Fudgy black bean + coconut protein brownies

Man did these take forever to perfect. Glad I was persistent because I am so happy with how these turned out. Can you believe that up until a couple weeks ago I had never tried a black bean brownie? I’d seen them all over the internets but never thought to give them a try. Even with my first trial of brownies I was blown away at how delicious they were and not at all black bean-y in flavor. Very much like a traditional brownie in fact and had I not known what was really in them I would’ve just assumed they were!

I’ve been obsessed with all things coconut lately and really wanted to incorporate them into the brownies. I used coconut oil and coconut palm sugar to lend flavor in the right direction but I think it was the shredded coconut laced within the brownie that really drove it home with it’s chewy, nutty deliciousness.

Ever since making Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies (if you’ve never had them, you must! so insanely good and fudgy!), I’ve been hooked on adding coffee flavor to any chocolate dessert. Chocolate already seems to have an inherent coffee undertone (at least the more you go towards bittersweet and dark chocolate land) and so a shot of coffee or espresso powder just seems to reinforce it even more, making it taste super rich and decadent.

You guys, I’m totally convinced that these black bean brownies are a thing that could change your life. Go make ’emmmm…

Fudgy black bean + coconut protein brownies

Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Makes 12 individual servings

1- 15.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained well

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder

1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (I use Designer Whey 100% Premium Whey)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon unsweetened, shredded coconut + additional for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a standard 12 cup muffin tin with coconut oil.

Put the black beans, cocoa powder, espresso powder, protein powder, salt, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and baking powder into a food processor and mix until very smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally, several minutes. Add the chocolate chips and coconut and mix with a spatula. Using a 2 tablespoon measure, drop batter into greased muffin tin. Smooth tops if necessary and sprinkle with additional coconut.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the top has cracked slightly and the sides have just started to pull away from the pan. Sometimes it doesn’t look like it’s done, but trust that it’s done. It will continue to cook slightly when you take it out of the oven. Leave the brownies in the muffin tin and allow to cool completely on a rack. Run a thin knife or tiny spatula around each brownie to take out of muffin tin. They are ready to eat now but taste 10 times better after you’ve left them in the fridge for several hours. Personally, fudgy brownies always taste better to me when they’re cold!