[nanacoon]

I found this recipe called Black Bean Brownies... it says it's a tasty way to work fiber into your diet.
The recipe calls for 1 - 15.5ounce can of black beans, not drained and 1 - 19.8ounce box of brownie mix. Those are the only two ingredients. Spray a 13x9 inch brownie pan. Pour black beans and their juice into a food processor and puree until smooth. You can also use a blender or just mash them really good with a hand masher. Put the brownie mix in a medium sized bowl, and then pour the bean mixture into the dry mix. Do not add anything else. Mix until blended, about 50 strokes. Place mixture into pan. Bake according to package instructions. Cut into 24 pieces.

I don't DO brownie mixes, so I used my saucepan brownie recipe and made some from scratch. Used my own dried black beans and about 1/3 cup of their juice. Used 4 tablespoons of dry cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup wheat flour, 2 teaspoons vanilla. Poured the mixture in an 8x8 baking dish and baked at 350 for about 35 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Cut them into 25 pieces - about an inch square each. They're honestly not bad. It's the first time in a month that I've "cheated".

The diet recipe I used eliminated from the original recipe - 3/4 stick of butter. 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, pinch of salt and walnuts. The black beans are supposed to replace the oil and eggs added to a box mix. What will they think of next??? Bonnie

[Kaylagal]

[quote name="nanacoon"]
They're honestly not bad.

Bonnie,

Could you expand on the above statement please? How good were they and were they worth the effort and the cheat? They look delicious to me.

I knew a woman that had a recipe that was from the depression era that made mock pecan pie out of pinto beans????? Why don't you try that one? I bet as resourceful as you are you can google it and find it!

Love your posts Bonnie!

Rhonda

[nanacoon]

They were Good Rhonda ... I mean they ARE good, we haven't eaten them all up yet. And YES I would definitely make them again. They had a good chocolate flavor. I thought of you and your great cocoa powder recipes. The BOX MIX recipe says, "They promise kids won't be able to tell the difference". I'll check out your mock pecan pie idea, I do have a Poor Man's pecan pie recipe that calls for ... I think Rice Krispies. Bonnie

[nanacoon]

I just checked Google, and Yes they have half a dozen recipes for pinto bean pecan pie... but they all call for mega amounts of sugar and eggs. That would slow me down. Bonnie

And I did check my poor man's pecan pie recipe, the secret ingredient in the filling is rolled oats - instead of pecans.

[Aideen]

"4 tablespoons of dry cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup wheat flour, 2 teaspoons vanilla"

Bonnie,

Are those the ingredients for your stove top brownie recipe?

[ricer_35]

Interesting... A couple months ago I got a similar recipe tip, only using a can of pumpkin instead of the black beans. I made them a couple times that way and like them, but you can taste the pumpkin a little. Beans have less of a distinct flavor (and probably more fiber), so these sound like a better alternative.

[nanacoon]

Aideen - yes the five ingredients that you listed are what I add to the "can" of black beans.. but I don't use canned beans, I use my own cooked dried beans and juice. The original stove-top brownie recipe also calls for 3/4 stick butter, another 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, pinch of salt and walnuts. The bean mixture replaces the butter and eggs. I cut back the sugar, eliminated the salt and walnuts.

ricer_35 - The pumpkin replacement also sounds interesting to me, I'll have to try that one. Pumpkin is a good source of fiber. Bonnie

[Kaylagal]

Ok girls, I am slow...

Please post the exact recipe for the Black Bean brownies the way you make them Nanacoon.

Also Jennifer, can you give me the exact recipe you use for the pumpkin brownies?

Both recipes sound delicious and healthy.

I would think the richness of the Green and Black's cocoa I buy would cover any taste!

Thanks in advance gals!

Rhonda

[Cattrix]

Wow it has been Forever since I had any kind of chocalate.. this sounds so good I may have to try some, but not untill it cools down, we are in for some really warm weather for about 4 or 5 days,, I refuse to bake while its hot.. heheheh I refuse to do alot of things when it's hot.. lol.
Looks good Nana... my daughter is the choco holic of the family, I am wondering if the recipe could pull the wool over her eyes.,,, snicker snicker.. evil giggle.
Regards
Cat

[nanacoon]

Here is the original recipe Rhonda that calls for a can of black beans and a boxed brownie mix ....
I found this recipe called Black Bean Brownies... it says it's a tasty way to work fiber into your diet.
The recipe calls for 1 - 15.5ounce can of black beans, not drained and 1 - 19.8ounce box of brownie mix. Those are the only two ingredients. Spray a 13x9 inch brownie pan. Pour black beans and their juice into a food processor and puree until smooth. You can also use a blender or just mash them really good with a hand masher. Put the brownie mix in a medium sized bowl, and then pour the bean mixture into the dry mix. Do not add anything else. Mix until blended, about 50 strokes. Place mixture into pan. Bake according to package instructions. Cut into 24 pieces.



I tried to make them a little more RD friendly by NOT using a boxed brownie mix. So this is how I made them.
I used my own cooked dried black beans and about 1/3 cup of their juice (so it would equal the same amount as a 16 ounce can). Used 4 tablespoons of dry cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup wheat flour, 2 teaspoons vanilla. Poured the mixture in an 8x8 baking dish and baked at 350 for about 35 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Cut them into 24 pieces - about an inch square each.

I was very pleased with the results. They taste good and they have good texture. Bonnie

[Kaylagal]

Thanks Nanacoon!

One of these days I am going to "whip" some up.

Thanks for sharing!

Rhonda

[kylakae]

This reminds me that a couple of months ago a friend made some of the best brownies I'd ever had and they were made with something I generally hate...beets. This is her recipe:

http://allinonebakes...Brownie_001.pdf

This topic prompted me to look for other beet recipes and I found this one, which if you switched out the brown sugar for half the amount of Splenda brown sugar and cut the salt, might not be too bad exchange wise. My friend grates fresh beets for hers which is probably better.

http://www.plantea.c...eetbrownies.htm