Yesterday night, I got a text from my friend Carly right before I went to sleep. I knew it was serious because she started it with “Emily.” “Emily,” she said. “Make these right now.” And she sent me the recipe for black bean brownies.

When Carly tells me to make a recipe or to eat food, I listen. She knows how much I love food, and she also knows exactly what kind of recipes I get excited about.

One time, I got a text from her after I left yoga class on Saturday morning. She told me about a bagel sandwich with butternut squash, cardamom cream cheese and pomegranate molasses at a new coffee shop she was visiting. “You must eat this now,” she said.

So I dropped everything and walked halfway across D.C. to go eat it. And she was right; It was one of the best bagel sandwiches I’ve ever had and I’ll never forget it. I realize that this entire story makes me sound like a millennial plebe, but oh well.

ANYWAY. I wanted to make the brownies on the spot last night, but I didn’t have any black beans. So I went to the grocery store today and made them when I got off work.

Carly told me that the batter would be amazing and that I’d want to eat it all. She was right. I forced myself to spread most of it into the pan, and then I sprinkled some chocolate chips on top.

The very best thing about these brownies is how they’re like “real” brownies in every way. They are fudgy, chocolatey and rich. When they’re baking, they will flood your apartment/living space with a smell unlike any other you’ve experienced. I was basically drowning in chocolate love.

I would suggest, no, highly recommend that you make these brownies as soon as possible. I ended up eating most of them straight out of the pan like a savage–a plate and fork just seemed superfluous.

This song kept playing in my head when I was eating the brownies.

Black Bean Brownies (from Chocolate Covered Katie)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well) (250g after draining)
2 tbsp cocoa powder (10g)
1/2 cup quick oats (40g) (See nutrition link below for substitutions)
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) (See nutrition link for substitution notes)
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 chocolate chips, for presentation

Directions

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 8×8 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. If they still look a bit undercooked, you can place them in the fridge overnight and they will magically firm up. Makes 9-12 brownies.