Brownies... Or Was that Beanies?

I ran across a recipe the other day for Black Bean Brownies. Yes, you read correctly. Always on the look out for healthy baked goods that actually taste good, I figured I'd give them a try. I have to say, they're pretty good! I highly recommend trying them out. And, hey, they're less than 150 calories a pop and loaded with fiber, while remaining flourless (so no bran of a whole grain flour to alter the texture).

The original recipe I used is here. I did make a few modifications (of course). I didn't get quite the taste I wanted from the honey/agave combo. It just felt like something was missing, sweetener-wise. I threw in a very small amount (maybe 1/8 cup) of Ideal brown and that seemed to get it over the hump (if I ate brown sugar or even regular sugar, I'd have gone that route). I also added some cinnamon, to bring out the chocolate flavor a little more. I'd intended on adding the chocolate chips, but remembered them when the brownies were already halfway done in the oven. Honestly, I didn't miss them.

I do recommend letting them chill a couple of hours before eating. We took a taste when they were still warm and it tasted almost custard-like. Once chilled, however, the flavor was quite nice, as was the texture. For some servings, I gave them a sprinkle of powdered xylitol. Yum. Next time, I think I'll play with the sweeteners a bit. I'll still probably do the half agave, but I think I'll try a 1/4c of another liquid (maybe bumping up the starch a little bit to make up for the loss in viscosity of the honey) and a more traditional sweetener. Other than that, though, this recipe is going into the "give it another chance" section.