Healthy Chocolate Chunk Flourless Brownie Bites

 
During my childhood, my mom let us enjoy a few extra sweet treats on Valentine’s Day, as compared to any other ordinary day of the week. After our class parties in elementary school, we usually came home with a shoebox full of little cards and candy, so she agreed we could nibble on a piece or two as part of our afternoon snack.  

Once we finished dinner, we went back for a few more pieces of candy from our shoebox stash, or we picked out a store-bought baked treat from the pantry. Mom knew how much we loved festive sprinkle-covered sugar cookies and Little Debbie’s heart-shaped cupcakes!
 

 
As I grew up, I started skipping those cute colorful desserts and gravitated more towards the extra chocolaty treats. Chocolate cookies, chocolate cupcakes, dark chocolate truffles… Basically whatever Mom brought home for herself. She certainly passed along her chocoholism to me!

During my high school years, Mom discovered Trader Joe’s chocolate ganache torte: a round two-layer cake with chocolate mousse sandwiched between the layers and covered in a silky smooth chocolate ganache. After our first bite, we were both hooked… And snuck seconds every time we carved ourselves a slice. It rarely lasted more than two days!
 

 
I’ve already glimpsed lots of incredibly tempting chocolate treats on stores’ shelves… Including that Trader Joe’s cake! To avoid cramming every last one into my shopping cart, I resolved to bake a batch of these healthy chocolate chunk flourless brownie bites when I returned home instead. That completely did the trick!

They’re beautifully rich and decadent, just like many of those desserts I spotted while running errands, with an ultra smooth and fudge-like texture… Even with no butter or oil! They’re also super quick and easy to make. You need less than 30 minutes — and not a single mixing bowl!

A chocoholic’s dream come true, right??
 

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY FLOURLESS BROWNIE BITES

Let’s cover what you’ll need to make these healthy chocolate chunk flourless brownie bites!

Unsweetened cocoa powder. To make this recipe super simple and much faster, you’ll skip the melted chocolate and use unsweetened cocoa powder. You’ll add in a full ½ cup, so your flourless brownie bites taste really rich and decadent!

Hint: I don’t recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. They have a different flavor and acidity level, which can affect both the taste and texture. I’ve found that these two end up tasting less rich with a noticeably more muted chocolate flavor, so I strongly suggest sticking with regular unsweetened cocoa powder for the best results!

Sweetener. Instead of refined sugar, you’ll sweeten your healthy flourless brownie bites with pure maple syrup. Remember to buy the real kind that comes directly from maple trees! The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup.” It generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).

Milk. I opted for unsweetened cashew milk to make these flourless brownie bites dairy-free. It’s really thick and creamy with just 25 calories per cup! (It also makes amazing lattes and homemade coffee creamer. Yum!) Almost any type of milk will work though, so feel free to use whatever you already have in your fridge.
 

 
Egg whites. These bind together the other ingredients. The egg whites also provide your flourless brownie bites with a protein boost!

No flour. Now things are about to get a little interesting… Rather than flour, you’ll use black beans! I know — it sounds really strange. But I promise these brownies do NOT taste like beans! That earthy flavor completely bakes off while the brownie bites are in the oven, so your healthy flourless brownie bites simply taste super rich and chocolaty once they’ve cooled. (Just don’t taste the raw batter!)

Bonus: The black beans help make these brownie bites extremely fudgy, just the way I like them. Truly — their texture is just like fudge! They also give your healthy flourless brownie bites another protein boost. I call that a win-win!

Vanilla. A very common baking ingredient! It adds richness and rounds out the decadent chocolate flavor.

Dark chocolate. I love chopping up bars of dark chocolate to make the chocolate chunks because they have such an amazing flavor, and they also turn melty and gooey in the oven. Ghirardelli and Lindt are two of my favorites!
 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY FLOURLESS BROWNIE BITES

Let’s quickly go over how to make the best healthy chocolate chunk flourless brownie bites! They’re one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make. It blows my mind how fast and delicious these are! And that’s because…

No mixer. You’ll use a blender or food processor to make the batter! Just add all of the ingredients to the bowl — except the dark chocolate — pop on the lid, and blitz until the batter is liquidy and smooth.

Prep the mini muffin cups. Before adding the batter to your mini muffin pan, slip a liner into each cavity. That makes these flourless brownie bites much easier to pop out! Remember to coat those liners with cooking spray too. Low fat batters (like this one!) tend to stick to liners like super glue, but spraying them first helps the liners peel away quite easily.

Sprinkle + swirl. Just before popping the pans in the oven, you’ll sprinkle a little of the finely chopped dark chocolate into each cavity’s batter and swirl it in with a knife. This brownie batter is very thin and liquidy, unlike most of my traditional brownie recipes, so if you added the chocolate chunks to your food processor or blender, they’d just sink to the bottom… Meaning the majority of your brownie bites would be missing those chocolate chunks. Not good! So wait until after you’ve portioned out the batter, and you’ll be all set.

Bake + cool. To ensure these black bean brownie bites end up with an ultra smooth and fudge-like texture, you’ll do two things. First, remove them from the oven when the edges look set but the centers still look glossy. The residual heat from the pan will continue to cook those centers all the way through while you let the bites cool in the pan, without drying them out or resulting in a cakey texture.

Second, wait at least 3 hours after they’ve reached room temperature before eating any. These brownie bites turn fudgier the longer they rest. If you try nibbling on them sooner, they’ll taste more cake-like. I know it’s really hard, but if you can wait longer, like 8 hours or more, that’s even better!
 

 
Time for dessert! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy chocolate chunk flourless brownie bites!

Healthy Chocolate Chunk Flourless Brownie Bites

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 24 brownie bites

This is one of the easiest brownie recipes you’ll ever find! They’re really rich and extremely fudgy, thanks to the ample amount of cocoa powder and flour replacer. The brownie bites will keep for at least four days (if not closer to a week or more!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

4.67 from 6 votes

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Ingredients 

• 1 (15oz) can reduced sodium black beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
• 3 large egg whites (room temperature)
• ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
• ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup (60mL) unsweetened cashew milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp (28g) finely chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line 24 mini muffin cups with paper liners, and coat with nonstick cooking spray.
• Add all of the ingredients except the finely chopped dark chocolate to a blender or food processor in the order that they’re listed. Blend until completely smooth and no large pieces of beans remain.
• Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Evenly sprinkle the dark chocolate between the muffin cups, and use the tip of a butter knife to swirl them into the batter. Bake at 300°F for 14-18 minutes, or until they no longer jiggle when lightly shaken. (The centers should still look glossy and slightly underdone!) Cool completely to room temperature in the pan; then let them sit for an additional 3 hours for the fudgiest texture.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the cocoa powder correctly, like this or with a kitchen scale. Too much cocoa powder will make the brownie bites taste bitter.

 

IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: The brownie bites are ready to come out of the oven when the edges look firm but the centers still look glossy and underdone! The heat from the pan continues to cook the centers while they cool.

 

If you’re too impatient to wait for 3+ hours once your brownie bites are at room temperature, then you can stick the pan in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours after they’ve reached room temperature to speed up the process. (The brownie bites turn fudgier the longer they're allowed to rest. If you eat them sooner, they'll be more cakey than fugdy.)

 

IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These brownie bites have a rich flavor that's similar to 70% dark chocolate. I promise they do NOT taste like beans! That bean flavor bakes off while the brownie bites are in the oven, so they just taste extra rich and chocolaty once they’ve cooled.

 

CANNED BLACK BEANS ALTERNATIVE: If you prefer to cook your own black beans, you’ll need 1 ½ cup + 2 tablespoons of cooked black beans. You’ll also need to add about ¼ teaspoon of salt to the brownie batter.

 

EGG WHITES ALTERNATIVE: If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 3 large eggs, and reduce the milk by 1 ½ tablespoons to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.

 

COCOA POWDER NOTES: I don’t recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. These have a different acidity level, which can change the taste and texture of your brownie bites. The brownies already taste very rich and dark chocolaty without using either of these!

 

SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Alternatively, ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar or brown sugar + ¼ cup (60mL) milk may be substituted instead.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened cashew milk.

 

DARK CHOCOLATE NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: I recommend 70-76% dark chocolate. Ghirardelli and Lindt are two of my favorites. Make sure you cut the dark chocolate to be no larger than the size of miniature chocolate chips to ensure the brownie bites bake evenly. If you prefer, miniature chocolate chips may be substituted for the finely chopped dark chocolate.

 

NUT-FREE OPTION: Substitute your preferred nut-free milk in place of the unsweetened cashew milk.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store leftover brownie bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least four days (if not closer to a week or more!).

 

{gluten-free, dairy-free, clean eating, low fat, nut-free option}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
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♡  Flourless Brownie Bites
♡  Flourless Peppermint Mocha Brownie Bites
♡  Practically Flourless Extra Fudgy Brownies
♡  Brownie Batter Energy Bites
♡  Dark Chocolate Frosted Fudge Brownies
♡  Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Swirled Fudge Brownies
♡  Slow Cooker Fudge Brownies
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy brownie recipes!