healthy brownies

healthy brownies?

yes, you heard that right.

yes, I know this post was supposed to be for yesterday.. but 2 new things were thrown at me at the last minute... so much for free time ;)

 I figured I'd try these brownies.. I'd never tried them, and they're healthy, so you could eat them as a snack.

I found the recipe here, but this is my adaption. 

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

Makes 16 Servings

• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed very well
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3/4 agave sweetener (it's a natural sweetener, so it has no sugar)
• Few packets of PureVia/or just plain Stevia (this is also a natural sweetener, but a little stronger than agave)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional, I didn't, but probably will next time)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Cocao chips to sprinkle on top (mostly cocao, so there's not much sugar :)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place the black beans and eggs in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.  Add the oil, agave, stevia, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, peppermint extract as desired, baking powder, and process until smooth.  

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing into 2-inch squares.

(The reason I added the eggs while blending the beans, so it would blend better.)

(I never measure the vanilla when cooking... I don't know why, I just don't, it's not that big of a problem if theres a little more in my opinion :)

Mixing it up!

**warning: this batter is not good, it doesn't taste good like real brownies :)

Cool tip: if you cut brownies with a plastic knife, the brownie pieces don't come up and tear all the brownies apart. Awesome right?

Sprinkle the chips on top and eat!

If you're thinking about it, you can taste the beans BARELY. If you used regular sugar though, I'm sure you wouldn't even be able to taste it :)

let me know if you try them!

-Megan