These Gooey Black Bean and Beet Brownies were not at all what I had intended to share this week, truthfully I hadn’t decided what recipe I wanted to post, but I have several in my queue with pictures and recipes waiting for final edits and tweaks. However, blame it on hormones, breastfeeding, or just being female, but on Sunday I NEEDED chocolate, had to have it, no way around it, wanted it and one way or another was determined to mix, bake, and *shove* something warm, gooey, and chocolatey in my face. And once I did, I knew I had to share this recipe while I was still bubbling over with excitement.
I’ve been sitting on several ideas for a healthy black bean and beet brownie recipe ever since a friend of mine gave me a can of beets she decided not to use. Then when I picked up my CSA {Community Supported Agriculture} box on Saturday with a few lovely fresh beets, I had decided that beet brownies were in my very near future. So with the onset of this chocolate urge the following day, I was determined to finally put my developed recipe to the test. But as any new and first time mother knows, the day doesn’t always, or even rarely, go as planned. Brighton didn’t eat or nap when I thought he would and by the time I got him down and got started on these, I knew I had limited time before he would soon awake and be ready for his next feeding. Still, determined to get my chocolate, I raced to the kitchen and started throwing ingredients on the counter as if I was in some race or supermarket challenge.
Sadly, I realized I didn’t have as much dark chocolate stashed in the cabinet as I had hoped and I used the last of the chocolate chips in pumpkin muffins for company a few weeks back. Didn’t matter. I was going to get my brownies. At this point, I decided I really didn’t care if I got them photographed for the blog or not, time was short and the race was on until my little one would stir. Mixing, stirring, processing, and chopping as fast as I could, I managed to get them in the oven, baked, and even topped with a chopped Hershey bar that I remembered we had left over from our last campfire and s’mores with friends – score! BUT, before they could cool and I could taste test them {other than the spoonfuls of batter that may or may not have made it my mouth during the process}, Brighton was awake and had his own agenda, food!
So on the stove the brownies sat, while I dutifully fed my son. But as soon as it was time for diaper change, I handed him to Josh and rushed to the kitchen to bite into one of these, a little hesitant, wondering whether I’d be able to taste the beets or black beans, and hoping I managed to get enough chocolate into the recipe…
oh. my.
I was giddy inside as I devoured the first {of two three, oops} and savored the gooey, rich chocolate. They are just sweet enough, without being too over the top, and the whole oats, black beans, and beets are totally disguised by the cocoa powder, dark chocolate, and honey. In my opinion, these brownies are not “good for a healthy brownie” they are just plain good! And yet, they are HEALTHY!
With that being said, there are two things I will do different next time, A} make sure I have enough dark chocolate in the house, then increase the 1/4 cup dark chocolate to 1/3 cup and sprinkle the top with more dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips, rather than the Hershey’s bar. And B} double the recipe and bake them in a 9×13 so they last longer!
Note: the lovely fresh beets above were what I had intended to use, but with the limited time available, I nixed them and used the canned beets shown below – either work, just use whatever is most convenience for you.
Gooey Black Bean and Beet Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole oats certified gluten-free if needed
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
- 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- 3 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup cooked beets
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- 1 Hershey chocolate bar chopped (or 1/3 cup chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Add the oats, flaxseed meal, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder to the bowl of a food processor, and blend until they form a flour-like consistency.
- Next, add almond milk, vanilla extract, coconut oil, egg, and honey, blend 10-20 seconds or until well combined.
- Add in the cooked or canned beets and black beans, blend 10-20 seconds or until the mixture has formed a thick batter. Stir in chopped dark chocolate.
- Line 8x8 pan with parchment paper, spray the parchment paper with coconut oil cooking spray, then pour the batter into lined pan. Smooth the top with a spatula and sprinkle with chopped chocolate Hershey chocolate bar or 1/3 cup chocolate chips/chopped dark chocolate.
- Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes. I like my brownies gooey on the inside, if you prefer yours to be more done, bake addition 2-3 minutes. Removing them from the oven when they are still a little underdone is what makes them so fudgey and moist, the longer they bake, the dryer they will be.
- Eat while warm, with a cold glass of milk! Store in refrigerator for up to a week .Once they have been refrigerated, warm in the microwave for 10-12 seconds each time before eating. Enjoy :)
Notes
Nutrition
