Black Bean Brownies

I saw a recipe for grain free black bean brownies on Naturally Knocked Up and knew I had to try them.  A brownie that is full of beans?  Sounds good to me.  Plus I had some sprouted black beans I wanted to use up (running out of room in my fridge:).  And we're getting low on treats for Justin.  These were so easy to make.  And really good!  Who knew you could make a great brownie with beans and no flour?  They have a different texture...much smoother than a regular brownie, not cake-like.  Almost more like fudge.  They can be quite addictive.  I had to stop myself :)  But at least I knew I wasn't being too bad.  I was getting beans, coconut oil and eggs!  Honestly there isn't much in them that is bad.  I did have to use regular chocolate chunks (all I had in the house).  But that's not a big deal.  You don't get much in one piece.  Rebecca and I both like these.  Justin hasn't tried them yet.  These are super easy to make...you just throw everything in a blender.  The hardest part for me was keeping Rebecca from eating all of the beans before I could get them in the blender :P  A definite keeper!

Edited 3/13/11 - Donielle modified her recipe to include almonds and spinach.  I tried it with just the almonds.  Awesome!!  I'll update the recipe to reflect the change.

Grain Free Black Bean Brownies

1 cup crispy almonds (optional)
2 cups black beans, cooked (or 1 can of no salt added) (preferably soaked first)
3 lightly beaten eggs
1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt (I used unrefined sea salt)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey (or other equivalent sweetener) (I used local raw honey)
1/2 cup chopped up bittersweet chocolate (or semi-sweet chips if you don’t mind the added refined sugar in them) (I used semi-sweet chocolate chunks...I'd like to make them with homemade chocoalte chips next time.)
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8×8 (or 9x9) pan.  Blend almonds and coconut oil until smooth in blender or food processor (until like almond butter).  Add remaining ingredients (except the chopped up chocolate and walnuts) and blend until smooth. Fold in the chopped chocolate and walnuts. Pour into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes.