Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I’ve just found my new favorite dessert! Chocolate chip cookies are good, but a chocolate chip cookie in bar form becomes absolutely delicious. These healthy chocolate chip cookies will be your new best friend!

I was chatting with my sister-in-law one day (Hi Michele!), when she suggested baking with beans in a sweet dish. She said it decreases the fat, has a neutral flavor and gives great texture. Although I’d seen it done, I was still a little hesitant. I mean, how well can you really hide beans in a dessert? I’d heard of the fiascos – failed attempts for chocolate bean brownies that tasted nothing like a brownie and I didn’t want to experience one. But something changed when Michele mentioned it again, and I decided to be daring.

What do you know, beans are amazing in baked desserts! You don’t need to feel daring with these. These cookie bars are wonderfully soft, rich and have a great chocolate chip cookie flavor. I made sure to use ample sweeteners in the base. These have as a generous amount of sweeteners and chocolate chips as a typical chocolate chip cookie recipe.  This ensured they were nothing but delicious, gooey and oh so delicious.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (vegan)
(inspired by CCK and these)

1 can Garbanzo Beans
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Pink Sea Salt
1 1/3 cups Coconut Sugar
1/3 cup Xylitol
1 teaspoon Molasses
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
2/3 cup Spelt Flour
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Vegan Butter or Coconut Oil
1 1/2 cups sugar free Chocolate Chips or chopped Chocolate

Melt butter and let cool. In a blender or food processor, blend melted butter with garbanzo beans until very smooth. Add all other ingredients except chocolate chips and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 in a 9×9 baking dish for 28-32 minutes.