My son enjoys cooking with me in the kitchen. Since he is a picky eater, his participation in the preparation process increases the likelihood that he will actually eat the food we prepare. I know that he is a big fan of chocolate chip cookies (what kid isn’t?) so I decided to make a batch with him. My secret? Adding some ingredients that will provide increased nutritional value - chickpeas and oatmeal! Now my son will get both protein and fiber when he gobbles up the cookies.
He had a ball adding all of the ingredients and mixing. The last time I made these cookies on my own and he refused to eat them. I think the chickpeas and oatmeal (whole oats) added an unfamiliar texture so he didn’t like them. This time we did the final mixing in the Vitamix to ensure that they were ground up a bit more. Next time I plan on mixing them before adding them to the batter because it was difficult maintaining the texture I wanted for the batter and getting the chickpeas and oatmeal fairly smooth.
Our final step was to add the chocolate chips.
We added an entire 12 ounce bag which makes the cookies especially gooey. I also thing the additional chips help to disguise the consistancy of the cookies. Mekhi enjoyed dropping the cookies onto the cookie sheet
and waited patiently for them to cook.
Once they were done we allowed them to briefly cool and I served them up. He took one look and said, “these don’t look right”. Ha! I admit that these cookies do not have the smooth appearance of classic cookies but I’m willing to lose some visual appeal for the added nutrition. To detract from the appearance of the cookies, I broke one, showed him the gooey chewy chocolate and with one taste, he forget about how they looked.
His final verdict? “The cookies are scrumptious!” ( I am constantly amazed by what comes out of the mouth of my almost 4 year old!)
If you have a picky eater too you might want to give the recipe a try!
Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies
from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield
Makes 24-26 cookies
* 1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
* 3/4 cup trans fat free soft tub margarine spread or butter (I used I can’t believe it’s not Butter!)
* 2 large egg whites
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 15oz/450g can chickpeas drained and rinsed
* 2 cups (12 ozs) semisweet chocolate chips (I used a mixture of white, milk and dark chips)
* 2 cups all purpose flour ( I used Jules Wheat Free/Gluten Free flour)
* 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (I used organic oats from my local farmers market)
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt (I omitted the salt)
1. Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line 2 baking trays with non stick parchment
2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon or on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg whites or egg and vanilla, then the chickpeas and chocolate chips. Add the flour, oats, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms.
3. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheet, spacing hte cookies about 1 inch apart. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 11-13 minutes, do not overbake. Leave on cookie sheet to cool and then transfer onto wire rack until completely cool. Do try one in the process of cooling as the gooey chocolate is wonderful in the cookie.
4. Store in airtight container for up to 3 days.
If you like to spend time with your kids in the kitchen you should check out Clorox Cook Up a Mess contest. You can win a trip to NYC for four to New York just by uploading a photo of the mess your kids make in the kitchen. But get a move on it! The last day for submissions is March 29th! I also have to mention that Clorox Clean-Ups are a staple in my kitchen, especially since they kill germs from things like raw eggs (this came in handy when I was removing the yolk from my eggwhites!).
And if you’d like some kitchen inspiration check out the bottom of the Clorox facebook page there is a link to three attachments that include: ‘Messy Must-Haves, ‘Creative Messy Play’ and ’365 Days of Creativity’.
Disclosure: I was compensated for my time by The Motherhood for helping to spread the word about Clorox.
