Sink your teeth into these fudgy, rich brownies, and I promise you’ll never miss the gluten or refined sugars. Or guess the secret ingredient. These decadent delights are sure to please everyone, not just the health-conscious or those with food allergies.
Why do I call them ”healthier” brownies? First, they contain much more fiber than regular brownies, and, second, they’re made with the natural sweetener agave nectar. Agave nectar is lower on the glycemic index than sweeteners like refined sugar and even honey. Combined with the extra fiber, this means (diabetics and hypoglycemics rejoice!) that the morsels have a lower impact on your blood sugar levels. That’s not to say that any brownie–even one of these–is a health food, but at least you’re not doing as much damage. Sugar is sugar (and if you’re battling with Candida, you should steer clear of these), but if you’re in the mood to indulge, this is a great way to do it with a little less guilt.
If you’re sensitive to dairy, consider making these with coconut oil instead of butter. This 1-to-1 substitution works beautifully in baking. And about that agave nectar: it’s popping up everywhere these days. I had 4 varieties to choose from at my local Whole Foods! I chose raw amber, but I’m sure the others would have worked fine. If you simply can’t find agave or don’t want to bother looking for it, try using an equal amount of honey instead. Someday I may try baking these with stevia (a completely natural, sweet-tasting herb) to eliminate the sugar altogether. I’ll let you all know how that goes. I absolutely do notrecommend ever using Splenda as a sugar substitute, but that’s for another post. For now, just say “no” to Splenda. It’s from the devil.
One more thing. In case you missed my saying so, these are really, really tasty. Fudgy. Rich. Tasty.
Now go check out the secret ingredient. Surprised?
Go on, be a good sport. Give ‘em a shot anyway. You’ll be glad you did!
Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
(adapted from the recipe at 101 Cookbooks)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (that means 100% cocoa/cacao)
1 cup unsalted butter or coconut oil
2 cups very soft cooked black beans*
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup instant coffee
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups agave nectar
Preheat the oven to 325. For the best results, line a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray lightly with canola oil. If you’re lazy like me, just spray the plain dish and be done with it.
Melt the chocolate and butter (or coconut oil) together, either in the microwave or on the stove.
In a food processor, blend together the beans, 1/2 cup of walnuts, vanilla extract, and about 1/2 of the melted chocolate mixture. Blend about 2 minutes or until completely smooth. The batter will seem thick, but that’s okay. I stopped the processor twice to scrape down the sides and make sure all the beans were completely pureed. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the rest of the walnuts, the rest of the melted chocolate mixture, the instant coffee, and the salt. Mix well and add the pureed bean mixture. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs in a clean bowl until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Add this mixture to the chocolate/bean concoction and mix thoroughly. The batter will seem very thin and splashy. That’s okay.
Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish and back for about 50 minutes, until the brownies are set.
Allow the brownies to cool completely and refrigerate them. Cut them into squares. I recommend small ones because they’re so rich.
Now go spread the brownie love.
*NOTE: I used canned black beans, rinsed and drained, for this recipe, and they worked beautifully. Be sure to check the label of the beans you buy, since many brands have onion and garlic powders in them. You definitely don’t want that. A little salt is fine. You’ll need about 1 1/2 cans.
I have to agree that Splenda is the devil but people are easily fooled. I have tried the stevia however to sweeten some real cranberry juice and the effects were disasterous. The juice tasted like it had been sweetened with NurtaSweet - it was gross, so I would definately like to know how some baking would turn out.
Misslynar,
Sorry to hear of your bad experience with stevia! What kind are you using? Brand has a lot to do with stevia’s taste, believe it or not. Stevia leaves naturally have a unique aftertaste, and some companies are more careful than others about removing that aftertaste. It might be worthwhile to try another brand before giving up on stevia altogether. Although I’ve never tried their liquid before, the online store at http://www.bodyecology.com claims to have completely removed the aftertaste (and they generally sell high quality products). Then again, my mother-in-law dislikes stevia too, so maybe there’s something there that I just can’t taste. It may not be for everyone.
My experience baking with stevia was not so great. I have heard that different brands make a huge difference, but because you use so little stevia to substitute for the sugar, it makes baking with it really hard (it messed up the texture and just didn’t taste right). Agave nectar is nearly foolproof in my experience baking with it, so I’ve decided to just stick with that.
My favorite use for stevia is to take a little tiny bit of powder and have people taste it because they are always amazed at how sweet it is-even when a little dust of it gets on their lips!
alistarra,
Thanks for sharing your stevia and agave nectar baking experiences. I have never baked with stevia before. I use it mostly to sweeten quinoa porridge, kefir smoothies, and, on occasion, a cup of tea. For those things, I’m happy with stevia, but it sounds like baking with it isn’t the best idea.
Would you know nutritional facts for Healthier brownie(gluten free)
I’m afraid that I do not have official nutrition facts for these brownies. However, someone else who commented at 101 Cookbooks tried to calculate it. For a 2×2 inch brownie, she came up with 108 calories per serving. She also said that if you look up “brownie” on a calorie site, you’ll come up with 240 calories for a 2×2 inch serving. Honestly 108 calories seems a little low, but who knows? Maybe they really are that different calorically from a regular brownie. For me, what makes them attractive is the lack of refined sugars and flours (and that they’re gluten-free, of course). Sorry I’m not more help!
I’ve tried this, but there is a much easier, and I think, tastier alternative!! I have the recipe on my blog, http://imdoingitall.blogspot.com/2008/07/brownie-bakin.html I made both and did a taste comparison with people who didn’t know any of the ingredients, both got ‘good’ reviews, but the garbanzo beans were preferred by all but one reviewer.
The Best Brownies Ever
1 1/2 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips
2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
4 eggs
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Melt the chocolate chips (I do this in the microwave, if you have lots of time and plenty of bowls you want to wash, you can do the slow double boiler melting method)
Combine eggs and beans in a blender or food processor, Process until smooth
Add Melted chocolate and baking powder and agave
Bake in a 9inch square pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
it is important to let them cool almost completely before cutting, I keep ‘em in the fridge.
I feel compelled to point out that in Lauren’s recipe, the (no doubt amazing) brownies are not gluten-free if you use grain sweetened chocolate chips. The grain sweetening in Sunspire brand (the only brand of grain sweetened chips I have ever seen) is malted barley and corn.
They sound delish though!