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
which I find great for baking, but I usually cut it down a bit because it is too sweet for me. So the original recipe called for 1-cup of Splenda if you are wanting a sweeter brownie. I also use a high-quality dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder, I think its worth the flavor to spend a little extra!Recipe was adapted from SouthBeachDiet.com
Hey, these really are pretty healthy looking. And they look extremely moist and chocolaty! Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSouth Beach Diet - long time no seen :)) It's nice to see healthy brownies although I've just finished baking a lot of unhealthy ones ...
ReplyDeleteThese look SO good. You really can't taste the black beans? Except for tasting whatever I'm baking, I eat low carb the rest of the time. It would be nice to bake something I didn't have to feel guilty about! And you mentioned throwing in some chocolate chips... did you know that Hersheys makes sugar-free chocolate chips?
ReplyDeleteThis is so impressive, Debbie! You totally fooled me at first, since that brownie looks anything BUT healthy, but instead delicious, fudgy, chocolatey and totally decadent! Even though nothing will come close to the real thing, I'm glad you got a chance to experiment and try something new. Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteI made black bean brownies a few months ago and they turned out pretty good but these look nice and thick!
ReplyDeleteneat I couldn't believe that black beans are used for brownies
ReplyDeletehealthy indeed look good
I once had black bean brownies, let's just say they didn't agree with my system. My wife wouldn't come near me for a week.
ReplyDeleteYour brownies look wonderful! I heard people substitute beans for chestnuts, and I have to try this recipe!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting brownie recipe! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI've never been courageous enough to try baking with beans, now your recipe kinda convinced me to take the leap. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI have heard of black bean brownies before but have been a bit skeptical. Glad to hear you didn't think you could taste the beans.. I may have to finally give in and try them. :)
ReplyDeletehow interesting... i'm not sure i'm brave enough to try a black bean brownie... i think i would worry about issues similar to what Mike mentioned above... =P
ReplyDeleteI did a double take on that ingredient list!! these look so moist and rich! Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to make a black bean brownie! These look moist and dense and delicious! I would of never guessed that was the secret ingredient - they look like they have flour in them.
ReplyDeleteA-ha! I was wondering what the magic ingredient was :) I bet these are fantastic. I love black beans so why not try 'em in a brownie? :)
ReplyDeleteOoh I want to try these! I just made chocolate cupcakes with chickpeas and you can't tell they're in there! Topped them with a peanut butter frosting that doesn't have butter or refined sugar. Definitely the most healthy cupcake I've ever had. You could probably try substituting Splenda if you don't want to use honey, but you should check them out on my site. Sounds like there's lots of options for baking with beans - who knew?!
ReplyDeleteI just posted a black bean brownie recipe too, but yours is different. I'd love to compare the two!
ReplyDeleteI love it! Turning something super unhealthy to something that has nutritional value is a true feat. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe - I'll be sure to switch it with my regular brownie recipe soon!
ReplyDeletehealthy and delicious! never thought that you could make a brownie with beans- super innovative
ReplyDeleteI made a low carb batch of brownies a couple weeks ago using black soy beans and they were one of the best healthy snacks I've ever had. Thanks for sharing your version of the bean brownie!
ReplyDeleteThis is the second black bean brownie recipe I've seen this morning. I need to suck it up and give these a try. Everyone who has tried these have said nothing but good things about them. I'm all for healthier options.
ReplyDeleteoh, this looks so delicious! I`m absolutely sure that`s really tasty!
ReplyDeleteHave a great time,
Paula
Hi Debbie!
ReplyDeleteyour brownie looks really delicious! I ve also been trying to keep on with my diet, but sometimes (especially when i get from the gym), i feel soooo hungry and in desperate need for chocolate... I must try yours then! Thanks for sharing :-)
Satisfying a craving is a must, and these look like they would do more than satisfy!
ReplyDeleteAsian countries (eg: china, japan, korea) have used beans as a base for sweets for centuries. This idea isn't unusual at all. Black beans, red beans, lentils, chickpeas - all work very well in baking! I encourage everyone to try them.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of healthy brownies, thanks for sharing with this recipe :)
ReplyDeleteThese look delightful, dark and chocolaty. I definitely like cutting back a bit to help the waist line and because it feels better:)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this beautiful ,delicious, healthy brownie
ReplyDeletethanks for this post. your photo reminded me how good these can be. i've tried other recipes with success, but i can't wait to try this one. i love guilt-free goodies.
ReplyDeleteI made black bean brownies a year or so ago and enjoyed them! They aren't a total substitute for traditional brownies but they are a GREAT alternative.
ReplyDeleteI've been seeing these all the time lately, and am still slightly skeptical of the concept behind beans in brownies. But I keep hearing good things and think I need to give it a shot! I love the healthy idea :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely think using dark cocoa powder makes a difference. We made these in culinary school in a nutrition class and having that super rich dark cocoa powder made these brownies taste heavenly, no black bean flavor whatsoever :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteyou could have fooled me with these brownies. beans and chocolate, who would have guessed, well, not me for sure.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing this healthy version, have a wonderful Friday
What a genius idea! I love it. I have been searching for the perfect brownie but the one thing not perfect about my recipe is the calories and carb content. Thanks for the recipe! :-)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this recipe! Do you think agave nectar could be substituted for the splenda, or would that make the batter too runny?
ReplyDeleteMade these today using Coconut Crystals instead of splenda, I used 3/4 I think next time I'll use a full cup. Also I sub PB2 for the peanut butter, just to cut back further on the sugar. Pretty Good, thanks for sharing the recipe.
ReplyDeleteThey're in the oven now! I had to use real sugar and three eggs, I sure hope they turn out well!
ReplyDelete