{recipes} Hearty Chocolate Chip Bars

Remember when I posted this recipe for Fudgy Black Bean Brownies? Well, I guess I'm still in a black bean kick because I decided to use the same method to make these hearty snack bars, substituting black beans and applesauce for butter and oil.

They're nutritionally dense, packed with black beans, applesauce, walnuts and multi-grain flour. Aside from sugar*, all the ingredients are healthy so they make a great alternative to cookies when you're craving a sweet, chocolate-y snack that won't leave you feeling overly stuffed.

I keep them stocked in the freezer and defrost two every morning: one for my husband's lunch and one for my afternoon snack.

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{Hearty Chocolate Chip Bars}

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. oats
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/3 c. black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. all natural applesauce
1 large egg
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 1/4 c. dark chocolate chips
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a milling blade, grind oats until they are the consistency of flour. Mix oat flour, all purpose flour, and whole wheat flour in a medium bowl. Add salt and baking powder to flour mixture and set aside. Puree black beans and applesauce together, until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together black bean and applesauce mixture, vanilla, sugar, and egg until well blended. Gently stir in dry mixture, then chocolate chips and walnuts. Use a spatula to spread batter into a baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil. I use a 4 x 8 inch pan and bake for 15 minutes with a convection oven. Once cooled, use a plastic knife to cut into bars.

{enjoy!}

*I consider dark chocolate chips healthy. ;)