"NO GUILT" BROWNIES

Ingredients

3 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well), reduced sodium or no sodium

4 tbsp cocoa powder

1 cup quick oats

¼-1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

¾ - 1 cup chocolate chips (I also think less than ¾ cup works well but this is personal preference)

Chocolate chips for presentation

Add some walnuts and/or ground flax for added nutrition

Instructions

Black Bean Brownies Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except chips in a good food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Really blend well. (A blender can work if you absolutely must, but the texture—and even the taste—will be much better in a food processor.) Stir in the chips, then pour into a greased 8×8 pan. Optional: sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top. Cook the black bean brownies 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut. If they still look a bit undercooked, you can place them in the fridge overnight and they will magically firm up! Makes 9-12 brownies. The trick with these: serve them first, and then reveal the secret ingredient. You can also make a thicker brownie and cutting them into smaller pieces by using 1 1/2 times the recipes. Cooking time increases slightly.

Yield: 18-24 brownies

Per Black Bean Brownie:

Calories: 137

Fat: 6g

Carbs: 15-19g

Sugars 10g

Fiber: 3g

Protein: 3g

Sodium: 17mg