gluten~free blender brownies

So... I've been trying to go paleo, and let's just say, it is extremely difficult for me. Not only do I crave sugar; All. The. Time. I also have a hard time finding ways to avoid grain when I do crave sugar. But sometimes, after I indulge way too much, I feel terrible, since gluten bothers my stomach. And just the guilt in general.

Now, I was eavesdropping (yes... I can be a bad kid) on a convo my mother was having with one of her closest friends who can't eat grain, and she said that you could use black beans instead of grain for making brownies. If you know me, you could probably guess what I thought, because, DUDE, I adore brownies!
Anyway, I browsed the internet for a recipe, found one, and modified it with mostly non-GMO, real food ingredients.

If you're a health nut like me, but can't afford almond flour, coconut flour, etc., you probably spend endless searching on Pinterest or Google, looking for recipes. And, if you try some recipes, when they look promising, they usually never work. That has been a huge frustration for me, because I love baking, but I'm somewhat limited. But believe me when I say, these actually work! And they taste amazing.
Okay, okay. Let's get blending, finally.

12 Servings

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories - 195
Carbohydrates - 33 grams
Fat - 4 grams
Protein - 10 grams
Sugar - 10 grams

Ingredients 

15 oz cooked black beans
1/3 cup all natural honey (can substitute with 3/4 cup of coconut sugar, or regular sugar)
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup (can substitute with vanilla extract)
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
If you are using canned beans, drain them, and rinse them in a strainer until all of the canning juice is gone. This is extremely important to ensure you don't have beany tasting brownies.
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender (I used a Magic Bullet), and blend until the batter is a good consistency. Don't worry if the batter is thin; it's supposed to be.
Pour batter into a greased 9"x 9" pan. You can add chocolate chips, nuts, or any other toppings you wish (I just kept mine plain).
Bake for 30 minutes or until batter is set, and the inside is a little soft.
Before digging in, set to cool, then enjoy!

~Josephine Frances