Soft & Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Halloween Cookies - that are good for you!! :)

Does it mean I’m getting old when I haven’t even thought about Halloween except for what kind of treats I can make for the blog? 

In my younger years (…my early 20’s?) used to have a costume picked out, a multitude of parties to choose from, plans, excitement, the whole thing. Maybe, subconsciously I just don’t care about Halloween anymore because my mind is already focusing on Christmas. Yep, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, my focus = Christmas!

Well my Halloweening days might be over for the time being but at least I can reminisce on the year I dressed up as a Ninja Turtle, right?! That was the BEST.

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Halloween Cookies - that are good for you!! :)

Seeing as Halloween is only a couple weeks away, I thought this recipe would be coming in right on time!

This recipe might in fact remind you of another recipe from the NITK archives… my Raspberry Goat Cheese Swirl BrowniesWhy? Well because they have the same secret “you-put-what-in-these?!” ingredient!

The mighty Black Bean. Yes, black beans, and just like the brownies, you’d never guess they are the staple ingredient that lends these cookies their ooey, gooey, chewy, and rich fudgy texture!

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Halloween Cookies - that are good for you!! :)

These chocolaty, rich, dark cookies are full of fiber and because they are free of flours, they are also grain and gluten-free. They do not contain any refined sugars (I used organic coconut sugar instead, a fantastic low glycemic, slow releasing sugar) and come in at less than 100 calories a pop!

…Not that low calorie = healthy, but in this case, these are healthy AND lower in calories, so you can enjoy one, two, or even three for a snack, and not risk overloading your digestive system like you would with a commercially prepared Halloween cookie!

I used Sunspire Sundrops for the little orange cookie topper decorations that I picked up from Planet Organic, a local organic health foods store. I love these little chocolates because they are made with all natural ingredients and do not contain any artificial flavors, glucose, refined sugar, modified cornstarch, or other unpronounceable ingredients like another very similar candy we will keep nameless…

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Halloween Cookies - that are good for you!! :)

Want to amp up the flavour a little? Try adding chia seeds or raisins, a peanut butter swirl, or even shredded coconut! It’s always fun to experiment with healthy ingredients in the kitch, you never know what you might come up with!

4.4 from 5 reviews
Soft & Chewy Chocolate Cookies
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups cooked black beans
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp natural almond or peanut butter
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ½ cup organic coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cacao powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 60 orange organic chocolate Sundrops* (optional, but accounted for in nutritional info, you can also use a dairy-free chocolate chip)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Rinse the beans thoroughly and drain.
  3. Add beans to a food processor together with oil, nut butter and almond milk.
  4. Blend until smooth.
  5. Sift together coconut sugar, cacao powder, baking powder and salt and add to the bean mixture. Blend again until all is combined.
  6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a baking sheet and spoon 12 evenly distributed dollops of batter.
  7. The cookies may need some help shaping into rounds, so just smooth them out with a spoon.
  8. Bake 20 minutes.
  9. The cookies will still be soft when you take them out of the oven, so while they are still hot and soft, place sundrops in the tops, gently pushing them down into the soft cookie.
  10. Set a side for a few minutes to harden before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
  11. Enjoy!
Notes
Sundrops can usually be found at most organic grocery stores, or in the bulk section at your regular grocery store.
Nutritional Information
Serving size: 1 cookie Calories: 94 kcal Fat: 5g Carbohydrates: 8g Sugar: 5g Fiber: 2g Protein: 3g

Happy Sunday!

Christal

Nutritionist in the Kitch

 

**This post was originally published in October of 2012 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy, comprehensiveness, and your enjoyment!**

 

Author: Christal Sczebel

Christal is the creator of Nutrition in the Kitch. She's a Certified Nutritional Consultant, twice published author, gluten and dairy free recipe developer, food photographer, speaker, wife, and mama. Christal loves good food, all things wellness, and loves to travel. Her wellness philosophy is centred around balance and sustainable health, life's way too short for boring diets and restriction!

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