Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops (With a secret ingredient)

I am pretty stoked right now, why you might ask?! I've been working on this recipe for yearsss and I finally found a winner! You might be wondering what the "secret ingredient" is and I'm kinda scared to tell you because it doesn't necessarily sound appetizing BUT just give it a chance and I promise you won't be disappointed...

It's BEANS! Now, I know what you're thinking - beans in cookies?! WHY?? I've had some bad bean cookies in my day, I also took part in that unfortunate black bean brownie trend (uhg) but these are different! I PROMISE I'm not crazy! Originally I was trying to make a chocolate chip cookie but these turned out to soft and cakey that I decided just to call them muffin tops instead.

Putting beans in baked goods adds fiber, iron, protein, and other nutrients without taking away from the flavor and texture. AND since they have those good things in them you can eat twice as many...at least that's what I tell myself anyway. To ensure that these were winners I had my husband take some to work and get some feedback from his coworkers and they received rave reviews from everyone (even after he told them the bean secret).

These are moist, flavorful, and delicious. Here are some things to keep in mind:
-You wanna stick with using white navy beans because 1) it won't affect the color and 2) their mild flavor will blend well into the batter.
-You can use regular chocolate chips if that's all you have on hand but I personally thought that the mini chips incorporated better and melted a little while baking so you got that taste of chocolate in every bite.


Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

Makes 2 dozen muffin tops

1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cups (12 TBS) butter, room temperature
1 whole egg, 1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (15.5oz) can of white navy beans, blended in can (my immersion blender fits in there perfectly)
2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup quick cook oats
2 cups of mini chocolate chips
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl fitted with paddle, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg white, blend after each.
2.Add vanilla extract and can of beans and mix well. In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt, baking soda, and oats. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bean mixture and mix just until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
3.On a lightly greased cookie sheet spoon 1 TBS worth of dough spaced two inches apart and bake for 10-15 min. or until golden brown around the edges. Store in the fridge in between baking.