Pinto Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe for Pinto Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies was inspired by a recipe on the US Dry Bean Council’s website for Pinto Bean Applesauce Raisin cookies. The recipe was modified by A Legume a Day to create these tasty, cakey Pinto Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ tsp salt (or only a small pinch if using salted beans)
• ½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (tip: for extra flavor, used toasted)
• ½ - 1 cup chocolate chips, depending on how chocolatey you like cookies

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Instructions:

1. Cook up a pot of High Plains Pinto Beans and be sure to save some to make a batch of these Pinto Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you just cooked up the beans, allow them to cool slightly before making this recipe.
2. Rinse pinto beans and drain well. Puree in a blender or food processor. To help them puree better, add the applesauce.
3. Add the softened butter and the brown sugar to a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating to incorporate.
4. To the sugar-butter-egg mixture, add pureed beans, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix well.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to moisten. Try to not over-stir, as it could make the cookies less tender.
7. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.
8. Chill dough for about 1 hour to make it easier to form into cookies. When almost ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
9. Grease a cookie sheet or line one with parchment paper. This is a soft dough and cakey cookie, so it may be hard to roll into balls. Instead, spoon the dough onto the cookie sheet, using your desired cookie size.
10. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until set and starting to turn golden brown. Time will vary with your oven and the size of your cookies.
11. Let them cool for a couple minutes on the pan to help them keep their shape. Then, move the cookies to cool on a cooling rack.