Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cookies

So this past weekend I went to Las Vegas! Woo! Well.. not really. As you know, I'm still under age so I can't really do much there yet! It still had good eats though!

Earl's Club from Earl of Sandwich

My group actually ate at Earl of Sandwich 2 times during our trip! It was too good to resist! It was my first time there and I definitely recommend it! I liked the tuna melt the best. Earl's is in Planet Hollywood. There was not really many peaks to my trip, factoring in the 100+ degree (F) weather and the fact that I only was able to get ONE hour of sleep the first night. I was actually okay with it! I drove to and from there...and the whole time. I'm happy that I got to learn the roads! I'm totally ready for the next trip! I'm just not sure if I want to go again! I'm the kind of person that would rather go sip on wine in a vineyard in Napa rather than party and drink at Vegas. I'm not much of a party person...I just prefer peace, relaxing, and taking it slow!

Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cookie

So today I made Black Beach Chocolate Chili Cookies! Yes, cookies made from black beans...no flour required! I was really amazed that these actually turned out well. If you have a health savvy friend or mom or aunts like I do, these are the PERFECT cookie for them. It has all the substitutes that are amazingly healthy - coconut oil instead of butter and chia seeds in place of eggs. Basically, this is a vegan cookie...well it could be, if only I didn't use honey!

**ALERT - nerd time - skip if you don't want to learn about oils and fatty acids**

You may substitute butter or shortening in place of the coconut oil. Coconut oil is not a very common item in the regular household...but I guess my house is pretty weird. I think about a year ago, my brother went on the Paleolithic diet where you are not allowed to eat any kind of carbs such as bread. You also were recommended to use coconut oil in place of butter. Coconut oil is mostly a saturated fat that is a solid at room temperature and is not hydrogenated, meaning it has no trans fat. It's better for you than butter and it's a lot better than hydrogenated oils which contain trans fats...information like this makes me want to take organic chemistry again... Consuming trans fats increase the bad cholesterol in your body which may lead to atherosclerosis (clogged arteries). Additionally, coconut oil contains no cholesterol since it comes from coconuts. Basically, this diet called for you to eat as if you were from back in the day where processed food land did not exist and all you had were simple foods.

This recipe actually calls for cayenne pepper. I'm actually a bit of a wimp when it comes to anything spicy. After I took the first bite, the spice got to me...when my mom took the first bite, she didn't feel a thing. Sometimes I envy people who can eat spicy foods to their hearts content! :(

Before baking

This recipe is from My New Roots

Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cookies:

Makes about 9 cookies

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups black beans, very soft (or one 15 oz. can)
2 Tbsp. coconut oil (or ghee)
1/3 cup organic cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/3 cup maple syrup (or honey, agave)
2 Tbsp. chia seeds (or use 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds OR 2 eggs)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate (80% or higher)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix chia seeds, maple syrup, and vanilla in a bowl and set aside. If using eggs, skip this step.
3. Place drained and well-rinsed beans, coconut oil, cocoa, salt and cayenne in a food processor and blend until well combined. Add maple syrup and chia mixture (or eggs) and pulse to incorporate. The batter will be quite liquid-y, but still hold together. Remove blade from the food processor and add chopped chocolate Fold to incorporate.
4. Spoon cookie batter onto lined baking sheet. Using the back of the spoon, flatten top of cookies slightly, as they will not spread when baking. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are browning. Cool and eat. Store in the fridge.

Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cookies