Give em a chance....

What I'm about to say may seem very weird to some of you.  Before you judge this recipe (which happens to be one of my favorite, in pre-judging you will not only be offending these brownies, you will also be offending yours truly) give it a try with an open mind.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Last year my Mom came to visit me in La Crosse and like usual, she brought baked goods with her.  She had tried another new brownie recipe and insisted that I sample it.  For those of you who don't know my mother and her history with brownies, I should probably explain to you that my Mom has been on the search for the 'perfect brownie recipe' for years now.  She goes in spurts and looks up new recipes, combines old ones, and invents her own from time to time.  There would be weeks in high school when I would come home from swim practice and each day she had tried a new or modified recipe.  Let me tell you, she was determined to bake the best brownie and I was privileged  to be a member of the sampling team.  Although my Mom was on the quest for the perfect brownie for a few years, we (Kelly, Anne and I) always thought each attempt was delicious.  I think we secretly acted less satisfied with the newest batch just so Mom would try another recipe the next day.   Anyways, when my mom arrived in La Crosse insisting I try her newest brownie recipe, I was not the least bit surprised.  My mom wanted to know what I thought of the latest version and I remember telling her I loved how fudge like and dense the brownie was.  She said "I bet you'll never guess the secret ingredient in these" with a slight smile on her face. I had no clue that these brownies were flour-less and made with black beans.  Yes, you read that correctly. Black bean brownies.  I promise you they are like no brownie you have had before, they are even better.  I have made black bean brownies for a handful of my friends, never telling them what is in the brownies until after the taste test.  They are always shocked when I reveal the secret ingredient.  You cannot taste the beans, which allow the brownies to stay moist and delicious for many days after baking. The beans add a nice bit of protein too!
The recipe is from WholeFoods (second in line to Trader Joes on my list of favorite grocery stores) and is gluten free.  I add a few extra chocolate chips because I don't add the nuts.  I don't know if I have ever told you this before, but I cannot stand nuts in my brownies.  I don't know how or when this started, but I know one thing: I become slightly majorly disappointed when I bite into a brownie and find nuts.  If you ever make me brownies, forget the nuts.
As I have mentioned in many previous posts, I do not have a food processor (yet).  I used my blender and this worked just fine!

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
3 large eggs
1/3 cup melted butter, more for the baking dish
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cane sugar
1/2 cup gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter an 8-inch baking pan. Place the black beans, eggs, melted butter, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Remove the blade and gently stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan. Bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes, or until just set in the center. Cool before cutting into squares.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 brownie/about 2oz/60g-wt.): 160 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 50mg cholesterol, 35mg sodium, 17g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 12g sugar), 4g protein

I hate to say I told you so, but they look just like any other brownie...

I only have one picture of the batch of brownies I made last week, they disappeared before I got the chance to take more. Whoops.  Can I make it up to you with a little Van Morrison?  Enjoy the outdated music video AND the hair.