Amazingly Rich Flourless Dark Chocolate Brownies (did I mention Guilt-free?)

These treasures are also low sodium, low calorie, low fat, and gluten free! About this time you’re wondering WHAT on earth is in them? We’ll get to that in a minute!

You might have deduced by now that I have a bit of a sweet tooth. A chocoholic sweet tooth is generally not compatible with a low calorie diet because as you know, most really yummy desserts have a correspondingly high calorie and fat gram count to match. So one finds oneself starting to stare at these ridiculous little snack cakes at the store. One might even catch oneself saying, “Hey, I can eat one of these tiny chocolate cupcakes full of preservatives and trans fats for 150 calories! I need chocolate. HAND IT OVER!!!” And our desparation continues to drive us to eat items that have no business even being called food, much less being part of a weight loss diet!

I have to admit, I have a total weekness for chocolate, and sometimes I long for chocolate cake so badly I dream about it. I’ve tried the expensive, processed little instant microwave Betty Crocker jobbies, which have decent taste, so-so texture, and they’re gone in about two bites. I’ve tried making chocolate flavored sponge cake which is mildly chocolatey, but have not been able to get it filled to the brim with dark chocolatey goodness. In sad desparation, I had pretty much resigned myself to “Well, I’ll have deep, rich chocolate brownies again – AFTER I am to my goal weight.”

All that changed today.

Seriously, look at these beauties! You can just see the lovely fudgey goodness just waiting for you to sink your fork into it!

But these aren’t ordinary brownies. Oh, no. You see, they have a VERY special ingredient in them that makes no conceivable sense but for some odd reason that I am incredibly thankful for, works, and not only that – it makes them actually healthful.

Are you sitting down? You should be. Drum roll, please… Wait for it… Here it is!

Your eyes are not deceiving you. The magic, amazing, chock-ful of healthy goodness secret ingredient is BLACK BEANS! Seriously!

I know this sounds bizarre; I thought it was so bizarre I had to check it out for myself. I am SO glad that I did. There are quite a few different recipes out there for Black Bean Brownies. I modified a highly-rated version of the recipe I found at allrecipes.com to make it a little more healthful. Try it out for yourself, and rejoice that we can have rich chocolate brownies in Thinlandia!

Amazingly Rich Flourless Dark Chocolate Brownies

1 15 ounce can low sodium black beans
1 egg
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons applesauce (I used Cinnamon Applesauce. Cinnamon always goes well with chocolate.)
1 tablespoon butter or light olive oil (I used a mixture of both)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) regular cocoa powder
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon Butter-flavored Also Salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (if you increase this measurement it makes the brownies more cake-like)
3/8 cup Splenda white sugar blend
1 teaspoon instant coffee (I used Folger’s Decaffeinated. Having a bit of coffee in there somehow really helps enhance the chocolate taste, and doesn’t make the brownies taste like coffee in the slightest.)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly spray an 8×8 square baking dish with butter-flavored Pam.

2. Rinse the black beans well in a colander, then blend them within an inch of their life in a food processor or blender, to get them as liquid as possible. This is important so no “skins” are detected in the brownies.

3. Combine all of the ingredients except the walnuts in a blender and blend until smooth.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the walnuts over the top of the mixture.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry; it starts showing little cracks; and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan; about 30 minutes.

Unlike regular brownies, these actually taste better cold and not straight out of the oven. They should also be stored in the refrigerator (if they last that long!).

I blended a bit of cocoa powder and a little stevia sweetener in some Fat Free Cool Whip, and made a chocolate whipped topping to go on these decadent delights. It is not necessary, but is a lovely option!

Makes 16 smaller brownies, 12 medium-sized, or 9 larger ones.