These cookies are easy to make, and, unlike many "diabetic friendly" cookies, they actually taste good. The cookies are nutritious and are loaded with "good for you" foods, not artificial sweeteners. In addition to applesauce, dates, and black beans, the cookies include nuts and chocolate, so you get sweetness tempered with fiber, protein, and "healthy" fats, all of which are important, particularly if you're type 2 diabetic. You can include extra chocolate chips in the batter (of course, in moderation!) or on top of the cookies, if you like, or just leave the chocolate chips out and top the cookies with nuts. I make the cookies in about 10 minutes in the air fryer, but, if you'd prefer, you can bake the cookies in a regular oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. The cookies come out soft, moist, and slightly squidgy, not quite like a brownie, but close enough. The cookies are not super-sweet, just sweet enough for a nice treat that won't send your blood sugar soaring. I like the cookies with a cup of tea or coffee, but they would make a nice after school snack for kids with a glass of milk. The cookies also reheat well in the microwave. Heat one cookie for about 20 seconds on 50 percent power. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Low-Sugar, Diabetic-Friendly Chocolate Cookies -- Makes about 10
1 cup of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/2 cup of date puree/paste (see below--it's easy!)
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, plus extra nuts to decorate
1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips, plus an extra 1/4 - 1/2 cup to mix in/and or decorate, if
you'd like
Cut small pieces of baking parchment to fit your air fryer basket and set them aside. To the bowl of a food processor add the black beans, eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and date paste and pulse them together until the beans are thoroughly mixed in and the mixture is mostly smooth. Add the cocoa powder and pulse it in. Add the the coconut flour, salt, cinnamon, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and pulse them into the batter until the chips are mostly chopped up (i.e., you can barely see them). Pulse in the 1/4 cup of walnuts (just a few pulses to mix them into the batter). Remove the S-blade carefully from the food processor bowl. Stir in another 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, if you'd like (or you can just sprinkle them on top of the batter later). Drop the batter onto the prepared parchment paper, using about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of batter for each cookie. Spread the batter out a little with the back of a spoon, so it's about 1/2-inch thick and leaving an inch or two between the batter mounds (the cookies will spread a little but not a huge amount). Decorate the tops of the cookies with chocolate chips or nuts, or just leave them plain. Air fry the batter at 320 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are set but still a bit moist. They will firm up a little on standing. Remove the cookies from the air fryer and repeat the cooking process with the remaining batter.
How to Make Date Puree/Paste
Cover 1/2 cup of pitted dates with boiling water--just enough water to cover the top of the dates--and let them sit until the water has cooled and mostly been absorbed by the dates. Process the mixture in a food processor or mini chopper or just mash everything up really well with a fork (yes, you can do that, but it does take a bit longer). You now have date puree/paste! Easy!
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