Black Bean Brownies....no really!

I have been receiving quite a few emails in the past month from wonderful people giving me article ideas.  One particular email for Black Bean Brownies intrigued me.  The recipe was created by Amanda Freitag, celebrity chef and recurring judge on Food Network’s competition show Chopped, along with registered nutritionist Julie Barto for the MS Active Wellness Nutrition Program.” 

Since I am always looking for healthier ways to still get my chocolate fix I tried this recipe out immediately.  As with all of my experiments, I hid the ingredients from my unsuspecting and very good natured husband.  I made sure that he was in the garage working loudly as I dumped the black beans into the food processor and set it to whir, which is never a quiet moment.  While it was whirring, I frantically rinsed out the black bean can to put into recycling so that the evidence would be hidden.  I am pleased to say that he remained in the garage until he smelled the brownies and came in for a taste.  Hee Hee!  Wellllll...HE LOVED THEM!  Yes he did.  When I told him about the black beans, he did not believe me.  Sooooo....I fished the can out of recycling :)  Try these out and let me know what you think.

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained very well
3 eggs
3 Tbsp canola oil
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup brown sugar,
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8” x 8” baking pan with cooking spray.
In food processor, process black beans until smooth. Add the eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, and sugar, and process until smooth. Add ½ of the chocolate chips, and pulse a few times or stir, so that the chips are mixed in. Transfer the batter to the baking pan, and sprinkle the remaining chips on top of the brownies.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.