The only thing better than celebrating graduation with ooey gooey brownies is celebrating graduation with ooey gooey dark chocolate raspberry brownies. With black beans. I mean duh.
I can't believe it's over. Mostly because it often felt like it would never end. Everyone keeps asking me what's next; and the truth is that I don't exactly know yet. I do know that I plan on taking the RD exam in June before I leave for Europe and will continue my job search until then.
I want to offer private nutrition counseling.
I want to have a healthy meal delivery service.
I want to write a cookbook.
I want to become a personal trainer.
I'm only half kidding. But really. I have BIG dreams. I want to change the world, one chickpea at a time. Of course I want to do a million bajillion different things, which I'm sure doesn't surprise you one little bit.
Whatever I end up doing or not doing, know that I'll always be here. Your comments, emails and feedback are beyond inspiring. There's nothing I love more than hearing this blog has been a stepping stone in your journey to health and happiness.
Except maybe these brownies.
When I came home a couple weeks ago to a package of five dark chocolate bars from Theo Chocolate, I nearly died. If you know anything about me, you must know that I freaking adore dark chocolate. I eat it pretty much every night. I bought Theo on my own before their lovely chocolate showed up on my doorstep, not only because it's incredibly delish, but also because it's organic, fair trade, and has a stellar ingredient list.
Did I mention the gorgeous packaging? That counts, too. But the best part about Theo is their mission, their passion for the connections that exist from bean to bar. Theo chocolate is sustainably grown with fair trade practices and produced in small batches for the a truly divine chocolate bar that's rooted in passion.
When I saw that raspberries were on sale at the store, the lightbulb went off like immediately. Fresh raspberries + Theo raspberry dark chocolate = brownies. DUH!
I learned a lot in grad school, but what really stuck with me throughout my thesis research is that a third of the 585,720 deaths from cancer each year could be prevented by healthy diet and a focus on plant-based foods. That's 193,290 lives. Doesn't it seem obvious?! Eat more plants!
Cheers to beany brownies and oh ya know, just saving hundreds of thousands of lives a year with nutrition.
Print
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Black Bean Brownies
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Studded with fresh raspberries, these gluten-free black bean brownies are not only rich and fugdy, but also secretly loaded with fiber.
Ingredients
- 1-15oz can black beans, drained and very well rinsed
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup almond meal
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp brewed coffee
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1.5 oz dark chocolate bar, chopped*
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- 1-6oz pkg fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. (I like to cut two even strips to cover the dish evenly both ways.)
- Add rinsed beans, cocoa powder, almond meal, maple syrup, eggs, coconut oil, coffee, vanilla, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a large food processor. Process until completely smooth (a couple minutes).
- Stir in dark chocolate, chocolate chips and raspberries by hand.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, or until brownies are set in the middle. Cool for ten minutes in pan before transferring brownies (still on parchment paper) to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, slice into 12-16 squares.
- Store brownies in an air-tight container for a few days and then transfer to the fridge.
Notes
*You can use another dark chocolate bar if you don't have Theo or you could use ½ cup chocolate chips.
Laura Neuffer says
My whole family (little kids included) loves this recipe!
Alexis Joseph says
Ahhh such a yummy treat, thanks Laura!!
Michelle says
These brownies look wonderful! Can you sub flax eggs for the eggs in this recipe? I can't wait to make them! 🙂
Alexis says
I haven't tried it...they make not stick together as well but feel free to try!
Alexis says
Thanks SO much for your sweet comment, Caroline! I'm so excited that all the substitutions worked 🙂
Caroline says
So, I was a total skeptic. But, these babies are great! Shared with my family and my brother literally made a comment that he was happy I didn't use one of my "weird" recipes, soooo total win. I made a few substitutions and I'm so pleased with the result:
-cashew flour for almond flour (just what I had)
-used 1/3 cup honey in place of 1/2 cup maple (didn't have maple)
-used 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (and sadly no raspberries)
-used a 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules in place of brewed coffee
-used no salt added black beans, so upped the salt to 1/2 tsp
I also under-baked by a full 10 minutes and they came out gooey yet cakey at the same time. Really perfect.
Lisa says
I made these! Wow! A bit cakey & crumbly-not nearly as beautiful as yours. Wish mine were gooier. But am so excited to have found this site. Congrats on your graduation and thank you for sharing!
Alexis says
Awesome! So sorry they were crumbly! Maybe a bit less baking time next time? Thanks so much, Lisa!!
Francesca says
Yeah, I can definitely deal with this! Theo is my favorite...Nice job, girl! 🙂
Alexis says
Isn't it the best?! Sooo rich and creamy!
Alexis says
Fabulous! I cheated MAJORLY this past weekend because I was home. I had gluten galore! I'm back on track this week, though 🙂
Robin lucas says
Alexis, I just made these, they are so yummy!!! I wanted to congratulate you one your graduation and a belated 24th bday. I am a HUGE fan of hummusapien. I make a new recipe every week in addition to my weekly favs. I haven't had one I didn't like:)
Robin
Alexis says
Awww thanks so much, Robin! Your comment made my day 🙂 Thanks for being such a fabulous fan and I'm thrilled that you loved the brownies!
Beth says
I'm so inspired, as always, by your ambition and healthy treat secrets. Can't wait to make these brownies. Can we say top priority? Hehe. : ) Congrats on your graduation, from a fan of Hummusapien.
Alexis says
I think they'd work with flax eggs! They may just be more delicate, and they're delicate already. Let me know how they work out!!
Alexis says
For real, doughhhhh. I know you're eating all the chickpeas right now 😉
Nikki says
OMG these look amazing, do you think they wud work with a flax/chia pretend egg thing? Cuz I can't have eggs.
Congrats on graduating, makes all the hard work worth while!
Where are you planning to visit in Europe? I've been to loads of places & live in France, so if you need any help, just ask 😉
Nikki
Lauren says
Your posts always make me smile! Congrats on finishing grad school! I am a big fan of whacking the old bean into a brownie recipe - these look great!
Tiffanie says
Congratulations on your graduation! These brownies look incredible - I guess I'll have to print the recipe and save it for a month, I'm guessing I can't eat these during the Barre3 challenge? Can't wait to see what you've got going on with them!
Alexis says
Thank you so much, Tiffanie! You actually CAN eat these during the barre3 challenge--they just say no to refined sugar, but maple syrup is fine 🙂
Tiffanie Roberts says
Finally listened to the May 1 lecture this morning and am understanding a lot more. At the beginning I thought I had to follow their meal plan exactly each day. I will try these this weekend 🙂 I hope the challenge is going well for you!