This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
I’m excited to announce the pre-order of my cookbook, SWEET POTATO SOUL. Purchase your copy today at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indie Bound, or iBooks. 
Full disclosure, I didn’t create this black bean cookie recipe. It’s actually from my favorite blog, My New Roots by Sarah Britton. However, I’ve been making these rich and chocolatey cookies for many many years, so I wanted to share the goodness with you.
On November 3rd I’ll be releasing a healthy vegan desserts video, and these bad boys will be one of the 3 recipes. Yes, these black bean cookies are actually made with black beans. It may sound weird, but you can’t taste them and they’re one of the ingredients that makes these cookies healthy. They’re also flour-free and gluten-free, and made with coconut oil, maple syrup, and chia seeds. And despite all of those healthy ingredients, these black bean cookies are still delicious! So delicious that even the biggest health-food hater will love them. Oh, and they get extra extra points for being vegan!
Another thing I like about these black bean cookies is that they’re topped with flaky Maldon salt and cayenne pepper. Those savory touches balance the sweetness of the cookie and richness of the dark chocolate.
Don’t be afraid to double the recipe and keep extras around in your fridge 😉
Dark Chocolate Black Bean Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups black beans, or one 15 oz. can, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt or Maldon, plus more for sprinkling
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup maple syrup, or agave
- 2 tbsp chia seeds, or 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate, 70% or higher
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the chia seeds, maple syrup, and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside to allow the chia to thicken.
- Place the black beans, coconut oil, cocoa, salt and cayenne in a food processor and blend until well combined. Then add the maple syrup and chia mixture and pulse to incorporate.
- Remove the food processor's blade and stir in the chopped chocolate.
- Spoon the batter onto the baking sheet, then flatten the tops of the cookies because they won't spread while they're baking. You should have 8 cookies.
- Sprinkle on more coarse salt or Maldon, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then let them cool completely before enjoying.
- Store them in the fridge. They're firm up a bit in there, but remain moist and delicious.
I didn’t have maple syrup, so mistakenly tried to make a syrup with coconut sugar, so they weren’t sweet enough. Might try agave also.
The texture was absolutely perfect though, if I didn’t know they were made with black beans I wouldn’t have known. And no weird bean-y taste either.
I’ve seen chickpeas in blondies and black beans in brownies. Who knew you could make a beautiful cookie recipe with them? This is such a fantastic idea–best enjoyed with a slab of almond butter or cold glass of almond milk!