My Chocolate Season 2022: Black Bean Pumpkin Fudge Brownies

The recipe that you find here is a riff on this recipe: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a20128728/black-bean-sweet-potato-brownies/. That's because a family member isn't fond of sweet potato flavor and, after doing a little research, I learned that pumpkin is a suitable 'stand-in' for this ingredient. It also helped that I had one lonely can of pumpkin in my cupboard. With the shift to pumpkin I added cinnamon and nutmeg too, because, well, pumpkin!  :)

We liked the results and served some of these brownies to dinner guests. But instead of adding thick chocolate sauce to the top (as above), we sprinkled the whipped cream with additional cinnamon. Either way, this dessert is a pleasant surprise. 

Want to have a little fun? Share these brownies with friends and family first, and then tell them what ingredients you used!
 
Black Bean Pumpkin Fudge Brownies
Makes 9-12 servings
 
Ingredients
 
 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 c. unsalted butter
1 can black beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed
3/4 c. canned pumpkin
1 egg
1/3 c. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of kosher or sea salt
 
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, with ends overhanging the sides. Spray lightly with cooking spray. (V.O.E. – I don’t use cooking spray so I lightly greased the parchment with olive oil and a paper towel.)

​2. In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt chocolate and butter until smooth. Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree black beans, pumpkin, egg, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Add chocolate mixture and process until smooth. 

3. Pour batter into pan and bake until brownies set in the center and pull away from the edges, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely before using the parchment paper to remove brownies from the pan. The top may 'crack' slightly.