Air Fryer Burrito

I got bored with my baking rotation and decided to try a couple of new dessert recipes.

Dessert 1: Spiced black bean brownies

Enchilada sauce in a brownie — what could go wrong? I saw this recipe on Heyday and wanted to try spicy brownies. They came out looking great, with a fantastic texture. Unfortunately, the combination of flavors just didn’t work. I liked the chocolate and the heat, but it also tasted like I was trying to eat enchiladas in a brownie. Something didn’t meld right. It was a combination even topping the brownie with ice cream couldn’t fix.

Dessert 2: Chocolate oatmeal cookies

I found a new no-bake cookie formula in the Cookie + Kate cookbook, and adapted it for what I had in my pantry. Here’s the recipe:

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats

3/4 cup roasted mixed nuts (I used pistachios, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts)

3/4 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup nut butter (I mixed almond and peanut butters)

4 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons butter (I used non-dairy)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp orange extract

Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

1. Add the oats and nuts to a food processor and process for 10 seconds.
2. Combine the chocolate chips, nut butter, maple syrup, butter, salt, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until everything is melted and combined.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the extracts, then the oat and nut mixture.
4. Scoop 1 tbsp mounds on to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

The result is a slightly crumbly, slightly sweet cookie with a chocolate-orange-nut-salt flavor. It’s somewhere between an energy ball and a cookie.