You’re gunna love me when you try these. I mean these are good…like seriously, seriously, WEIRDLY good. Weirdly good considering they are made up mostly of black beans and coconut oil. I know what you are thinking…
Because I was thinking the same thing.
There is NO way that these brownies taste nearly as good as actual brownies, let alone taste good at all. I even said to Seth before I started making this recipe, “I can almost guarantee these brownies are going to be a massive fail, so I bought stuff for a back up recipe.”
The first thing that started to change my mind was the brownie batter. I whisked some of the ingredients together, and it actually started looking like real-life brownie batter. I hesitantly (very hesitantly) tried it, and was completely shocked to taste something that was 100% as good as any other brownie batter I had made before. I even made Seth come over and try some of the batter too.
I was still incredibly skeptical that the end, baked result would be even remotely similar to the regular rich, fudgy brownies that I love.
But oh…my…goodness. These are some of the best brownies I have ever had in my life, and they are gluten free! They are just as good as any brownie I’ve tried in the past – including ones that are packed with flour, butter, and sugar.
I have had some very mediocre experiences with gluten-free baking in the past. Nothing has ever turned out nearly as good as its gluten-filled counter part, despite raving reviews in the comments. But these….wow. Just wow.
They are rich, decadent, moist, fudgy, and SO chocolatey.
No one will ever believe they are made with coconut oil and black beans.
I could go on and on about these brownies. I am obsessed. And SUPER excited that I now have an over-the-top-delicious gluten-free dessert recipe. It took several little single mini muffin brownie test runs to find the perfect combination of flavors – not to sweet, perfectly chocolatey and flavorful – but I am confident you will LOVE these.
As a side note – I mentioned a few posts ago that Seth and I were running in a Spartan Race this past Saturday with his family and that I’d let you know how it went. It was really, really hard but SO much fun! If you have never done an obstacle race/mud run type thing, you really should. The obstacles are what make them so fun.
However….what’s not so fun is the absurd level of soreness I have been experiencing since then. I basically couldn’t move for the first few days after the race. It’s finally getting better now, but whew! I was pretty dang sore. Here’s a picture of Seth and I after it was all over.
Those shirts were white before…
Aaaanyway, back to the brownies ;).
You guys have to make these…you will be blown away by how amazing they are.
PrintFudgy Gluten-Free Brownies
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 12 brownies 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pureed black beans (a little less than one 15 oz can, drained)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons coco powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons Truvia (or another sweetener)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Drain your can of black beans and puree the drained beans in a food processor, scraping down the sides periodically, until it is a uniform puree without any chunks of beans in it
- Measure 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the puree and add to a large mixing bowl
- In a sauce pan, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together
- Add this to the black bean puree in the mixing bowl and whisk until completely combined
- Add in the vanilla, coco powder, baking powder, Truvia, and salt
- Whisk until combined
- Make sure the mixture is about room temperature, we don’t want to scramble the eggs. It should be cool enough after adding and whisking all the other ingredients in. If not, wait a few more minutes before adding in the eggs
- Add the eggs and whisk together
- Grease a 7×11 baking dish with coconut oil
- Pour your batter into the baking dish and spread out with a spatula so it is even
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out dry
- Let cool on a cooling rack for several minutes before eating
*Gluten Free*
If you make this or any of my other recipes, make sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
Base brownie recipe loosely adapted from these brownies over at Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Want more healthy dessert recipes? Check these out:
Healthy Chocolate Pudding with Almond, Graham Cracker Crumb
Healthy Vegan Chocolate Milkshake
Almond Butter Reese’s Cups with Sea Salt
I am already hungry and these brownies are putting me over the edge. Thanks for sharing.
Vivi recently posted…Black Coffee vs Espresso
I feel you on that!! Thanks, Vivi!
This is a hit at every girl’s night I have! Thank you for sharing!
I would love to try these but we have an egg allergy in the family. Do you have any suggestions for an egg free version?
Hm…I’ve read about a few different vegan egg substitutes: banana, flax seed, tofu, a combination of baking soda and vinegar – it would definitely take some experimenting, but you could probably find something that works! The only one my suggestions that I actually tried with this brownie recipe is the flax seed, and that did not work for me at all.
Omg, these! They have got to be some of the best black bean brownies I’ve ever had. (Though I’m still partial to my good old black bean and avocado brownie recipe…)
I’m going to tell you a little secret about gluten free baking, though. It’s all about the starch. To make fluffy, delicious, moist baked goods, you need starch and a binder. (Wheat has both, which is why it’s so popular!) If the recipe calls for eggs, then you already have your binder, so just toss potato starch in there! Screw all the healthy quinoa and sorghum flours and whatnot. Starch is the way to go for a fluffy result ;)
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Hi Annie, I just made these brownies tonight, and I have to say, I was impressed! The batter was so good that it barely made it into the oven. Lol. The completely baked brownies could have been a little fudgier so I will add some more chocolate chips next time. I like the coconut oil but wondering if canola oil or Earth Balance would work in this recipe. Any thoughts on that? Thx for sharing! =)
Hi Annie, I just made these brownies tonight, and I have to say, I was impressed! The batter was so good that it almost didn’t make it to the oven. Lol. The completely baked brownies could have been just a little bit fudgier so I’ll add some more chocolate chips next time. I do like the coconut oil but wondering if canola oil or Earth Balance would work with this recipe. Any thoughts on that? Thx so much for sharing! ?
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Thank you Suzie! I loooove them :). I’m sure canola oil or earth balance would work just fine! The only reason I used coconut oil is because it’s really good for you. I think your other two options would be good too!
Annie, I stopped by to check what’s cooking, and my eye caught this fudge brownies! Could not resist opening this post! These looks super addictive girl! I bet they tasted divine! Just need a scoop of ice cream! yumm!
Savita @ ChefDeHome recently posted…By ChefDeHome- Southwest Skillet Quinoa (Rice) and Beans with Tomato-Mint Salsa
They are SO good, Savita!! And yes, the most addicting things ever. I made them three times in two weeks when I first discovered them :).
I have no words! I am definitely making these. I have seen the black bean trick before, but have been too scared to try them haha. You’ve convinced me! Great job on the race.. I’d probably still be laying in the mud. ;)
Keri @ Fashionable Foods recently posted…Friday Favorites
You have to make them! I thought of you when I tried them :). They are so chocolatey and delicious!
Black Beans! Who would have thought to put black beans in a brownie? They look so moist and chocolaty.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop recently posted…Italian Meatballs
I know! So weird that it works!
These look so fudgy and delicious. I have tried to make bean brownies before and they never really worked out. I am going to try your recipe.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on Blueberry Blast Smoothie by Dannii
Oh my goodness, you NEED to try these! You will love them!
These brownies look delish! I’m a sucker for anything chocolate and I love making recipes that involve weird healthy hacks, so I’m totally down with the black beans in the recipe. Can’t wait to try them!
Alison recently posted…Destination Denmark
Thanks, Alison! They are soooo good. I’m a sucker for anything chocolate too :). You should definitely try them!
Oh man, these look SO dense and amazing! I’ve made chickpea blondies but haven’t tried black bean brownies yet… definitely need to give it a shot because the blondies came out awesome!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel recently posted…Cats Can Eat Healthy, too!
Thanks, Jess! Yum, chickpea blondies. Those sound awesome. You should definitely try these out!!
Ok, I have got to try these! They really look like brownies! And so impressed you did the Spartan race. Those look so hard core!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely recently posted…Blackberry Mint Mojitos
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You need to try them!!! I know, I was so surprised that they turned out just like brownies. Thanks! It wasn’t quite as hard core as you might think because we walked a lot of it :). The obstacles were SUPER hard though! But still fun.
These brownies look amazing! I would never have guessed they were made with black beans! So decadent and delicious! So glad you guys had fun at the Spartan race too!
Thanks, Kelly! You would be even more surprised that they are made of black beans when you taste them :).
Ok, you’ve sold me, I must try them again, as well as your avocado chocolate pudding. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong with these healthy desserts, but I just haven’t enjoyed them yet! This recipe looks different than the one I tried though, so I’m going to give it another go. That race looks like so much fun!
Caitlin recently posted…Peanut Butter Swirl Cocoa Brownies
I was the EXACT same way before trying these. I was so doubtful they would be good. I have made several gluten free desserts before this and I just didn’t like any of them! The texture and flavor was always off. But these! These are so so so yummy. I have tried them on three different people and everyone loves them.
Annie, these brownies look just perfect! I’m always in awe of gluten free treats and this one is no exception. I love how fudgy and decadent these look! Do you deliver? :) Pinned!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Thanks, Gayle! Oh yeah, sooo fudgy and decadent! Yeah, I’ll ship you a box ;). Thanks so much for the pin!
Congrats on finishing the Spartan race! So glad you had a great time but sorry you’re so sore :( Worth it though? I’m so curious about these brownies! They really look amazing and so fudgy. But does it make me a bad foodie to admit that no matter how many homemade brownie recipes I try, I still love Ghirardelli box brownies the best? It’s kind of embarrassing.. Having said that- these look so good and I’m so curious about the black beans that I think I’ll have to try it!
Maya @ Treats and Eats recently posted…Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Crushed Blueberry Sauce
Thanks, Maya! Yeah I would definitely say it’s worth the soreness. I don’t judge you for that at all, I’ve had Ghirardelli box brownies and they are a-mazing! These are pretty delicious too though, and you can eat them (more so) guilt free. Yay for black beans and coconut oil!
Wow Annie, congrats on the Spartan race. I am running a half marathon on saturday, couldn’t be more excited. These brownies look perfect, love the use of beans, no guilt, sort of, right :)
Kathy@ Olives & Garlic recently posted…Dilled Baby Potatoes
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Thanks, Kathy! Ohh, good luck!! A half marathon is way harder than my little 5 mile spartan race.
The brownies really are amazing, you should definitely try them!!
Hi Annie! I would be skeptical too, but your pictures are pretty convincing. They look AMAZING!
Julie – Lovely Little Kitchen recently posted…Peanut Butter Buckeye Cookies
Thanks, Julie! They are soooo amazing.
And that Spartan race looks like it was fun!!
It was :).
Annie, these brownies couldn’t be more perfect! I am literally SOO excited to try out this recipe because I have yet to try a black bean brownie that I have liked! You have convinced me to try just one more though. ;-)
Pinned!
Thanks, Mariah! Please, please try it!! They are a huge home run :).