Bean Brownies

Today I made bean brownies, something I've never tried before, and you know what? They're pretty good! The kids have already gobbled some up and have asked for more so they pass that test. Now to see if the oldest and my hubby do the same. I think I'll tell them about the beans after they've tried them though...

Here's the recipe I used:

1 3/4 cups beans, rinsed and drained - (I used dried white beans that I soaked overnight then simmered until soft)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil - (I used olive oil)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar - (I used brown sugar because I was out of white sugar)
a handful of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350

Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.

Run your beans through your blender until they're smooth and creamy. Add eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.



The taste was really similar to traditional brownies, but the texture was slightly different...not unappealing at all, just a little different. Sort of light and spongy. I would make them again, for sure. I think I'd like to try them with a little espresso powder or flavor extract next time. We always seem to have dried beans on hand, and in fact I plant beans just for drying, and this is a nice affordable way to inject some fiber and protein into your dessert diet.
Mmmm....dessert diet...

If you try it, let me know how you liked it.