Nom-Rating: * (1/5)
“These black bean brownies taste like Starbucks’ brownies,” claimed one pinner on Pinterest.
Photo and original recipe from Fitness Treats
Based on the way the picture looks (too bean-like) and a bad experience I had trying to substitute white beans for egg yolks a few years ago, I was skeptical.
I love brownies. I love brownies with all oil and eggs and white flour and chocolate chips that the normal recipe calls for…
But, we are coming up on the New Year. And with the New Year comes hopes of healthier eating.
So because of that (and the fact that I was curious and didn’t have anything better to do), I decided to make this quick little recipe!
The ingredients in this recipe are staples in most kitchens, so as long as you have some black beans, you should be good to go.
Of course, I added my own touch to the recipe by adding a one of my favorite ingredients…
Everything goes into the blender (except the chocolate chips or any other add-ins) and is mixed together.
At this point in the recipe, the ingredients were doing a good job LOOKING like brownie batter, but they sure didn’t SMELL like brownie batter.
I didn’t have the guts to try it.
Pour the batter into a pan and pop it into the oven!
And out comes…
Something that smells a little more like brownies…
But is lacking a bit in the taste and texture departments!
Unfortunately, it had the texture of black bean paste and tasted like a combination of bananas, cinnamon, and a slightly odd chocolate.
Except for the bites with chocolate chips in them…those were delicious!
Verdict: If you looove brownies like I do, these are NOT going to fill the bill. However, if you are unable to eat regular brownies for one reason or another, these would be okay. The might even be tasty. I felt like the texture issue might be resolved with a longer cook time, so I put the rest of the pan back in the oven after trying one. Right now we’re looking at 45 minutes of cook time and they still haven’t turned brownie-like. I’ll let you know what the official turnout is, but I’m skeptical. I won’t call this a nom-failure, but it was close.
Nom-Rating: * (1/5)
Sounds like you may be trying a little to hard to eat healthy. Brownies are not meant to be healthy; they are to be an indulgence, a little reward even for eating healthy, if it helps to think of it that way.
Agreed. Eric banned me from making anymore “healthy” desserts:P My next post that I’m writing is the exact opposite of black bean brownies…they’re possibly the richest brownies I’ve ever eaten before! You and Dad will have to try them!
As a brownie aficionado who can’t turn down dessert ever, I occasionally swap out ingredients to make desserts healthier. While I agree with Rhonda that deserts are an indulgence and should be enjoyed in their full-fat glory, I find that when I make a less yummy dessert I have a much, much easier time with portion control, and my sweet tooth is nevertheless satisfied. So occasionally I will whip up my applesauce brownies or banana Tollhouse cookies knowing that they won’t be as scrumptious, but will still satisfy my dessert itch in a less damaging way.
That being said, it doesn’t sound like these are worth a go. Have you tried any of Jessica Seinfeld’s recipes? She purees vegetables into recipes and has a chickpea chocolate chip cookie that she swears her kids love, but I have never got around to trying.
I haven’t ever tried any of Jessica’s recipes…I guess I should look into those a bit. I can see how maybe chickpeas would provide a blander taste and not shine through so much.
I have tried applesauce brownies and was impressed by how delicious they were! And banana chocolate chip cookies sounds like a win…especially with some peanut butter added in!