Black Bean "Brownies" (Seriously!)

We don't eat alot of dessert, but every once in awhile, I get a sweet craving. I'm trying to avoid dairy and wheat right now (as an experiment to get rid of chronic sinusitis), so that cuts out ice cream and most baked goods. I stumbled across a black bean brownie recipe at Whole Foods, and was surprised how many good reviews they got - and how good the pictures looked. I figured it was worth a try. They are super-quick, especially if you have a blender or food processor.

Now in all honesty, I cannot say that these health-nut alternatives are seamless substitutions for the real thing. I think to call them brownies sets them up for failure. However, if you just think of them as a dessert that has some health potential, they're totally passable, even yummy. We don't usually eat many "real" brownies, so my kids didn't really have a frame of reference. They especially liked eating the batter before it was cooked. I had to snicker to myself a little seeing them literally lick drips of black beans off spoons and even try to shove their little heads into the bowl to get more. The finished product didn't meet quite the same enthusiasm from my son (always the pickiest one), but he had a few. My daughter liked them, and most importantly, I found them to be a great wheat free alternative.

I made some very minor modifications from the Whole Foods recipe. See below:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I like Eden Organics, since their cans are BPA free- btw the Canadian Government has recently passed a regulation to phase out BPA in all cans over the next few years.)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecan-s (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place the black beans, sugar, eggs, melted butter, cocoa, vanilla and salt in a blender (or food processor) and blend until smooth (use a spatula to push the stuff off the sides). Pour into an 8″x8″ pan that has been greased. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts on top (optional). Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly puffed and set. Cool and cut. Eat!!!