Brownies That Make You Feel Amazing

I made some brownies.  Some super-food, gluten-free, vegan, refined-sugar free brownies.

But before we talk chocolate,  I want to talk about a guilty pleasure.  Just a pleasure really, because I’m not at all guilty about it.  I’ve been watching Cheers…if you know me, you won’t be surprised.  I’ve been known to be into nostalgia.  The 80s make me happy.   This is pretty hilarious. They’re talking meditation in 1981.  I’m impressed.  Cheers jokes stand the test of time and I’m into Sam’s Nike shirts.

Back on task.  For the dessert I’m bringing to a Labor day picnic, I started with this recipe and added a few of my tweaks.

I’m all about finding something amazing and “guilty” tasting that’s actually full of healthy ingredients.  But, I have been a little uninspired lately with all the smoothies and oatmeal.  I also had some cooked black beans sitting in the fridge and I was not feeling them.  Wasting food makes me sad so I knew I add to act.

Confession: I’ve never made black bean brownies even though that screams healthy Whitney. (There was an ill-fated chickpea blondie recipe that I’m still reliving…) I know they were all the rage for the last few years but I never had an interest in them until today that is. Necessity is the mother of all invention, right? 

So I Googled and Pinterested until I found something close enough to fit my needs. I wanted gluten-free, cocoa/cacao instead of real chocolate, and preferably little to no sugar.  Boom.  There it was. Something I could work with.

There are no eggs in this, thus making it vegan, if you care.  Instead, I used “flax eggs.”  You just use one part ground flax, two parts water.  It’s a one-to-one substitute for eggs in almost any recipe!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t just want something that’s not unhealthy; I also want something that benefits me somehow.  There are tons of nutrients in these little babies so I’m extra excited to share them.

• Cacao is a superfood with antioxidants, magnesium, iron and calcium
• Healthy fats – flax and coconut oil working its magic, yet again
• Protein – oat flour and the black beans, duh!

Now, if you’re used to super sweet things, you might want to add more coconut sugar but I think the glaze ups the sweet factor.  Try it out first and then add more the next time you bake these.

This is so easy!  You’re pretty much just throwing everything into a food processor and going full speed!  I hope you’re lucky and own a food processor because I used a Magic Bullet and it was pure hell…

My silicon muffin cups are wonderful.  I highly recommend getting some.  Paper sometimes sticks and you’re totally saving the environment with reusable liners like these. 

You might want to bake them in a 9×9 glass baking dish but I prefer individual delights.  It’s less hassle and cleaner.  Plus, I’m a little concerned when I have to share food out of a public trough like a buffet…this solves that.

You could easily eat these right out of the oven with some ice cream on top if you’re not thrilled by my tahini attempt to make them fancy.

Brownies with Tahini Glaze 

Ingredients:

~Whitney Victoria