Wheatless Wednesday: Black Bean Brownies

Brownies are one of my favorite desserts. They are also a dessert that I have had a constant struggle with in trying to find or create a delicious vegan version of. There is a recipe for a gluten free version that we used when I was the lead baker at the now defunct Cafe Flourish that I love, but it is a little time consuming to make and requires a lot of different flours that aren't always on hand.  Hence, the search for healthier, moist, delicious, fudge-like vegan brownies has been ongoing.  

I've seen images and recipes for black bean brownies (try saying that 5 times fast!) around Pinterest boards and the blogosphere but have hesitated to make them. Black beans? In brownies? with no oil? and no refined sugar? They can't possibly be any good.

Then one day last week, I stumbled on an old post from Happy Herbivore and next thing I knew I found myself at the grocery store on the corner buying a can of black beans and bananas because I NEEDED to give these brownies a try RIGHT NOW!  There's a little baking demon inside of me that occasionally gets woken up for no reason whatsoever, but (s)he cannot be ignored. If (s)he says bake, I must bake immediately.  Below is my adapted recipe.

Black Bean Brownies 

Ingredients 

15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
2 whole ripe bananas
1/3 - 1/2 cup maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like your brownies

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup instant gluten free oats

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Grease an 8x8" pan and set aside. 

Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. 

Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan, spreading evenly throughout. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing. 

Note: if you want your brownies a bit firmer or more cake-like, add an additional 1/4 cup oats or flour.

I topped my brownies with frozen blueberries that I'd thawed and the combination was incredible! Upon first bite, I wasn't a huge fan of the taste of the brownies, but after refrigerating, the flavors really came together.  While I usually love my brownies warm, these are definitely ones to be eaten cold. I also found that the more I ate, the more they really grew on me. YUM!