Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Mexican Brownies...que delicioso!!

Oh. My. Goodness. If you could smell my kitchen right now....

I am always in the mood for baking. I am always in the mood for something sweet, rich and chocolatey. I am always looking for ways to be healthy. These three things combined, and I've found the holy trinity! Yes, my Mexican Brownies. Why are they Mexican you ask? Well... because I didn't want to call them black bean brownies, the star of the show. It's true; no flour in these babies. Using black beans boosts up the fiber and protein like crazy on these gooey yummy treats. I got the idea from a girl who brought in a recipe to my nutrition class last night, but I did my research and found one that I think tastes much more decadent!
So here is what ya need:

1 (15.5 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
3 tbsp canola oil (vegetable works fine too)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used dark... it's what we had)
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp instant coffee (if you hate coffee, leave this out)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I chopped up Easter candy, because I'm thrifty!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.
Combine the black beans, eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, baking powder and instant coffee in a blender; blend until smooth; 

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. It will be very runny...fear not!
Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the mixture. (In my case, chop up mini eggs and bunnies, then sprinkle)
Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes

And out comes a delicious, thick rich brownie. Be aware, these taste like the real thing! 

The chocolate chips really add pizazz to them--so make sure you add them!  Look at that center! It looks like a calorie bomb-- but it's not!!

Here's the (not so scary) nutrition! Be aware, the recipe called for 16 servings but I HATE small brownies! So, I am saying go for 9. Obviously, they are more caloric this way, so if that's of major concern, just make small brownies. So for one generous brownie 

Calories: 252
Fat: 10 g (but since we didn't use butter, this fat ain't so bad!)
Carbs: 37 g
Fiber: 3.6 g (hey, for a brownie... I'll take that!)
Protein: 5.6 

So, you see, good food can be healthy. And healthy food can be good!



2 comments:

Rick said...

There are many reasons why I love this recipe.

1. It is kinda healthy.
2. There are black beans in it.
3. The name.
4. It is really easy. Love just to dump everything in a blender and voila, it is done.
5. What I really really like is your pictures. I love how messy everything looks. Yes I am aware of the title, but I really like it. Everyone has this super clean look to their pictures. Seriously, who bakes like that? It is always a mess. That is more down to earth and realistic. I love it.

Phoebe said...

Oh. My. God. I am going to HAVE to try this on Saturday!

!!! Can I use beans for other baking projects? AHHH THE POSSIBILITIES!