Double Chocolate Black Bean Brownies
by Jodi Danen, RD
Oooey gooey brownies with a good nutrient profile?! Yes, please! These double chocolate brownies are so good it’s hard to just have one. They are oil-free and contain no flour.
How is this possible?
Black beans. Yes, black beans – and no, you can’t taste or see them!
This ingredient might sound odd, but black beans are a fantastic flour replacement, making this recipe gluten free and giving it an extra boost of protein.
Nutrition Tip: The Dietary Guidelines recommend getting three cups of beans per week because they’re such a healthy, fiber-rich source of protein. These brownies are a tasty way to help meet that goal!
Black beans have many health benefits, including 3 important nutritional benefits. Let’s take a look:
Black Beans are a Great Source of Protein
Protein is essential for growing children, it’s responsible for the building, maintaining, and repairing of tissues. On average, kids aged 4-9 years require about 19 grams of protein daily and kids 9–13 years of age require about 34 grams.
Black Beans are High in Fiber
Fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Both are essential to keep your children’s digestive systems running smoothly. Soluble fiber breaks down with water in the GI tract, while insoluble fiber does not. Because of this, insoluble fiber helps with constipation and keeps the GI tract running properly.
How much fiber per day should your child be consuming? The American Dietetic Association recommends a child’s daily fiber intake should equal their age + 5 grams. For example: 5 years old + 5 grams = 10 grams of fiber per day.
Black Beans are Full of Antioxidants
What are antioxidants? Antioxidants are vitamins and minerals that defend the body’s cells from dangerous molecules called free radicals.
Free radicals are natural byproducts of digestion and result from environmental factors such as air pollution. Free radicals make healthy cells unhealthy and may play a role in various diseases.
Antioxidants fight off these harmful free radicals and restore them as healthy cells, making antioxidants very good for you. Black beans are high in antioxidants and are mainly found in their dark-colored skin.
Black beans are pureed in your blender. The rest of the ingredients are then added, blended, and baked.
This super easy recipe results in fudgy, delicious brownies the whole family will enjoy – and they’ll never know they are made with beans if you don’t tell them!
Double Chocolate Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can low-sodium black beans, drained, rinsed
- 2-3 tablespoons water
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips plus extra for sprinkling on top
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 8×8-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Add black beans and 2 tbsp. water to blender. Puree until smooth. Add additional 1 Tbsp. water if beans are still too thick to puree. Scrape sides of blender to ensure all beans are pureed.
- Add eggs, applesauce, sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, vanilla, baking soda and salt to blender and blend until well mixed.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and bake 30 minutes, or until toothpick knife inserted into center of pan comes out clean. Let cool before slicing.
