Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

Okay, so I am going to be honest. In the search of the best ingredients to replace flour, beans were never on my radar! Funny thing is I thought to myself how am I going to convince people to use BEANS in there brownie recipe? And black beans none the less! Well, I never really figured out the best way to convince you guys that the beans are delicious in this recipe except that it is one of the easiest recipes you can make so why not give it a try! These gluten free squares of heaven are fudgy and soft. No one will ever know they are filled with fiber packed black beans!

I can hear some of you now, I am not a very good baker, I burn boiling water. I have heard it all! My goal when developing a recipe is not only to make it delicious, but also figuring out the easiest most efficient way to make the recipe. This brownie recipe is no exception. I promise its just as easy as the box mix!

This quick and simple recipe is blended in a food processor, or a blender will work as well. That's it. I told you it was going to be easy! Throw all the ingredients in the food processor until it's smooth!

The most common question I get when sharing this recipe is what type of cocoa powder should be used.  That is a loaded question, there is a distinct difference between the couple cocoa powders available at your local grocery store.

Cocoa Powder is not all Equal!

Typically you will find Dutch-processed and natural cocoa powder. The difference between the two is acid.   Who knew that cocoa powder would be acidic?


Dutch-processed cocoa powder is cocoa powder that has been washed in a potassium solution that neutralizes its acidity, and the dutching process will deepen the dark color of the cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder in baking is usually paired with baking powder to be the acidic leavening agent in our baked goods.

Natural cocoa powder is cocoa that has not be processed to remove or neutralize the acid content. Natural cocoa powder is usually lighter in color, and because it has all of its acids, it is usually paired with baking soda because the sodium carbonate of baking soda is mellowed by the acid in natural cocoa powder.   Natural cocoa powder is what is typically  what you would find in American grocery stores.  Hershey’s Cocoa Powder… that’s natural cocoa.

What to do if your recipe only calls for cocoa powder and does not specify?  This is actually pretty common, and my advice would be to evaluate the recipe, and see if it calls for Baking Powder or Baking Soda. Based upon the leavening agent you will be able to determine which type of cocoa powder to use. Baking Soda will be paired with Natural Cocoa Powder, and Baking Powder will be paired with Dutch Processed Cocoa.


Now that we have learned all about the best ingredient in the recipe, now its time to experiment! I hope you all enjoy this easy recipe, and make it your own. The more chocolate chips the better! Or even peanut butter chips... now were talking.   Actually both, definitely both!

Happy Baking!


Download The Recipe Below!

black_bean_brownies.pdf
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