I have been on a quest lately to find an alternative to butter in baked goods. I’ve tried applesauce and I am just not a fan. I tried oil and it just doesn’t seem right. Then I remembered sometime last year I made a batch of brownies using nothing but a box of mix and a can of black beans. They were delicious. I don’t remember where I found the original recipe but it was somewhere on Pinterest (of course).

So, I started digging and I found some great resources online about baking substitutes. You can find one my favorites here. Everything I read pointed to the use of white beans instead of butter and eggs. The concept is pretty simple.

When making the substitution swap pureed beans for the fat and eggs in the same color as the food you are making 1:1. So if you are making brownies and the recipe called for 1/2 cup of butter and 1 egg you would use 3/4 cups of black bean puree (I say 1 egg = 1/4 cup). Sometimes I just use an entire can of bean puree and it always turns out just fine. Experiment and see what you like.

About making the actual puree. This was a little harder to find online. Here’s what I do…

1. Open a can of beans
2. Rinse said beans
3. Rinse the can
4. Put the beans back in the can
5. Fill the can with water (with the beans still in the can)
6. Transfer the contents of the can to large cup
7. Use the emersion blender to puree (or you can just throw it all in the blender)

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you are replacing a whole lot of fat with a good amount of fiber and protein.

As you may know my son is a picky eater. I made these “power” cookies this morning and he gobbled them up. Little did he know that they are not so bad for him. I am all for tricking your kids into eating “healthy” foods. Would I rather him eat a bowl of carrots? Yes! Is that going to happen any time soon? No! So, this is a good way to get him the fiber he needs to keep his body clean, (if you know what I mean).

You can use the bean substitution in any recipe. Use a homemade recipe from scratch or a mix like I did this morning.

White Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
• 1 can of Canallini Bean Puree (White Beans)

Process:

• Empty the contents of the mix into a large bowl
• Pour the bean puree on top of the mix and stir until well combined
• Follow the package for baking instructions (in this case bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes)
• Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Please let me know what you think in the comments below.

(And sorry I didn’t include more photos. I was so excited about making them I totally forgot!)