Left: Alby with me in the kitchen making our weekly batch of black bean brownies. Right: I actually make two batches at a time and freeze the second batch as back up.
I’m always looking for healthier alternatives for my family when it comes to treats, and when I came across this recipe for brownies I was so impressed, it fast became a firm favourite in our house. Its base is a can of black beans, yes, black beans!
It’s what I would call a healthier brownie, as there is no refined sugar, it uses maple syrup as the sweetener, oats rather than flour and includes olive oil, and of course the black beans. It’s so dense and rich, and I promise you can’t taste the black beans.
I have always been wary of sugar for our children, but recently I found out I had high cholesterol and pre-diabetes (that’s another story). I came across the original recipe for these brownies from Supermarket Swap on Instagram (I love their account and find their grocery advice really helpful) and showed my dietician, who made some changes and here it is.
I make the black bean brownies for our weekly lunchboxes and I even made a big batch for Alby’s 4th birthday to share with his kindergarten class – it’s such a great recipe for children and with the black beans and oats, it’s high in fibre.
It’s such a relief knowing we can all have a treat that isn’t bad for us.
Enjoy! Kara x
PS: My annual 30% off sale in on now in my print shop. If you’ve had your eye on something, now is the time to make the most of the savings.
Above: Our children love this brownie and sometimes I’ll even sneak in a handful of grated raw zucchini into the batter, so some secret greens.
Black Bean Brownie Recipe
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20-25
Yield: 16 small squares
Ingredients
- 1 can (400g) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C
Line a 20cm square baking pan with baking paper.
Add the black beans, oats, cocoa powder, maple syrup, olive oil, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt to a blender or a bowl and use a stick blender.
Blend until smooth and creamy.
Pour the batter into the lined pan and gently shake the baking pan to make sure the batter is in all four corners.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out of the middle mostly clean.
Allow the brownies to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Slice into slices.
