Black Bean Brownie Bites

There’s a real disconnect in our house regarding dessert – I live for it – Dave can live without it.  Has it sent us to marriage counseling? Not yet – yet being the operative word.  I don’t know about any of you out there, but I’m kind of a follower when it comes to dessert, because after you’ve finished a huge meal, dessert really can be excessive.  But even if it’s just a little bite of chocolate, or scoop of ice cream, it just makes the meal complete!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said to Dave “Let’s go get ice cream” (LET’S go get it) and we get to the ice cream shop, wait in line, and we get to the counter and Dave says “Oh I don’t want anything, but you get what you want!” and I don’t know why this makes me angry, maybe because Dave just doesn’t have it in his genetic code that being done with dinner means what’s for dessert? Or that I feel  like a fattyboomblatty being the one in the party of two that gets a double scoop of mint chip in a chocolate dipped waffle cone.  But, nevertheless, dessert is like the 6th food group for me.

My friend/former roommate Leslie introduced this to me the first week she moved into our apartment.  She’s gorgeous – tall – thin – beautiful skin – nicest person you’ll probably ever meet in your life, and she has some amazing healthy eating tricks up her sleeve.  I rememeber coming home one night, and the smell of brownies was wafting through our apartment, and I thought YES! BROWNIES! Then Leslie told me that not only are they brownies, they’re healthy brownies.  And I said “Get out of town”.  So I ate one.  Man, was it good.  I couldn’t see how a brownie that tasted so good could be healthy.  And then she told me that she made them with two ingredients:  a box of brownie mix and a can or pureed black beans.  And after I lifted my jaw off the ground, I shoved another brownie in my mouth, because hey! They’re healthy! Why not!

So, in my attempt to get back on the band wagon after NC Calorie Fest 2012 (as Buddy coined it), here are these delicious and nutritious Brownie Bites made with Black Beans.

INGREDIENTS
*yields 36 brownie bites or 24 regular sized brownies

1 Box of your favorite brownie mix

1 can of black beans

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2) Rinse the black beans and then return them to the can, filling it up with fresh water.

3)  Dump the water and black beans into a food processor and pulse until fully pureed.

4)  In a large mixing bowl, combine brownie mix and pureed black beans/water until mixed (will appear a bit lumpy).

5)  Spray a 13×9 baking dish, or mini-muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Fill the baking dish with the brownie batter, or if you’re using a mini-muffin pan, fill each slot with 1/2 tbsp. of brownie batter. 

6)  Bake for about 10 minutes (in mini-muffin tin) or designated baking time on back of the brownie box for 13×9.  Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, as they will be a bit dense and hard to remove when hot.

Ohhhh my these are tasty – they’re low fat, full of fiber and protein, you get your chocolate fix, and they’re so cute!  Thank-you Leslie for turning me on to this amazingly awesome little “secret” recipe.  And my hips thank you too 🙂