Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

The mouth feel of these is great. Dense and goey. Try topping these with any nice cream. I topped them with a cherry banana nice cream and it paired well. The wetness of the nice cream offsets the somewhat dry consistency of the brownie.

These are really good. I have made a few times. But! I am looking to substitute carob powder. I don't want caffeine. Any suggestions? 

These are great.  If you're making this recipe for the first time don't be alarmed by how dense the batter is after it's blended. It will bake so much fudgier that way.  I agree with others that it's alot to ask of any blender without added liquid. I've made it in the Blendtec quite a few times but the thickness of the batter is easier to remove out of a food processor. The time that I did add liquid cost me a lot of the fudge texture.  I haven't soaked the dates before but I wil try this next time.

I just baked these and my husband and I both thought they were a great substitute for the real thing! They do NOT taste like the typical sweet brownie, but reminded me more of the taste of chocolate bars that contain a high percentage of cocoa. I didn't have black beans, so used garbanzo beans instead.  And due to the other comments, I soaked 20 deglet dates (approximately 1 cup) in 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk (didn't have medjool dates) and used the almond milk in the recipe as well.  Otherwise I followed the recipe as stated, also baking for 1 1/2 hours at 200 degrees. I forgot to add chopped walnuts, definitely will add next time. I will also add a few more dates (the recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups domestic dates) since I only used 1 cup. 

These were absolutely delicious! You cannot tell they are "healthy." My husband and I love them! The topping itself it like a whipped pudding treat!  I would recommend a couple of changes, which really helped me the second time I made them.  First, chop the dates in a high powered blender (Vitamix), they are easier to mix in once you get it all in a food processor. I like the dates with pits in them because sometimes the pitted dates ended up being dry.  It takes almost no time to pit a date. I am almost tempted to make a batch and take them to work and see if the guys like them without telling them they are made from black beans.  :-)

I made this for a dinner party. My daughter suggested I serve it with coconut cream. We poured it as a sauce, added one drop of stevia into the sauce and it looked like whipped cream served with brownies. Visuals are everything.   I made it a second time, this time I used peanut butter instead of almond butter and I forgot the chia seeds. This batch came out fudgier. I eat these as a snack and I can hold off till lunch or dinner. The first time I put it in the Ninja blender and the dates didn't chop conpletely, maybe because it was too dry. The next time I put it in the Ninja food processor and let it blend for a while, it cam out very creamy. This recipe is a keeper

I just dont know the difference between the Medjool dates and regular dates.

Thanks to the comments that told me they had to add a liquid.  My VitaMix could not handle this.  Even after I added some almond milk I had to leave what seemed like quite a bit in the blender.  I could not get it out.  I can tell you that between my grinder taking extra muscle and my blender choking I burned a bunch of calories.  The jury is out for me.  I'm hoping the effort will be worth it.  If so, I will update my comment!!

Update:  The finished product was good enough to warrant another attempt.  This time I used my food processor for the mixture and it didn't require extra liquid and it was much easier.  First time I ended up with very little avocado because mine was mostly rotten.  This time my frosting has a full avocado.  This is a success in my book.  I put walnuts on top for crunch and flavor.

Made these brownies for the first time tonight and while we all loved the taste, they were very dry so I will definitely be adding liquid next time. Also don't think they need to cook for an hour and a half in the oven, Will try again as taste/texture were great. Any other tips woudl be appreciated especially for a more moist brownie.

Love these brownies. Go great with berry sherbet! 1:10 time made them moist and fudge

My whole family loves, loves, loves this recipe. I have never made the optional topping but the brownies are fabulous.  Warning, they are NOT sweet.  They ARE chocolately though!  I never tell people they are made with black beans until after they have tried them, and they all love them!  I usually just say that the brownies do not contain sugar so they are not very sweet, but they are healthy and lo-cal. I usually double the batch since I am going through the effort of making it. I bought a new food processor specifically for this recipe and the extra power makes it easier to blend everything.  Still, I add 1/4 cup of unsweetened natural apple sauce to help blend everything better.  I have made it several times, and here is the best taste and consistency when making a single batch as directed (brownies only, not the topping):

       add 2 extra dates
       add 1/4 cup natural unsweetened apple sauce
      add 1/4 cup or more unsweetened shredded coconut
      add 1/4 cup or more chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds

This is delicious and forgiving. I forgot to grind the chia seeds but in they went. Added an extra date. Used peanut butter instead of almond butter. Cacao powder instead of cocoa. Also needed to add a 1/4 cup of almond milk (next time I'll go with a 1/2 cup). Man these were good. Served them to my two year old for her bday and she loved them. So did my mom and her friend and my friend and her 4 year old. Whoosh! Gone! Next time I'll add coconut and maybe some nuts and make a double batch. These will be what I'm bringing for dessert to Thanksgiving. Just so damned thrilled with these. Yum yum!

We have made these with different beans, Black, adzuki, and a Rancho Gordo bean similar to pinto bean texture.  Using a mushier bean is better.  Adzuki came out nice.  It blends beautifully in the Vitamix, fluffy and lightly sweet.  

As with many sweet, baked goods, freezing them and eating then straight out of the freezer brings out the sugars and sweetness (imho).

These were better after chilling in the fridge for a day. I made them in my food processor and added 1/2 cup of almond milk as others had suggested. Instead of the topping, I put about half a cup of sliced strawberries on top. This made a nice dessert.

My Blendtec could not blend this without adding some soy milk. What am I doing wrong? They were good anyway. I also added 2T date paste, since I couldn't get the dates to blend thoroughly. I make date paste in my food processor, so maybe I should have used that instead of the Blendtec. I made with 1/2 black beans and 1/2 lentils, since that is what I had, and it didn't make any difference. It still had a nice brown chocolate color. I will share this with some friend tomorrow. I didn't bake it. It was too lovely raw and none of the ingredients need to be cooked. What I ended up with was more of a chocolate mousse. 

These are more like really soft fudge, but oh my they are good! I put a bit more walnuts in them, as well as on top of the frosting. I've made these a few times and it's one of my husband's and my favorite. 

Wow. Positively scrumptious. I used homemade cashew butter instead of almond butter and soaked the dates for about 5 minutes in boiling water. Then I fished them out and added to the rest of the ingredients. Used the food processor and needed no additional liquid. Cooked them for the entire time recommended. My husband loved them and had no idea they were made with black beans. A real keeper. Think there will always be some of these in my freezer. 

I agree with the comments here. The end result is fantastic! It was very difficult to mis in the blender though. I will try using a food processor next time, and possibly soaking the dates to soften them so they blend easier. Love love love them! 

Easy to make and tastes great!  I used a natural organic peanut butter instead of almond butter and it tasted awesome!  Great comforting healthy snack.

Any beans will work - do not have to be black. I have used kidney beans, adzuki beans and half great northern, half black beans. Chopped pecans or walnuts add a nice crunch. Use a food processor and definitely soak the dates in boiling water for about 10 minutes before mixing. Use a little of the soaking water if you need some liquid in the mix.