“Mmm … these are really good!” said with a delightedly SURPRISED expression.

“Dad, EVERY time you taste my cookies you act as if you are extremely surprised that they taste good. It’s as if you are shocked that anything I bake, make, create is any good. Honestly, have you ever tasted a cookie or a sweet you didn’t like? 😉”

“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever turned down a cookie 🍪.”

Damn right!

And, these cookies are the BOMB! 💣☄️

So, the story goes – I baked these cookies early one morning and shared them with my extended family over lunch. Walking in the restaurant with a bag full of cookies, the waitress retorted, “I’ll take one!” Of course, I obliged – to hear and our table’s server.
The family also indulged. EVERYONE loved them.
“OMG. What the heck is in these? Why are they so good?”

A sweet, salty, umami, amazing combination of Nutella chocolate hazelnut butter, tangy, salty, and crunchy sprouted mung beans, and all the other “magic” I do with my basic cookie recipe (which I use for pretty much every cookie I create) will astound you – truly, astound you!

(Even my 16-year-old niece loved them – OR, she was super hungry! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 )

Chocolate Balsamic Mung Bean Crunch Cookies

“I really like the crunch.”
“There’s just something special.”
“The texture is SO good.”
“What are these? 🤯”
“I really like that they have protein.”
“I don’t know – they just taste good!”

Yes, you may be skeptical:

The mung bean (Vigna radiata), alternatively known as the green gram, maash (Persian: ماش), mūng^[2] (from Hindi मूंग (“mūng”), from Sanskrit: मुद्ग, romanized: mudga), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.^[3][4] The mung bean is mainly cultivated in East, Southeast and South Asia.^[5] It is used as an ingredient in both savoury and sweet dishes.

Yup – it’s a bean. Think, “kitchari“- yea, you probably don’t know that unless you’re a close friend of mine or in my brain. But, just think “super healthy,” but also SUPER tasty. SO many health benefits.

I think you know about Nutella. YUM 🤤

And, you’re probably familiar with the sweet tang of balsamic vinegar 😋

All of these things together create a darn amazing cookie. SO amazing, in fact, my mom even asked for the recipe!

Chocolate Balsamic Mung Bean Crunch Cookies

Chocolate Balsamic Mung Bean Crunch Cookies

12 Tbs. butter or shortening, room temperature
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups crunchy sprouted balsamic mung beans*

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together the butter/shortening, sweetened condensed milk, Nutella, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla until smooth.

Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until well combined.

Fold in the crunchy mung beans.

Let the cookie dough sit for 10 minutes.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Form 1″ balls of dough with your hands, and then flatten into discs and place on the parchment paper.

Bake cookie dough for 10-12 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cool before transferring from the cookie sheets to your belly!

*Crunchy Balsamic Sprouted Mung Beans:
How to sprout the mung beans-
wash mung beans with cool water
soak in cool water, at least 10-24 hours
drain the water and wash again
place mung beans in a colander, cover and store in a dark place
just “forget about it” for 12-18 hours
remove the beans and wash them with hot water
SPROUTED and DONE!

1 pound mung bean sprouts (per above instructions)
1 ½ Tbs. balsamic vinegar 
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. olive oil 
pinch sea salt 

Stir together sugar and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.
Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add mung bean spouts and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute. Add sugar-vinegar mixture and stir-fry for 1 more minute. Season with sea salt and stir for 30 seconds. Cool before using or storing.