Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Beans

It's recipes like these that give me a bad reputation with the in-laws.

Every time I show up at their house with a baked good, they look at me with a sidelong glance and ask accusingly, "What's in these?"

I can't blame them -- I will stick some strange things in cookies and cakes in an effort to give them a healthy boost. Drew spilled the beans (hah!) on these cookies before my father-in-law even had a chance to accuse.

"Want a cookie, Pop? They've got BEANS in 'em!"

To his credit, Pop ate it anyway.

Ya'll, these cookies are so good. I'm serious. The recipe comes from the Everyday Happy Herbivore, a cookbook I continue to enjoy. They are soft and chewy (I almost wrote "moist," but I hate that word). I'd compare them to regular chocolate chip oatmeal cookies; you can't even taste the beans.

The best thing about vegan cooking is that you can safely eat the batter without that nagging worry that you're going to give yourself salmonella from the eggs.

Give these cookies a try! You'll be surprised just how delicious they are.

Butter Bean Cookies Recipe

Servings: 24

Description:

The best low fat and protein packed chocolate chip cookie you'll ever eat! Any white beans (butter beans, navy, cannellini, etc) can be used in this recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats (or quick oats: SEE NOTE)
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)
• a dash of ground cardamon (optional)
• ½ cup canned white beans, liquids reserved
• ½ cup raw sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
• a dash of salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a large cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer 3/4 cup of the oats to a food processor and pulse, about 15x, until crumbly but not powder.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and combine with flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamon. Whisk to incorporate and set aside. Transfer beans to processor then add applesauce, sugar, vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of the bean liquid. Whiz until smooth. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir about 10 times.

Add chips, remaining 1/4 cup oats and the rest of the bean liquid, stirring until combined. If the mixture is too wet, add more oats. If it's too dry, add a little water. Drop tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet, leaving an inch of room between each. Bake 15 minutes, until edges are just turning light brown and middles are firm. They will firm a bit more as they cool. Check the bottoms to make sure they are golden brown.

NOTE: You can use quick oats in this recipe. If you do, then skip the step that tells you to food process the oats.

Per cookie: 61 calories, 0.7g fat, 12.4g carbs, 1.4g fiber, 5.2g sugar, 1.3g protein

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