Black Bean Brownies--Yum!

My daughter, Meghana made this recipe twice now, and you would not believe the secret ingredient is black beans. It is quick, vegan, gluten-free and just plain delicious. She found the recipe at a site called ChocolateCoveredKatie.com. Thank you, Katie! We will definitely try some of your other healthy recipes. :-)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well) (250g after draining)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (10g) Meghana uses raw organic ground cacao.
  
• 1/2 cup quick oats (40g)
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave (or honey, but not for strict vegans.) (75g)
  
• pinch uncut stevia OR 2 tbsp sugar (or omit and increase maple syrup to 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil (40g)
  
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup chocolate chips (115-140g) (Not optional. Omit at your own risk.)
• optional: more chips, for presentation

Instructions
Black Bean Brownies Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except chips in a good food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Really blend well. (A blender can work if you absolutely must, but the texture—and even the taste—will be much better in a food processor.) Stir in the chips, then pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Optional: sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top. Cook the black bean brownies 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut. Makes 9-12 brownies.