Crazes and trends generally hit hard and fast.
Vegan meringue was a recent food example, while the Rubik's cube and Furby were 80s and 90s fads, respectively.
As the saying goes, 'the faster they rise, the harder they fall', and so goes Furby.
Some fads, however, are worth keeping around, as in the case of beans.
Beans, beans the versatile fruit...add them to treats, feel better about eats, lol. Ok, that stunk, but truly, beans are an awesome addition to desserts, and a trend worth giving a try!
I wish I could give proper credit to the innovator behind this amazing find, but I'm not sure who it was. I want to say maybe Rocco Dispirito?
My brother (a man who tsks at just about any 'health' food) actually bought his book 'Now Eat This' back in the day and ended up making and raving about Rocco's black bean brownie recipe.
I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at the time, but once I tried a cleaned up recipe for myself, I became hooked on the idea! Beans in place of flour??! How awesome to not only use a more nutritious ingredient in a dessert, but to also have the added bonus of it being full of natural protein.
If you've never tried a bean-based dessert, you're in for a treat! Literally. 🙂
For me, the addition of beans makes the dessert more filling AND more tolerable because the protein keeps my blood sugar more stabilized, avoiding the immediate high and subsequent low usually associated with sweets.
I've been making this cookie slice for months now, subtly tweaking it here and there, and it is a house crowd-pleaser!...unlike quinoa.
In addition, this recipe has ZERO sweeteners added to it, allowing the additions of vanilla and cinnamon to really shine through.
I typically add a combination of 73% and unsweetened dark chocolate to this, but to keep it entirely sugar-free, just use all unsweetened chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Slice (Sugar-Free, Grain-Free, Nut-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas or Great Northern white beans rinsed and drained
- 2 T. nut or seed butter of your choice I've used sunflower, pumpkin, and hemp, all with good results!
- 2 T. coconut or olive oil
- 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
- 1 T. vanilla
- 1 T. dairy-free milk
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. sea salt
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- dash powdered stevia extract to taste (I just use a few sprinkles)
- 1/2 c. chopped dark or unsweetened chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Oil an 8-inch cake pan well.
- Place a fitted circle sheet of parchment paper in the bottom of the cake pan (to make this, I place the pan on the parchment paper, draw a circle around it, cut it out, and then place it inside the oiled pan).
- After rinsing, dry your beans VERY WELL with a tea towel.
- Add the beans and the rest of the ingredients (except for the chopped chocolate) to a food processor.
- Process everything until it is smooth and well combined.
- Pulse in the chocolate, reserving a handful to sprinkle on top.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out to cover the bottom.
- Top with a bit of chocolate.
- Bake 35-40 minutes.
- Cool, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie
Notes:
Though I've used cannellini beans in the past for bean-based recipes, I have grown to dislike their smell and taste, as it is a bit strong. I highly recommend the Great Northern white beans for this if you're not using chickpeas.
After this comes out of the oven, I typically let it cool for 10-15 minutes so that it can solidify a bit, but the cookie never holds entirely together, just so you know.
The texture is soft and a bit gooey, and it breaks apart easily, but not so much that you need a fork with it. We all use our hands. 🙂
Don't get me wrong, if you don't like beans or it's just a creepy idea (savory oats, eww!), this may not be the recipe for you, especially given the fact that this has no sweetener. Just some food for thought.
Some of my other bean-based desserts include:
Fudgy Double Dark Chocolate Black Bean Cookies
Chickpea Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
What food trend do you most enjoy?
Jenna
Yum! I could eat this whole thing! 😉
Joe
I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. We're trying to lower our overall sugar intake as well, so recipes like this are perfect. Keep 'em coming!
Hanna
I made this with peanut butter and ALOT of chocolate, which really made up for the lack of sugar. It's so good, I'm hoping to try more of your sugar-free recipes and change my own sweet tooth around a bit!
Raia T.
Sounds delicious, Lauren! I'm definitely a fan of hiding beans in things. 😉 I'm gonna have to be working my way down that list of treats! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing with us at Savoring Saturdays!
Bethany
This looks so good!
Monique
These look so good, and I love how allergy-friendly the recipe is, everyone can enjoy it 🙂
Sammi @ Grounded & Surrounded
Where has this recipe been hiding?! lol You know I would have made it by now! 😉 Pinning and trying ASAP!
athleticavocado
I LOVE that this is grain-free and made with chickpeas! And no sugar? Wow! 🙂
Shannon
These sound amazing! I have been using beans is so many of my desserts lately!
Lauren
Thanks Shannon! They're so awesome, aren't they? 🙂
Jill
You say it has no sweetener but you have stevia in your recipe. Can it be excluded or would that just be gross? I'm not eating any sweeteners including stevia for Sugar-Free September...but a cookie would be an amazing treat! 🙂
Lauren
You can leave it out if you like.
Monique
You are always so creative.The cookie looks hearty,healthy and just right for when you need a little snack. I will put this one on my to do list this week. Yum:-P
Lauren
Thanks Monique! 🙂
kinsey
GIRRRLLLLLLLLL.... That is all I got to say 😉
Lauren
Lol! 😀
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
O wowowow! I want this whole "cookie" 😉