Baked Beans: How to Use Bean Puree as a Fat Substitute in Brownies, Muffins and Cookies

Brownies, muffins and cookies: what if these baked goodies could be part of a healthy, managed-calorie diet? Now, they can. You can use bean purees to replace fats and lower calories in recipes for baked goods, without sacrificing taste or texture. And bean purees add fiber and excellent nutritional value. The extract of one bean, cannellini (also known as white kidney beans) even has been found to slow carbohydrate absorption, help regulate blood glucose levels, and lower the Glycemic Index (GI) of foods. (The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of how fast a food raises blood sugar.) Bean purees can open up a whole new world of healthful options for baked goods, whether you use a baking mix or bake from scratch.

Bean purees start with cooked beans

Bean purees are made using cooked beans. The easiest way to get started, then, is to use canned beans. Canned beans also have the advantage of being pre-measured. In other words, often a recipe can be made using "a can" of beans. That makes the process even easier. But certainly cooking dried beans from scratch is a very healthy option.

Personally, I love cooking dried beans from scratch. I also find the cost savings a thrill. But part of what I love about cooking dried beans is filling the pot with all kinds of spices and flavorings, from crushed garlic to bunches of spinach; mashed butternut squash to coconut milk; grated cabbage to petit diced apples and mushrooms.

In other words, when I cook dried legumes, they usually end up being a little bit more than just beans. Now, I could see adding a wildly embellished bean puree to a savory baked good, such as Cheddar Beer Bread. But I'm not sure I'd want to share those particular bean pots in the brownie bowl!

The point is if you want to put your beans in sweet stuff, keep it simple. If you do cook your beans from scratch, resist the urge to decorate them with more than the usual dash of salt (okay, I give in: and, yes, a twist of ground black pepper).

A whole new meaning for baked beans

Now it's time to give a whole new meaning to "baked beans." I'll link you to some fun recipes, but first let's talk about the overall concept of using bean purees in baked goods.

Brownies

The research that started it all, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, studied brownies -- nice work if you can get it! Scientists replaced half the oil called for in the brownie recipe with white kidney bean puree. They found that these brownies had less fat, fewer calories, and people still liked them! What a breakthrough!

Although, according to Science Daily, white kidney beans have been linked with carbohydrate blocking and glucose regulation, other types of beans have also found their way into brownies. One recipe calls for totally skipping the oil called for in a brownie mix and adding a can of pureed black beans instead. (To make the puree, empty the can of beans into a blender and fire away.)

Cookies

Another recipe, for a breakfast cookie, uses only ¼ cup of butter. The recipe is built on 2 cups of oats, 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of packed brown sugar, and one can of rinsed and drained white kidney or navy beans. Cinnamon, chocolate chips, dried fruits and nuts round out these "top 'o the morning to you" treats.

Muffins and quick breads

In addition to the black bean brownies above, cooks have found other times they can skip adding oil to baked goods altogether. Pour a can of white kidney beans into a blender and puree, for example. Then add to batters for muffins (such as pumpkin spice, carrot cake or bran) and quick breads (such as zucchini). This also works using store-bought muffin or quick bread mixes. Just leave out (or reduce) the oil called for in the recipe.

The very healthy bean

Bean purees are an easy and very healthy way to replace fats and lower calories in baked goods, without sacrificing taste or texture. Beans provide excellent and inexpensive nutrition. Fiber, too! And one legume, the white kidney bean (cannellini), has been found to slow carbohydrate absorption, regulate blood glucose levels, and lower the Glycemic Index of foods. You can give a whole new meaning to "baked beans" by using pureed beans in brownies, cookies, muffins and quick breads.

*** More healthy eating tips from B.A. Rogers: Tomatoes: Increase Your Vitamin K Intake Naturally and Help Your Child Eat Right for a Lifetime.

Recipes:

"Bean brownies," Sugoodsweets.

"Bean breakfast cookie," Dinner with Julie.

"Best answer: How to lighten up muffins?," Answers at Yahoo.

"The Bean Meal Plan," American Bean.

Sources:

"Weight Loss Weapon; Carb-cutting Enzyme Stopped By Bean Extract, Endocrinologists Say," Science Daily.

"Pureed Cannellini Beans Can Be Substituted for Shortening in Brownies," American Dietetic Association.

"Glycemic Index," Diabetes Net.