DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHICKPEA OR BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

Gluten-free, flourless healthy chickpea or black bean brownies packed with nutrients for an equal-parts delicious yet healthful dessert. This easy dairy-free, refined sugar-free dessert recipe only requires a few minutes of prep time and is made conveniently in your blender!

There are two types of people: those who have tried chickpea or black bean brownies and have made them 50 gazillion times as a result, and those who have never tried chickpea or black bean brownies. If you fall into the latter category, I’m here to help! I’m willing to bet if you give them a shot, you’ll be compelled to make them time and again.

My guess is you already have every single ingredient you need right there in your pantry in order to make either chickpea or black bean brownies. For me, this recipe is an oldie but a goody – it has been revised many times over the years, and has been a staple in my home ever since I tried them for the first time 5 years ago.

Our first go at garbanzo bean brownies was back in 2012, when – I daresay – the world was not yet ready for them; however, with the introduction of black bean brownies about a year later, you all took to the bean brownie like white on rice. Now that we’ve had time to marinate on the idea of a healthy brownie made from the very ingredient we like to use in our chili, I thought I’d revisit the subject.

This classic recipe works for both chickpeas and black beans. You can easily double it if you’re looking to serve more than 9 people (or if you’re a mega fan of dessert leftovers). You can also add all sorts of your favorite brownie add-ins, such as chopped walnuts, some peppermint extract and/or orange extract + orange zest if you’re going for a different flavor altogether…you can even add booze, my friends. Cointreau, for instance, is quite the brownie companion.

So let’s hop to it!

All you need is one 14-ounce can of the bean of your choice. Drain and rinse the beans in a colander, then add them to your blender along with the rest of the ingredients, save for the chocolate chips. Blend it up to make your batter, stir in the chocolate chips, then proceed as normal. Pour into a small baking sheet, bake for only 25-ish minutes, pull them out of the oven, then play the waiting game. It is imperative you allow these brownies to sit at least 1 hour before cutting into them, or else they’ll fall apart very easily. If you’re doing a spoon brownie slash brownie sundae type of situation, the fall-apartedness shouldn’t matter and you can dig right in.

If you don’t have coconut sugar on-hand, you can replace it with equal-parts cane sugar. I like using coconut sugar because it is considered a natural sweetener, is lower on the glycemic index than cane sugar, and contains minerals. You can also substitute the olive oil in this recipe with melted coconut oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, etc.

Options for serving:

Sprinkle with powdered sugar
Make homemade chocolate coconut frosting (use the instructions from this recipe).
Top with homemade paleo salted caramel.
Serve with a dollop of coconut whipped cream.
Cut up some fresh seasonal fruit and top the brownies with it.

And that’s it! Pour, blend, bake, repeat!