,

Day 282: Breakfast Bean Cookies

bean cookies

As I am still lacking time management skills, my plan to be home for dinner tonight failed miserably. Mike and W cooked a frozen Dr Oetker spinach pizza (amazing how much spinach is on these – and how much W will eat despite its obvious presence) and at about 6:30 pm I pulled over to get a coffee (up at 5:30am two mornings in a row and in bed well after midnight both nights) to keep me awake and a bagel to go with the chunk of cheese I had leftover from our last TV segment (I was on a foodstyling gig). I had pondered getting a cinnamon-raisin bagel – cheese sandwiches on raisin bread were a classic comfort food of my youth, and I still eat raisins and cheese together – but alas they had none. I survived.

Tim's+in+the+car

Yesterday afternoon I taught a class on cooking for kids to 25 day care cooks in Red Deer, which included these oatmeal-chocolate chip-dried fruit cookies with pureed kidney beans in them – an entire large jar of white kidney or navy beans, well-blended. (This is key, lest anyone discover a nasty bean in their cookie. You need a food processor.) They have an amazingly tender, moist texture and keep longer than other low fat cookies. For this batch, I threw some green pumpkin seeds in too. (Pumpkin seeds are actually quite low in fat, and very high in protein.) K and I nibbled on the leftovers all day. I called them breakfast bean cookies because they make a good breakfast to take with you in the car.

Breakfast Bean Cookies

AuthorJulie

Yields1 Serving

2 cups oats (quick or old-fashioned, not instant)
1 cup all-purpose flour, or half all-purpose, half whole wheat
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 – 19 oz. (540 mL) can white kidney or navy beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips, the darker the better
1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or a combination of dried fruits
1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4-1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (optional)
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed (optional)

1

Preheat oven to 350° F.

2

Place the oats in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse flour. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and process until combined. Transfer to a large bowl.

3

Put the beans into the food processor and pulse along with the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

4

Pour the bean mixture into the oat mixture and stir by hand until almost combined; add the chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, seeds and flaxseed and stir just until blended.

5

Drop large spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, and flatten each one a little with your hand. (I find this works best if I dampen my hands first.) Bake for 14-16 minutes, until pale golden around the edges but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

6

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

 2 cups oats (quick or old-fashioned, not instant)
 1 cup all-purpose flour, or half all-purpose, half whole wheat
 1 tsp. baking soda
 1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
 1/4 tsp. salt
 1 – 19 oz. (540 mL) can white kidney or navy beans, rinsed and drained
 1/4 cup butter, softened
 1 cup packed brown sugar
 1 large egg
 1 tsp. vanilla
 1/2 cup chocolate chips, the darker the better
 1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or a combination of dried fruits
 1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
 1/4-1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (optional)
 2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed (optional)

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 350° F.

2

Place the oats in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse flour. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and process until combined. Transfer to a large bowl.

3

Put the beans into the food processor and pulse along with the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

4

Pour the bean mixture into the oat mixture and stir by hand until almost combined; add the chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, seeds and flaxseed and stir just until blended.

5

Drop large spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, and flatten each one a little with your hand. (I find this works best if I dampen my hands first.) Bake for 14-16 minutes, until pale golden around the edges but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

6

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Breakfast Bean Cookies
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11 comments on “Day 282: Breakfast Bean Cookies

  1. maris
    October 9, 2008 at 8:32 am

    What a neat idea. I love white beans – pureed, in salads, in chili…you name it. Usually I don’t like adding beans to baked goods but I might try these! They sound interesting.

  2. Cheryl
    October 9, 2008 at 11:53 am

    I totally agree on the cheese and raisin bread thing – yummy grilled cheese!
    This cookie recipe is yours? I pulled it out of City Palate a few years ago and it is a staple in our house.

  3. Dana McCauley
    October 9, 2008 at 3:19 pm

    Yesterday it was bean pie at Cakespy and now bean cookies – beans in baking is in!

  4. robyn
    October 9, 2008 at 5:10 pm

    Mmmmm. I love these cookies.

  5. JulieVR
    October 9, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    That’s right, it did run in City Palate ages ago. I’ve been writing for them for awhile. How does time go by so quickly??

  6. Natalie
    October 20, 2008 at 7:21 pm

    A friend just asked me if I had a breakfast cookie recipe and of course I thought of this one! Not wanting to infringe on your copyright of Grazing, I searched online. I was SO happy to discover your blog. I am a big fan and just the other day searched to see if you had a new cookbook out. I am excited to try your posted recipes. Thanks!!

  7. Linda B
    November 23, 2008 at 4:42 am

    Someone gave me a bean cookie receipe and i couldn’t find it anywhere. This one sounds great. I am going to give it a try. Great websit!
    Thanks!!

  8. Julie
    September 20, 2011 at 5:56 pm

    I love the idea of using beans in cookies I am trying to add to beans as much as I can.

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    October 19, 2013 at 1:53 am

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