Stevia Black Bean Brownies

Submitted by havent the slightest

"These are amazing brownies. Main ingredients are black beans, bananas, cocoa, applesauce, oats and stevia. They are delicious and healthy too. I adapted this from the following website: http://happyherbivore.com/2009/05/vegan-blackbean-brownies/"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Yields: 12 brownies
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed (about a 15oz can)
• 2 medium bananas
• 1⁄3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1⁄4 teaspoon stevia powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or any flavor you want)
• 1⁄4 cup oats (ground up in blender)

directions

1. Make sure beans are drained and rinsed, set aside.
2. Slice the 2 bananas and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. If using large flake or quick oats, grind in blender or food processor, then remove and set aside.
5. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in blender or food processor and mix. Scape the sides as needed.
6. Add oats and continue blending.
7. Adjust consistency with more oats as needed. You can also add more flavoring or stevia if you wish.
8. Grease a 8 x 8 inch pan.
9. Pour mixture into pan and spread evenly until it is level.
10. Bake for approximate 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out cleanly when inserted.
11. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then cut into 12 equal squares.

Reviews

[rikka]

I wouldn't exactly say these are award winning brownies but the kids like them! I am on a mission to hide healthy food in snacks as I have two very fussy eaters who both have a sweet tooth. I have yet to try them out on my husband who is intollerant to just about everything but I think this recipe is a keeper.<br/><br/>I used adzuki / red beans as I can't get blackbeans in Australia and this seemed to work well. I also added 2 tsp of baking powder and they did rise ever so slightly. I might add more stevia next time as they could be a bit sweeter, the mix tasted fine before baking but after baking they could be a bit sweeter.

 

[EK7992]

I used oat bran instead of oatmeal, otherwise everything else was prepared according to the recipe. It's very hard for me to rate this recipe because you can look at it from two perspectives. As someone who is health conscious and always trying to incorporate beans into my diet, I think this recipe is pretty tasty for a healthy alternative to brownies. You certainly taste the banana and the bean flavor is nonexistant. The consistency is not fluffy. It's more pasty, but mine are still warm yet and this could be because I used oat bran in place of oatmeal.<br/><br/>For someone who is not health conscious (like my husband), this is most likely not a recipe for you. He didn't care for the flavor or consistency. I might attempt to tweak the recipe to create a different consistency. I love the idea of having beans (fiber) in my brownie.

 

[tromachick]

Great idea, I really wanted to like this recipe, but it didn't work for me.....<br/><br/>I made pretty yummy brownies using applesauce & black beans a few years back & really liked them. I thought they were quite good & was craving them but I can't find the recipe. I thought this might be similar & gave it a go. Sadly, it doesn't taste the same or have the same texture. The batter did taste pretty good mixed up in the bowl and i got real excited to try them, but after baking it was a really weird consistency and all i tasted was banana. well, more like mushy banana with a dash of chocolate. So I think the ratios were off. It needed more cocoa and probably more oats or some flax seed added in to make it more solid & more like a brownie or cookie to get rid of that mushiness. Also, i would probably skip the banana & just use applesauce which always seems to work well as an oil substitute when baking. Applesauce has a very neutral flavor & won't overpower the other flavors like the banana did. <br/><br/>( After trying it fresh out of the oven, I tried it cold from the fridge, frozen, and reheated in the micro with cocoa powder on top. I think cold is best but i was still wasn't thrilled. There is too much moisture in this to freeze it, it turned into a brown block of ice. And when hot it gets even more banana-ish & mushy. the dusting of cocoa on top didn't do anything to help. )