Black Bean and Avocado Brownies

This recipe is from Cara's Cravings, a great resource for tons of really healthy recipes!

I was more than skeptical when I made this recipe for the first time.  Black bean and avocado just don't seem like they would go well with the word "brownies."  However, Cara raved so much about them that I absolutely had to try them.  They turned out great!  The consistency is a little weird at first, we thought they tasted much better after sitting for a day.  Even better, when they were about 4 days old, they were absolutely perfect!  They have a fudgey consistency that is much richer than a brownie made with flour.  For someone who has been dieting for quite some time without any cheat foods, these taste decadent.  Love them!

The third time I made these brownies, I decided that a little bit of texture might be good.  I made a double recipe and broke up a Hershey's Dark Chocolate bar to mix into the batter.  It ended up just adding calories and not adding much texture - most of the pieces just melted completely.

The first time I made them, I followed Cara's recipe exactly and baked in an 8"x8" pan.  This time I doubled the recipe and baked in a 9"x13" pan.  The original recipe calls for half an avocado and I didn't want to throw away the other half (we're picky, remember?) so I just doubled the recipe.  The original recipe is below.

• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup egg substitute (I used egg whites)
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado (60gm) (a dear friend informed me that a ripe avocado has a bit of a give to it, similar to the palm of your hand- good to know as I would have picked a hard one had I not known this!)
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder (30gm)
• pinch of salt (I omitted this the second time and didn't taste a difference)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons white sugar (75gm)
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso (I used instant coffee and was still pleased with the results)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.  I used wax paper - I didn't have parchment paper and didn't feel like going to buy it.  The brownies stuck to the paper a bit but I used a metal spatula to loosen them.  The second time I made these, I sprayed the pan with Pam cooking spray.  I wouldn't recommend that.  The Pam being baked gave some of the brownies a weird flavor.

Combine black beans, egg substitute, agave syrup, and avocado in food processor.  I have this food processor and it barely fits the full recipe.  It requires lots and lots of scraping and mixing in a smaller food processor!  Blend for a few minutes, until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until fully combined, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

Spread into parchment-lined baking dish. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the brownies comes out clean.  We like the edges, so when the brownies started to firm up, I sliced them before they were totally done so that they all had crispier edges after cooking completely.