Healthier Brownies (Black Bean)

Lauren and I tried a recipe for healthier brownies, thanks to Dan Ardis!

So, here's what it is:

You take your favorite box recipe of brownies and pour the mix into a bowl. Now, open a standard can (15 - 16oz) of black beans and puree them in a blender until smooth.

Add the bean mix to the brownie mix and bake in the oven as described on the box.

THAT'S IT!!

This little snack is much healthier than a regular brownie with much less fat, high fiber, fewer carbs, less cholesterol, and a good deal less calories!

Now...you might be wondering how to calculate the calories with this. Here's how: First, you need to look at the nutrition facts for the unprepared brownie mix. Some brownie mixes will have this information, some will not. So, if you can, try to get the brownie mix that has this info. Most unprepared brownie mixes will be anywhere between 100 and 130 calories PER BROWNIE.

Since the above number is the per brownie number, you now need to multiply it by the number of servings are in the box (usually somewhere between 16 - 20). For example, if the unprepared brownie mix is 100 calories per brownie and the brownie box is 20 servings, then your calculation would look like this: 100 x 20 = 2,000 calories for the entire mix of brownies.

Once you have that number, take a look at your black beans can and see how many calories is in a serving. Usually around 110 or so. Again, look to see how many servings are in the can (usually 3.5). Now, multiply the number of calories per serving by the number of servings in the can: 110 * 3.5 = 385 calories in the entire can.

Add the two total calorie counts together: 2,000 + 385 = 2,385 calories for the entire batch of brownies! Now...that sounds like a lot, but again, this number is for the entire batch. So now, all you have to do is divide this number by the number of pieces you want to cut it into. If you use the directions on the brownie mix box, then you will cut it into 20 pieces (because that's the number of servings per box mix). So, now, if you divide 2,385 by 20 = 119.25 calories per brownie! That's significantly less than the 170 calories per brownie for the one that we made!