Healthy Chocolate + PB Brownies

After I made the Healthy Peanut Butter Blondies with chickpeas, I set my sights on the whole ubiquitous black bean brownie idea. And the recipe morphed into exactly that with just a couple substitutions! So, if you'd like to make THESE tasty, protein-rich treats -- keep reading.

Oh, did I mention they are gluten-free?

(I know some of you guys want more GF recipes!)

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

What you'll need . . .

• 1 can black beans, drained + rinsed
• 1 medium ripe banana
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch sea salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method . . .

1. I preheated my oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Then I tossed it all but the chocolate chips into my food processor and blended until well combined, folded in the chocolate chips, and then spread into a well oiled bread pan (you can also use a square brownie dish), and let bake for 25 minutes.
3. I let cool for around a half hour before slicing.

The fact that these guys have absolutely no butter, added oil, flour, or huge dose of sugar in them sort of blows my mind. I was especially impressed with the texture of the brownies because I have a lot of trouble getting vegan brownies to set well. And I've made black bean brownies before (with carrot puree!), but I used flour -- so the ones above are just sort of magical to me.

Now, if you'd like a more traditional vegan brownie recipe, these Ultimate Vegan Brownies certainly take the cake -- I highly recommend them! You could even say they'll change your life, but I'll leave that up to you to decide. Basically, they are the best ever. EVER!

So, like with the Peanut Butter Blondies recipe, please let me know how these turn out for you! They are a new favorite around these parts, and I think now that I've written this post, I'll definitely need to go make a batch for an after-dinner treat.

Nom.

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