Cookies N Beans

Cookies and beans? Yes beans! Black beans. I’ve seen them numerous times amongst brownie recipes out there but now, here they are in chocolate, fudgy cookies.

I was sceptical of how these were going to turn out, especially upon opening up my can of black beans and thinking they smelt more like cat food than the desirable chocolate cookies I was aspiring for. But upon adding in the cocoa powder and vanilla, they were well on their way to becoming a satisfying cookie dough.

I used this recipe and made a couple of variations subbing out the dried cherries and chili for walnuts and raw cacao nibs. I have to say, they turned out pretty well. I think upon making these a few more times I could end up making them into the perfect base for a gluten free and even vegan cookie. No flour, no sugar, and they can be made with no eggs; whatever you fancy.

Candy Cane Cookies

I had completely forgotten about these until the other day and once I had remembered, I knew I’d have to make some (despite having a list of other important things to make that I had hardly started!)

It’s amazing how a smell can you take you back to a certain memory or a time in your life. As soon as I had added the variety of extracts to these cookies (a wonderful blend of almond, vanilla, and peppermint) I was brought back to when I was a little girl. I always made sure to leave some of these out for Santa. I believed they were his favorite because they were always the ones gone come Christmas morning, year after year. Oddly enough, these were also my brother’s favorite…

Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut butter balls have been a staple in my family for years (what can I say, in some families a staple would be potatoes; we do chocolate!) They’ve always been made to go along with cookies at Christmas, for birthdays, or other special occasions. I made them for my husband this week- they’re one of his favorites.

They really are very simple and easy to make; it’s mainly just tedious work. But they’re definitely worth it. And unlike other desserts and treats, these are rich and sweet, and often one or two is enough (though we’re all pretty gluttonous when these are around :))