And not only did I find a way to save myself the mess of a brownie or cupcake pan, I was able to actually find a gluten-free version (the brownies contained oats). Though I'm not gluten-free by trade, I do like simplicity in a recipe.
The biggest deviation I made from the recipe I found for cookies was cutting back on sugar. If I am going to make dessert a bit better for you, adding beans to it isn't the only thing I can do. People are chronically addicted to sugar, and with such high amounts common in so many foods (even non-sweets), it is a no-brainer for me to scale it back when I can. I was already adding chocolate chips to this so the dough didn't need to be all that sweet.
That being said, I am not going to pretend these are sugar-free cookies. But, rather than a half cup of granulated sugar, I chose to use a third cup of coconut sugar. The reason for this was mostly because I just felt like using it, as it is really just a slightly less processed sugar. I loaded up on Bob's Red Mill products last year (I've got everything from polenta to flaxseed meal and have roughly 6-7 different types of flours at my fingertips right now) and basically need to go on a baking spree before the end of 2019 if I want to use them all prior to expiration. Get ready for some variety!
Onward and upward to the point: this is an easy recipe. I would call it ideal for a weeknight treat bake. I didn't even use my Kitchenaid.
I rinsed the beans thoroughly, as I would suggest for any "sweet" bean intention, then added them to the food processor, or in my case, my Ninja blender. I pulsed it a few times to get the beans chopped, then added in melted butter. The real joy about this part is that I just recently remade Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting for my Carrot Cupcakes and had some left over. Yes, I was definitely involving that dreaminess in my cookies!
I then dumped in an egg and blended it all until it was smooth. The beans won't wind up smooth themselves as there's just not enough liquid; so adding softened or melted butter and the egg will do the trick.
After that came the sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla and almond extracts. I blended these together and then added in some chocolate chips. I wanted to chop them finely, so I let the food processor go for about a minute until the chopping sounds of chips being sliced up stopped. This was my cue that the deed was done and I had a bunch of chocolate dispersed throughout. I added in some cocoa powder, mixed again, then put some more chocolate chips and pulsed the blender a few times. Then it was ready for the cookie sheets.
The original recipe did call for resting the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes after scooping the cookies on the pan. I did this for most of the cookies, but on the last few added them to the pan after the cooling period (leaving the dough at room temperature) to see what an impact it would have. The result was a cookie of the same appearance and flavor, so I do not think this step is a must.
After baking 15 minutes, the cookies had a nice, slightly cracked exterior and were slightly firm. Donezo!
Despite my adjustments to the sugar, these came out damn good. They stayed soft after cooling and the next day (they survived no longer so I cannot contribute any data past 18 hours). I brought them into the office and just set them out to let the experimenting begin. Did anyone taste beans? Nope. Were they surprised they had beans? You betcha.
If you are looking for a fairly simple recipe and a way to "healthy up" your cookie, I've got your winning candidate right here.
Black Bean Cookies Recipe
Ingredients:
1 can black beans (15 ounces)
1/4 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup coconut sugar (or granulated sugar)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drain beans and rinse thoroughly. Add to food processor and blend for about a minute. Add softened or melted butter and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add egg and blend until combined, then mix in vanilla and almond extracts, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, and half of the chocolate chips, then blend. Add cocoa powder and continue mixing, using a spatula to fold in any ingredients that have not mixed in. Add chocolate chips then pulse a few times to mix in. Scoop onto cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
adapted from black bean cookies
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