Brownie Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• ½ cup dates, pitted
• 1½ cup cooked black beans (or 1-15 oz BPA-free, salt-free can- drained & rinsed)
• ½ cup oats
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup raw nut or seed butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling

• 2 tablespoons date syrup
• 2 tablespoons raw nut or seed butter
• unsweetened soy milk or water, if needed
• unsweetened cocoa powder, if needed

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 395F.
• Fill a 1 cup measuring cup halfway with dates and add just enough boiling water to cover. Let dates soak for about 10 minutes, while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
• Place black beans, oats, cocoa powder, peanut butter, and vanilla in a food processor. Add the dates along with the soaking water and process until smooth, and there aren't big chunks of dates.
• Using a spoon, divide the batter into 12-24 cookies on a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or baking paper.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let them cool on a cooling rack.
• For the filling, combine equal parts nut butter and date syrup - about 2 tablespoons of each. The consistency of nut butter can vary, so if the filling is too thick, add a tiny dash of soymilk and if it's too runny add a little bit of cocoa powder.
• Sandwich the cookies together using the filling and enjoy!