for at least 30min before consuming.  I topped them with a little bit of non-fat greek yogurt and some pomegranate seeds