During my childhood, my mom let us enjoy a few extra sweet treats on Valentineâs 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 Debbieâs 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 Joeâs 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!
Iâve already glimpsed lots of incredibly tempting chocolate treats on storesâ shelves⌠Including that Trader Joeâs 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!
Theyâre 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! Theyâre also super quick and easy to make. You need less than 30 minutes â and not a single mixing bowl!
A chocoholicâs dream come true, right??
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY FLOURLESS BROWNIE BITES
Let’s cover what youâll need to make these healthy chocolate chunk flourless brownie bites!
Unsweetened cocoa powder. To make this recipe super simple and much faster, youâll skip the melted chocolate and use unsweetened cocoa powder. Youâll add in a full ½ cup, so your flourless brownie bites taste really rich and decadent!
Hint: I donât recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. They have a different flavor and acidity level, which can affect both the taste and texture. Iâve 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, youâll 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 âmaple syrup.â 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. Itâs 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, youâll use black beans! I know â 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 theyâve cooled. (Just donât taste the raw batter!)
Bonus: The black beans help make these brownie bites extremely fudgy, just the way I like them. Truly â 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 youâll ever make. It blows my mind how fast and delicious these are! And thatâs becauseâŚ
No mixer. Youâll use a blender or food processor to make the batter! Just add all of the ingredients to the bowl â except the dark chocolate â 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, youâll sprinkle a little of the finely chopped dark chocolate into each cavityâs 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, theyâd just sink to the bottom⌠Meaning the majority of your brownie bites would be missing those chocolate chunks. Not good! So wait until after youâve portioned out the batter, and youâll be all set.
Bake + cool. To ensure these black bean brownie bites end up with an ultra smooth and fudge-like texture, youâll 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 theyâve reached room temperature before eating any. These brownie bites turn fudgier the longer they rest. If you try nibbling on them sooner, theyâll taste more cake-like. I know itâs really hard, but if you can wait longer, like 8 hours or more, thatâs 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 Iâll see your picture! đ ) Iâd love to see your healthy chocolate chunk flourless brownie bites!
Healthy Chocolate Chunk Flourless Brownie Bites
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
- Âź 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 theyâre 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
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipesâŚ
⥠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
⥠âŚand the rest of Amy’s healthy brownie recipes!
Has anyone tried making these vegan by using aqua faba (canned chickpea liquid) instead of egg whits? Wondering what the correct amount would be, 2 or 3 Tbsp per egg white??
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Lisbeth! The best vegan egg substitute in my recipes is Ener-G. (My brother is allergic to eggs, so I’m pretty familiar with egg substitutes!) In my recipes, you’ll need 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white, and you’ll need ½ tablespoon of additional coconut oil or Earth Balance for each egg yolk (although that doesn’t apply here! đ ). I’d love to hear what you think if you try these brownie bites!
Hello. Can any of the recipes using the black beans be frozen? Thanks. Linda
Yes, these brownie bites can be frozen! My other black bean brownie recipes can be frozen as well. đ I can’t wait to hear what you think of them Linda!
Would this work with whole eggs? Any particular reason for using just the whites? Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Megan! Yes, you may use whole eggs. I have a few family members who are trying to reduce their cholesterol, so it just isn’t worth it to me to use / repurpose the yolks. ? The egg yolks will add a bit too much liquid to the batter⌠But if you reduce the milk by 1-2 tablespoons, that should work! đ I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownie bites!
Would 100% dark choc be too bitter to add to this recipe? Iâm trying to omit refined sugar completely so only have pure dark or raw chocolate in my cupboards … recipe looks delish btw. Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Emma! If you already like the taste of 100% dark chocolate plain / on its own, then you can definitely substitute it for the 72% dark chocolate. If you aren’t a fan of the plain 100% chocolate, then I’d recommend just omitting the chocolate chunks — or using stevia-sweetened dark chocolate (like this or these chocolate chips) instead! đ I can’t wait to hear what you think of these brownie bites!
Saw this recipe on Instagram and I just had to try it! I just recently started cooking with recipes that âsubstitute â ingredients to make the recipe healthier. I just pulled my batch out of the oven and let me tell you it smells exactly like full fat non healthy brownies! I canât wait to try one. They look SO amazing! Thank you for doing the hard part for us ! Youâre research is very much appreciated by this newbie! Keep up the great work! I canât wait to try your other recipes ??
You’re so sweet Lilly — that means so much to me! I’m truly honored that you’d try my recipe after seeing it on Instagram. What a huge compliment — thank you! đ I hope you enjoyed these brownie bites, and I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next!
These brownies are SOO good! I have a huge sweet tooth and am always looking for something to satisfy my craving without gaining weight! I just had my son 5 months ago and I’m slowly getting back into clean eating again đ Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. The only complaint I have is that the texture is a bit grainy because of the beans, do you have any suggestions on how to reduce this? Or maybe I did something wrong? Thanks in advance!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these brownies, Brittney! If the texture was grainy, then it was probably because of the blender or food processor that you used. Either its blades aren’t as sharp as mine, or else the mixture wasn’t blended long enough. Do you know the exact make and model of the blender / food processor that you used? đ
I have always been skeptical of black bean brownies but your recipes never let me down so I finally gave these a shot and wow! I am blown away at how fudgy and delicious these are, not to mention quick and easy!! I added some sea salt flakes too which just took them over the top! Thank you for creating the most delicious, healthy treats that are always winners đ
Oh my goodness, Lisa! I’m truly honored that you made these the same day I sent out the email. That’s the BEST compliment there is, if you were skeptical, still tried my recipe, and loved them! You just made my entire week!! ⥠Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know — it really means a lot!
I do not have a mini muffin panâ are there any other pan options? Thanks so much!
Do you have any alternatives to the cashew milk?
I’ve actually covered cashew milk alternatives in the Notes section of the recipe, which is located directly underneath the Instructions! I know it can be easy to miss. đ I’d love to hear what you think of these brownie bites if you try making them, Denise!
I really struggled with the bake time on these… I baked them until they didn’t jiggle (which took longer than estimated), and then I let them cool overnight, but in the morning they were still overly gooey and I ended up re-putting them in the oven for another 5+ minutes.
But besides the awkward cooking time, they looked and tasted great. Pretty similar to a typical brownie bite, but so much healthier! Thanks!
It means a lot that you tried this recipe of mine too, Melinda! I’m glad you enjoyed their flavor. It’s strange that yours took so long to bake. I’d love to help solve that mystery, if you’d like! In order to do so, I have some questions for you. đ
Did you make any modifications or substitutions to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
How long did you drain your can of black beans before using?
Did you use egg whites from a carton, by any chance? Or whole eggs?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups for the cocoa powder, pure maple syrup, and milk?
Did you use the full amount of cocoa powder?
Did you use mini muffin cups? (I’m assuming you did, but a few people have used standard-sized muffin cups instead… So I just like to double check!)
How long did you bake these on the first day? (I know you said longer, but I wasn’t sure how much longer!)
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them!