Bariatric Foodie Play with your food
(Earlier today in Nik’s kitchen. Two divas leaning in front of the oven door, peering in the window.)
Diva #1: What is it?
Diva #2: Smells like brownies…
Diva #1: Maybe it IS brownies.
Diva #2: With our mom it’s never JUST brownies…
Yep…they are right. Because this is no-flour baking baby!!!
Ok, so I didn’t invent the concept of black bean brownies. Heck, I wasn’t even the first of you guys to make them. I’ve always regarded them with curiosity (much like the curiosity I have for this so-called “cauliflower crust pizza” which I’m still a bit scared to try).
I mean, I got the concept. Got how it worked. But for real…does it taste like a brownie? I decided to give it a try.
But here’s the thing. I’m not all into the mess of melting down chocolate so I had to find a recipe structure that used cocoa powder. I did! Here’s my modified recipe.
Minty Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. Splenda (or if you aren’t into Splenda, use what you like to equal 3/4 c. sugar. I just know I like things a bit sweeter but if you aren’t…um…me…you might even go with 3/4 c. Splenda)
1/2 stick low-calorie baking butter (I used Blue Bonnet Light = 50 calories per tablespoon)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. baking cocoa
a “pinch of salt”
1 egg + 2 egg whites
Optional: 3-4 pumps Davinci sugar-free Peppermint Paddy syrup
Topping:
A few candy canes (I believe they have sugar free ones, mine are fully loaded because I couldn’t find sugar-free)
Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
The base recipe I used called for mixing all ingredients in a bowl with a hand mixer. That did not work for me. I had to bust out the Magic Bullet and whiz the beans up a bit THEN I put it in my stand mixer and added the rest of the ingredients. My batter came out looking like this:
So…it looks like brownie batter. Smells like it too. And let me just say that before I added the cocoa it did not. It smelled like…black beans. But have some faith here…this can work!
Pour into greased 8×8 baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes (or until center is set and edges are pulling away from the sides). This is important, so listen closely…LET IT COOL!
So here’s mine out of the oven:
It LOOKS like a brownie. But for real…does it taste like a brownie?
It does! BUT (hoooooold your horses there Foodies). It doesn’t exactly FEEL like a brownie. It’s not exactly cakey. It’s sort of dense. But I kid you not they don’t taste like black beans. They taste chocolatey and minty, like a mint brownie should taste. My mouth is very confused.
So was La Grande Diva’s when she tasted it. With her, if something tastes good, she simply nods. For this she took a bite…paused…bit again…and then said, “I don’t know how I feel about these…”
Truth be told, I am sort of there with her. They were yummy (even she agreed) but it was a departure from a traditional brownie and I haven’t quite decided if it’s in a good or a bad way.
What are YOUR thoughts? Have you ever made black bean brownies? How did you make them and how did they turn out? I’d love to hear from you!
i made them before and they were gritty and i didnt like them at all 🙁 noone in the house did. in the trash they went and we rinsed out our mouths lol
I'll admit I'm a little turned off by bean brownies. Never made them.
Tonight I made zucchini brownies. And like you I'm just not sure how I feel about them. They were vegan and sugar free. Dense and moist like cake, and… different. I'll eat them. I'll freeze them. I may even make them again, but probably not.
My family won't touch them with a 10 foot pole. "Ewwww zucchini.". But they'll eat full sugar regular ol' zucchini bread. That stuff is normal. But zucchini brownies are evidently quite unacceptable. Who knows.
Candi, mine weren't gritty. They were…soft and very un-cakey. I suppose that could be a good thing but it just confuses my mouth. I am going to continue to play with this one. Could be that a tablespoon or two of Atkins mix can make it all come together…
I had made these before. Mine called to add some instant coffee for it (I am not into the mint). They tasted like coffee brownies, but the texture was so far off of a brownie, that I had to throw them out. Did not like them at all!
The recipe I used called for it as well and I added the first time and the flavor was WAY strong. The 2nd time I made them I cut the coffee amount in half which helped it not be so bitter. I wrestled with posting this one but I think it's good for folks to know that it's ok to try recipes and have them not quite work out. It's a part of being a Bariatric Foodie!
I just made them and they are in the oven so I will let you know. I am concerned because the batter was pretty lumpy. I tried to whiz the beans in my magic bullet first but without liquids they didn't blend well. I am just afraid I will bite into them and find a bean.
I also added protein powder (I add protein to everything I can). I am hoping that will help with the texture. We will see soon.
Sorry! Meant to say I put a few tablespoons of water in there with the beans and they whizzed right up. I imagine a little milk might add to the flavor.
I thought about doing that but I was afraid it would change it too much. Next time I will.
I just had one and I have to see they are very good. I really think the protein powder helped the texture. I told my daughter that if I didn't know they were made out of black beans I never would have guessed. I may give one to my boyfriend and see if he can tell. That is, if I can keep my daughter from spilling the beans, lol.
Adding water to most baked goods doesn't change it too much. Remember, water evaporates, so it's usually the first thing to cook out of a baked item. That's why we don't use water for moisture in baked goods! I may try it with the protein powder just to see how it turns out. Might you post how much you used just in case anyone else wants to know as well?
I too attempted such a feast and it turned out horrendously! They were awful!