I am likely only fuelling the stereotype of weird things health nuts eat, but using black beans (or other beans for that matter) in desserts totally works. Many cultures around the world have been using beans in their desserts for generations with their superb nutritional profile, including fibre (for gut health), iron (for energy), B-vitamins (for stress support), and plant-based protein.
When used as a base in baking, black beans create a moist, soft texture, which can be described as fudgey. Instead of a crunchy cookie, you get a lovely soft inside, which is really quite divine. Add all ingredients into a food processor, blitz up and you’re good to go! I like to top these with a few chocolate chips/cacao nibs before baking and they’re gorgeous with a drizzle of chocolate (They have to get their double chocolate name from somewhere.) So take your pick or, you could be cheeky like me and do both.
Ingredients
- 1 can (400g ) black beans
- ½ cup almond meal
- ⅓ cup cacao powder/cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
- 1 egg or flax egg
- Pinch of salt
- Extras: dark chocolate chips/cacao nibs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking tray with baking paper.
Open can of black beans and drain. Hold under running water, until the water runs clear. Add into a food processor all the ingredients, except chocolate chips. Process until batter is smooth (try not to leave the food processor running for ages – best not to over-process the mixture). Batter will be thick, with enough consistency to hold together. Remove blade and mix through a small handful of chocolate chips, reserving a few to sprinkle on top.
Spoon tablespoons of mixture onto the baking tray – you should get around 10 cookies from the mixture. Drop a few chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. Keep an eye on them in the last few minutes so they don’t burn. Remove from oven and let cool completely – they will harden as they cool. Enjoy!
Note: as these cookies are made up of a base of black beans (which are a moist ingredient) they will have a short shelf-life, and so are best eaten and shared on the day they’re made.
Nutrition facts per cookie: Calories 147; protein 5g; fat 7g; carbs 15g.
