Welp. I am currently stuck in Dallas after my flight was delayed for four hours...then canceled to New York tonight. They (Virgin America) put me up in a sketchy hotel near a gentleman's club and a Waffle House and all I can think about is how I could have eaten more tacos and gone swimming one last time instead of hanging out at the airport the entire day. Oh well, at least I am alive and headed to NYC first thing tomorrow! (The shuttle bus leaves at 5 AM...so I cannot oversleep this one!)
My first order of business upon arrival to the beautiful NYC is to kiss and hug my dear husband whom I've been missing so much. Then, rush to work, answer a zillion emails and hopefully finish (start?) some projects, then head to a free off-Broadway show thanks to some very dear friends! In the meantime, here is a recipe for brownies--made with black beans. Wait wut? Are you out of your mind, Madeline?
I read somewhere on Pinterest that you could substitute flour for black beans (!?!), and then I thought the only way to conceal the color difference of black beans from white flour would be to make something chocolate. My next thought was brownies--and so I searched, and found this idea has already been done by a million other bloggers. But, let me just tell you, I actually tried it, and it tasted really good. Like, exactly like a gooey, rich, chocolate-y brownie normally tastes, except I don't feel near as bad afterwards when I eat them. I also tricked my husband (and a couple of friends) into eating the "brownie" before telling them what they were made of, and truthfully, they didn't taste any difference. It wasn't until after I told them what they were made of did people freak out. But...the taste was truly there. I hope you try these, and become a believer that healthy substitutes in baking can indeed taste good!
Flourless Black Bean Brownies: (adapted from skinnytaste)
Ingredients:
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder*
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon oil
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coffee
- 1 cup chocolate chips, divided in half
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Blend all ingredients (except for the chocolate chips) in a food processor or blender until smooth. Mix half of chocolate chips to blended batter and pour batter into a greased 9x9 inch pan. Top with rest of the chocolate chips.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Enjoy!
*I used special dark cocoa powder and that is why the brownies look so dark in color. If you used regular cocoa powder they would be a lighter brown color that would match the chocolate chips more.*