Every time I hear about a recipe that just sounds crazy to me, I bookmark because I must try it. My latest undertaking was the odd sounding,
Black Bean Brownies
Everyone (who hasn’t tried them)’s first thought is EW. Why ruin a brownie? But I was determined the test ‘em out. I sifted through a lot of recipes before deciding on one of the most simple versions by AllRecipes.
1 can black beans (rinsed), 3 eggs, 1/4 c cocoa powder, 1 pinch salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3/4 c white sugar… and 3 Tbsp of vegetable oil.
Now… how easy is this?! Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grab your blender.
Rinse your beans and start layering all the ingredients into the blender…
Then, blend away! Scrape the sounds… and blend again until smooth!
Poor into a greased dish. I had some fun experimenting with toppings; dark chocolate chips and walnuts.
Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick some out clean. They looked good… they smelled good…
And now for the true test…
Not too shabby 
To me, they tasted a bit more cake like than brownie like, but I haven’t had a brownie in so long that I’m not sure it’s an accurate comparison. I will say, I would have NEVER guessed they were made with black beans! Yum
Have you ever tried a ‘special’ brownie?
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I have never even heard of these but its an interesting way to add protein to baked goods.
Hahahaha sorry I love the blog post title. The only “special” brownies I’ve had are ones I mix fun candy or cookies into. Those black bean ones you made look good, though…and it is something I, too, have been curious about! Since I prefer my brownies on the fudgy side, I’m not sure if they would please my palate or not.
i have not tried a special brownie hahaha but i’d consider making them…and only bc you approved of these. i really value your opinion bc a lot of the dishes you make are stuff that i’d like
Love it! I made black bean brownies last Summer for vacation and no one could guess what the secret ingredient was. I really liked them!
http://soakandsimmer.blogspot.com/2010/07/black-bean-brownies.html
Thanks for posting this! I had forgotten all about it, but someone did recommend black bean brownies to me last summer after I shared my beet brownies on facebook. (Those were okay. More of a cake texture than brownie, actually.) I will have to try these sometime.
I’ve heard of another kind of “special” brownies before, but I haven’t ever tried them.
Never tried these, but have seen them around on a few blogs.These would be great for someone with a gluten allergy, otherwise I’m not sure I’d make them, but yours look delicious!!
wow, I would never think to make brownies with black beans. I should definitely try them and have my hubby taste. He loves brownies so this would definitely be a healthier version!
Ooh, that looks super moist and dense – just how I like brownies! Good move putting chocolate chips on the top. I have a recipe for Chickpea Chocolate Cake that I’m dying to make!
I might have to test these on Nate – he loves his cookies and cakes … if he can’t tell the difference then no one can hahaha!
I need to try these; they look great but with that added dose of protein sound better. Truly, I should share with my chocolate loving dessert eating coworker who would give her honest opinion. Hmmmm… on second thought she might get mad that there are beans in there because she doesn’t eat them due to the side effects if you know what I mean.
I may have to try these and bring them to work (and not tell anyone what is in them). When I hear “special” brownies, I always think of the ones a friend of mine use to make and I would not partake in them due to the ingredients (illegal)
Hey, have you ever heard of tomato soup cupcakes? I see them all the time on Cupcake Wars on The Food Channel. Sounds like something you’d try…
I’ve never even heard of mixing black beans with brownies! How interesting! Although, I think most things go with chocolate so I’m sure they were great! I love red velvet brownies or brownies topped with butterscotch and rice krispie cereal.
Lol special brownies makes me think of something TOTALLY different
Those look amazing, i’m definitely going to have to try them this weekend
Thanks for the recipe
These are in the oven right now. I can’t wait to try them! Thanks for sharing!!
Wow I have not heard of this. The looked great though and I like cake like brownies so they would probably be something I would like to try.Thanks for the recipe!
I made these last night and enjoyed them. I will definitely keep this recipe around our kitchen!
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