Healthier Peppermint Brownies

I just made the best brownies! The best part, is they are high protein, gluten free and taste REALLY good! As part of our Wellness Wednesdays we wanted to feature how easy it is to use essential oils on a daily basis. Everyone will love these!

Now when you look at the ingredients, you may notice black beans. Yup! Don’t cringe until you try it. The first time I made Black Bean Brownies was 4 years ago when we lived in Cedar City as an expiriment for a food storage class. A few of us demonstrated meals and desserts that we could make from our food storage supplies. I chose to try Black Bean Brownies because beans are usually a staple in food storage and I was curious to see if they would actually taste good. The only difference between this recipe and the one I originally made is that this one uses coconut oil instead of butter and honey instead of sugar. I will say, this recipe is a lot softer and not as thick as my other recipe. Both taste really good and if you didn’t know black beans were in them, you would never guess it. With the addition of Peppermint essential oil, it’s the perfect addition…not too sweet or overwhelming. I challenge you to give it a try!

What You Need:

One 15 oz can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup Honey (1 cup sugar)
2 eggs
1/3 cup Coconut Oil (or butter)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
Pinch of Salt
4 drops peppermint essential
1 cup Chocolate Chips (reserve 1/4 for later) – I chose to go with a mix of dark chocolate and white chocolate chips.
Food processor or blender

Directions:

Step 1: Prep all the ingredients, pre grease an 8×8 pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips into the blender.

Food processor only instructions: When I made these before, I did not have a blender so I used my food processor. If this is all you have or if you have a weak blender, add the black beans only to the food processor. You can add one of the eggs or a little water to the beans to add some moisture so it mixes easier. Once blended, add all the now blended beans and all the other ingredients into a separate bowl. Mix well.

Step 3: Add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips to the mixture. Barely blend or stir in so there are still large chunks.

Step 4: Pour the batter into the pre greased pan and top with the rest of the chocolate chips.

Step 5: Bake for about 35- 40 minutes or until your fork comes out clean. (Aim for testing the center.) If you are using butter instead of coconut oil, aim for 30-35 minutes or until the fork comes out clean.