So, Yeah, I know. Brownies. BUT, there is a redeeming quality to these brownies. Well, two actually. And neither of them you would think belong in brownies, but they totally make these brownies amazing.
Black Beans and Spinach. Yup. It sounds utterly crazy, I know. But trust me, it works. And its sooo fudgy and delicious (especially when topped with a dollup of whipped cream). I dare you to make them. And I dare you to not eat the whole pan 
Black Bean Brownies (with hidden spinach!)
by The Gingered Whisk
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Keywords: dessert beans chocolate spinach bar
Ingredients (8×8 pan)
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup fresh spinach (or a bit more, whatever you feel)
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp ground coffee
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 baking dish.
Using a blender or food processor, pulse the beans to break them up a bit.
Add the oil and spinach and blend until smooth (you will need to pulse, scrape, pulse…it takes a while).
Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla, sugar, coffee and salt and pulse until smooth.
Add in the eggs and blend until combined.
Pour the batter (it will be super runny) into the prepared pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 45 minutes
Cool completely before serving (Really. These aren’t really that great when warm, but are delicious when cool and awesome when served straight from the fridge!)
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18 Comments
Amy
March 27, 2013 at 10:43 AMI have a kidney bean brownie recipe I've been wanting to try – these look really good! Very different and healthier than most brownies for sure!
bewitchingkitchen.com
March 27, 2013 at 1:40 PMWOW! Now that is truly amazing! I had to lauch, if my husband knows there's spinach and black beans in a batch of brownies, he will not touch them. Period…
I am actually tempted to make them – grad students will be happy, they won't mind even if I tell them what's in the recipe 😉
bewitchingkitchen.com
March 27, 2013 at 1:40 PMSorry for typo, I think I wrote "lauch" instead of "laugh"
Ruth Ellis
March 27, 2013 at 8:11 PMNot one but two veggies hidden in your recipe – amazing! They look fabulous and I'm sure they tasted delicious. Thanks so much for taking part this month
Rx
Barbara
March 27, 2013 at 8:32 PMgreat job, looks stunning 🙂
shelley c.
March 27, 2013 at 11:50 PMBlack beans AND spinach? You totally win! 🙂 I will have to try this version – I bet it was super tasty!
Renata
March 28, 2013 at 1:32 AMBlack beans are part of everyday meals on almost every table in Brazil, as a savory dish, so it is really strange to think about using black beans in a sweet treat. However, this thought completely changed for me after spending a few years in Korea. I learned that black beans (or any color beans for that matter) are excellent ingredients for making sweets. I'm sre your brownies were out of this world delicious!
Cher Rockwell
March 28, 2013 at 2:06 AMOk – I went with black bean brownies, but you win with the spinach addition! Awesome. Sneaking veggies into dessert is kind of fun…
Jane
March 28, 2013 at 3:01 AMDouble the pleasure! I know you can make them separately as black bean brownies and spinach cake/brownies but together?! Genius!
korenainthekitchen.com
March 28, 2013 at 5:11 AMMmmm, I'll share that pan with you! I made black bean brownies a while ago and was so surprised by how good and fudgy they were! Your hubby doesn't know what he's missing 😉
chefindisguise.com
March 28, 2013 at 5:24 AMI made a cake with white beans and now I MUST try these! I have heard so much about black bean brownies, yours look so good!
P.S.About the cheese making challenge, please don't feel the need to apologize, I know how crazy life can get 🙂
Cakelaw
March 28, 2013 at 6:56 AMI am intrigued – these look so good and taste fudgy but contain spinach – must try them sometime!
Deeba PAB
March 28, 2013 at 12:17 PMHey Jenni, you've done a beautiful brownie take here. Black beans and spinach? Who would have thought. They do look like normal brownies. YUM!!
rkbetz
March 29, 2013 at 1:34 AMYum! I thought about brownies too. They look yummy! Nice job on the challenge!
procrastinatingbaker
March 29, 2013 at 6:27 AMI think our husbands share very similar views on the addition of beans to baked goods. Despite that, I currently have a bowl of black beans soaking ready to give this recipe a try tomorrow. Thanks!
procrastinatingbaker
March 29, 2013 at 9:05 AMMy husband also shares your husband's view on beans in baked goods. Despite this, I currently have a bowl of beans soaking to try this recipe tomorrow. Thanks!
Suz
March 29, 2013 at 11:05 AMWow, double veg! That's a hardcore vegetable brownie. It looks great – so fudgy and mmm.
Within the Kitchen
March 29, 2013 at 1:32 PMI've heard black beans and brownies are a good combo mm it certainly looks great.