Cookies are a favorite dessert of mine. Just saying the word brings to mind the cookie jar that was always filled and sitting on the kitchen counter when I was young. Often the aroma of freshly baked oatmeal and raisin or chocolate chip cookies filled the house.
Fast forward to today. Cookies as part of an eating plan are looked upon suspiciously because of their sugar and fat content. Both ingredients have been vilified in one way or another in recent years. My stand is that cookies can be enjoyed in moderation. And with some tweaking to alter sugar and fat or to add nutritional ingredients, recipes can be improved.
On that note, I must share a yummy cookie recipe that includes the goodness of beans. That's right, beans.
Beans are a great food and contain protein, fiber, iron, calcium, folate, and very little fat. Research indicates that beans can help reduce the risk of some cancers and lower cholesterol. And beans can be part of great-tasting cookies.
This yummy recipe comes from Grace Derocha, a registered dietitian, certified diabetes and weight-loss management educator at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. And it is a winner.
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies with White Beans
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup pureed white beans (drained and rinsed) – the key is to puree them to almost a liquid, no lumps
- 1/4 cup butter substitute (Grace prefers Brummel and Brown because it is a yogurt base that bakes well)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (or brown sugar substitute)
- 1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute specifically for baking)
- 1/2-3/4 cup of peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup white flour
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2 cup ground oat flour (put regular oats in blender or food processor until they are the consistency of flour
- 1 cup of chocolate chips
- 1 cup of peanut butter chips (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix white beans, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla thoroughly. Mix dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently, but thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Drop by the tablespoon onto your cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. This will make about 3 dozen cookies.
You can also omit the peanut butter and peanut butter chips to make chocolate chip cookies with white beans.
Want more recipes? Check out Grace's other cookie recipes to reduce your sweet tooth guilt.
Photo Credit: Robert Cochrane/FreeDigitalPhotos
The articles written by Andrea Wenger, Birmingham Diets Examiner, are for informational purposes only and are not to be used in the place of medical advice. Please contact a licensed physician or other medical professional before changing any health care routine or before starting any diet, fitness, or exercise program. Although every effort has been made to include the most current information, new information is released daily and may cause some recommendations to change.
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