Black Bean Brownies with Sea Salt

Black bean brownies

Dessert should always be an option! You can make traditional desserts a little healthier if you need to…and why not? These Black Bean Brownies with Sea Salt will have you wondering where they’ve been your whole life?

Black beans and brownies in the same sentence may sound ridiculous, but let me tell you they are so good! Especially with the addition of dark chocolate and a little sea salt. Healthier recipes don’t have to be boring. Just find a way to elevate the flavors a bit.

We recently made these brownies for the 4th of July Holiday here in the United States and they were a hit! We served them still a little warm out of the oven with some Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. One of my favorite ways to have brownies in the summer!!! SO GOOD!

This is also a great gluten-free recipe because the black beans replace where flour would normally be. They are also a lot less sweet than a regular brownie, but DO NOT lack in flavor.

Baking with coconut sugar

Coconut sugar is great if you want a little healthier choice instead of the usual white, granulated sugar. Don’t forget coconut sugar is STILL SUGAR. It is lower on the glycemic index which is better for you, but you want to keep it in perspective. There is a such thing as “too much of a good thing” because it still has calories.

I have been using coconut sugar in baked goods recently and I really like it. It is more of trail and error when testing things with coconut sugar. I do swap regular granulated sugar for it in an even 1:1 ratio. It has worked well. Just remember it won’t be as sweet. I’ve used it in cookies, muffins and brownies and loved it! 

A little tip is to buy coconut sugar in the bulk section of the grocery store. It can be more cost effective if you buy it a lot like I do. We buy a lot of items in this section because it is cheaper per pound than if you were to buy it pre-packaged off the shelf.

The ingredients are just as good and they add more organic items everyday. Remember if you’re looking to eat a little healthier and want those organic prices to come down, you have to buy them more. Once things are more in demand, the prices will come down a bit because there will be more competition.

Love Dark chocolate

I love using Dark Chocolate Chips in dessert because it brings out a more rich chocolate flavor. I prefer that over an overly sweet milk chocolate but we all have our preference. You could definitely sub a semi-sweet or white chocolate chip if you like.

Dark Chocolate does add in those good antioxidants! I try and stick to a Dark Chocolate that has at least 70% Cacao in it. The higher the Cacao content, the higher the antioxidants. The addition of ground coffee or espresso in these Black Bean Brownies with Sea Salt is so good! That coffee flavor compliments any good chocolate in recipes.

Recipe tips:

-To make this recipe you will only need one mixing bowl, a large food processor and an 8×8 baking pan.

-You will be blending all of the ingredients together (besides the dark chocolate chips) in a food processor. It is important to blend really well so you don’t have any large black bean bits.

-Make sure to rinse and strain your black beans. You don’t want all of that extra liquid from the can in this recipe. I usually use Organic Black Beans by S&W. I love them because they are low-sodium.

-I always make sure I have about 1/4 cup extra of Dark Chocolate Chips to sprinkle on the top of these brownies with the Sea Salt.

-You can use regular milk in place of the Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. For the most part I drink Almond Milk but only by choice. I don’t have a dairy allergy or anything. I just prefer that my milk not have any added sugar and a lot of conventional milks do. I just use what I have on hand. Any milk will do for this recipe.

More tips…

-I recommend letting the brownies rest at least 10 minutes before cutting. The best way to serve them is warm with some Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. We love Breyers because it has only simple ingredients and tastes delicious, but feel free to use whatever dairy or non-dairy ice cream you prefer.

-You can store these at room temperature, but if your home gets warm, especially in the summer months, I would keep them in the fridge. Otherwise they could melt or spoil faster.

-When baking these always start at the lower cooking time. My oven tends  to run a little hot so a lower bake time is usually what I do. I take them out when they are almost done, and let them finish in the pan on the counter. I find this leaves a soft, chewy center.

-Brushing the pan with butter and then dusting with flour, or using a baking spray with the same ingredients, will make the edges of your brownie a little crispy. They are so delicious this way!

-Make sure to sprinkle the sea salt on your brownies while they are still warm and fresh out of the oven. It helps the salt to stick to them. However, you don’t want to overdue this step…….sea salt flakes are larger and it can be too salty if you use too much. Just a light pinch of sea salt over the entire top should be perfect.

Say yes to  dessert!

I hope you enjoy this Black Bean Brownies with Sea Salt recipe as much as we do! It’s a great guilt-free dessert option if you want to have something sweet while maintaining a healthy diet. Leave any questions or comments below and I will get back to you. Enjoy!

For a more indulgent sweet treat, try my Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies HERE.