The hubbie and I have been trying to cut back on our carbs this month and all has been going well, until it hit me. A craving like no other for a big, giant, fudgy brownie...sigh.
Your craving one now too, aren't you?
I thought there has to be a way to make a carb-friendly brownie, and there is indeed. I had no idea how it would taste, but it was worth a shot at staying on track with my diet and fulfilling my craving!
I have to say after trying it, it was not too bad and definitely fulfilled my craving. It was more of a cake-like brownie than fudgy, but it had a surprisingly good chocolate taste. I was pretty nervous that I would taste the black beans, but I didn't, not one bit! I added peanut butter, who wouldn't, but you could trade it out for chopped nuts or even a few mini-chocolate chips if you want.
The Healthy Brownie
1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup granular sugar substitute (splenda)
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp natural low-sugar peanut butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 pan with extra-virgin olive oil spray and set aside. In a large food processor puree rinsed black beans. Add in eggs, oil, vanilla, sugar substitute, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and peanut butter. Process ingredients till combined and smooth. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick entered in center of pan comes out clean. Cool brownies completely on wire rack, then cut into 36 squares.
Each square contains 2g carbohydrates and 1g of protein. A serving is listed as 3 squares for a total of 3 net carbs, which I think is pretty amazing for a dessert! I sprinkled mine with confectioners' sugar, but you could also top with a sugar-free whipped topping.
The recipe calls for a sugar substitute, I typically use Splenda
Recipe was adapted from SouthBeachDiet.com