Healthified Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have long been fascinated with the use of beans in cookies, brownies, and cakes. But beans in desserts? Healthier or not, that just sounds . . . eww. But I was curious so I finally tried a batch of chocolate chocolate chip cookies made with black beans. Not only did these cookies have extra protein and fiber, they were incredibly moist and chocolaty. And you know what . . . you really couldn't taste the beans. I have to be honest, I didn't expect them to be that good, I certainly didn't expect the intense chocolate flavor.

But the true test would be having other people taste them. I didn't tell anyone they were made of beans. And guess what? They were a success. Eric's mom loved them. She never would have guessed they were made up of 90% beans. Even Eric, who doesn't tend to favor chocolate cookies, liked them too, though he said they wouldn't be his go-to cookie. I told him the cookies were healthified. I still haven't told them they were made out of beans. Shhh!

With a few minor changes, this recipe comes from here. 

Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons almond butter (you can also use peanut butter)
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoon flour
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Place the beans, peanut butter, and milk into a blend and combine until smooth.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder. Add the bean mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Your dough will be a bit sticky.

Place tablespoon of dough on the greased cookie sheet. Slightly flatten them with a spatula or fork. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

White Chocolate Filled Raspberries

This is yet another Pinterest-inspired recipe. I've seen what seems like dozens of pictures of raspberries stuffed with chocolate chips. I tried this--well, I tried it with M&Ms since that was what I had on hand. While I liked the tartness of the berry and the sweetness of the chocolate, I didn't so much like the soft fruit with the crunchy candy. The texture just wasn't right. Recently I made a White Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Pie which called for a white chocolate ganache. I decided to make a little extra ganache and fill my raspberries with it. The results were absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:
6-ounce container raspberries, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon heavy cream

In a small sauce pan, heat the chocolate and cream over low heat until the chocolate and cream is combined and smooth, stirring frequently. Allow to cool. Next, put the chocolate into a pastry bag or a plastic sandwich bag with a corner cut off, and pipe into the center of the raspberries.

Enjoy!

Fun Fact: When I was little I had a tabby cat named Raspberry. My friends and I had found a wild raspberry bush growing in the back of a neighbor's yard. Living in a suburb of Detroit, this was an unusual and magical find for us. Later that same day, there was a person giving away free kittens in front of a drug store. Somehow we managed to talk my mom into letting us have one (we already had one cat and a dog). Back home as we tried to come up with names for the brown and black tabby, I saw the raspberries we'd pick sitting on the window sill and knew in my heart that the kitten's name had to be Raspberry.

Me and Raspberry

~Krissy