Do you love brownies? That’s a silly question, right? Who doesn’t?

Wouldn’t you like to have your brownies and get some nutrition too? It’s possible! While you don’t want to overindulge in these, the addition of black beans will add fibre and protein while making sure your brownies are moist. And, you won’t even know they’re there!

Ingredients

• 2 cups black beans (freshly cooked is best, but canned is ok- drain & rinse if canned)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/3 cup of maple syrup
• 1 cup pitted dates to make about 1/2 cup of date paste* (see recipe below) *allow 1 hour soaking time for date paste
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1⁄2 cup raw cacao powder
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1⁄4 tsp sea salt
• 1⁄4 cup oat or almond flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1⁄4 tsp baking soda
• 1⁄2 cup grain sweetened or vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

1. To make date paste, soak 1 cup pitted dates in 2/3 cup of hot water for 1 hour. Blend in a food processor or powerful blender until it creates a thick smooth paste.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. Using a food processor, combine black beans, banana, maple syrup, date paste, coconut oil, cacao powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until combined well and smooth.
4. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
5. Pour into a greased 8×8 cake pan.
6. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes.