Kid's Week: Ninja Cookies

There are two reasons why I call these cookies "ninja" cookies. 1-They work under the cover of darkness. 2-They quickly vanish without a trace! How do they work under the cover of darkness? Well, these cookies are sneaky in a sense that they actually have spinach in them! But since it is a chocolate cookie, its dark color masks any sign of green spinach. And as for vanishing without a trace, that's because they are absolutely delicious so they go fast! You wouldn't believe these cookies have spinach in them when you bite into their rich, soft, chocolaty goodness. I suppose there is one other reason why I call them "Ninja" cookies; because who would want to eat a cookie called "Chocolate Spinach Cookies?" That just sounds kinda nasty!

I have always been a fan of sneaking in veggies whenever I can. And after working with kids long enough, I learned that some parents have to really be crafty with getting their kids to eat their vegetables. So I thought: what better way to get a kid to eat their veggies than to sneak it into their sweets? Now of course, this is still a recipe for cookies so I wouldn't say it's a good substitute for veggies. But as an alternative to a regular cookie, this one can offer a little more nutritional value.

Oddly enough, I couldn't find a single recipe online for a chocolate spinach cookie. There were recipes for sneaking spinach into brownies, and even some spinach cookie recipes. But the spinach cookie recipes were for a sugar cookie base which, being a light colored cookie, made it look an awful sickly green color! When I pulled up the pictures for the spinach cookie recipes, even I didn't want to eat them. I can only imagine what a kid would say if you handed them a green blob to eat. I suppose some might have fun with it. But if given the choice between a lumpy green thing, or a soft chocolate cookie, I think most would reach for the chocolate one. At any rate, I was stuck making up my own recipe from scratch.

Awhile back, I used the recipe on the back of the Reese's peanut butter chips bag for chocolate Reese's cookies. They were to die for! So I decided to use that recipe as my foundation. However, I didn't have any Reese's peanut butter chips but I still wanted the peanut butter taste in there to help mask any spinach flavor that might try to come through. So I messed around with the measurements and ingredients until I came up with a consistency and flavor that matched just what I was aiming for. The end result: a moist, soft, chocolaty, peanut buttery, sensual cookie that beautifully hid its deep, dark, nutritional secret. I had both my family and my husband's family try the cookies to see if they could guess the secret ingredient. And after several failed attempts to guess the ingredient, they were all shocked to find out there was spinach in the cookies. Each one of them said it tasted like a normal chocolate peanut butter cookie. They had no clue there were any veggies in it. Even my little nephew, after sampling the cookie, asked if he could take the cookie home with him. Now I call that success!

So if you're looking for a slightly healthier alternative to the average cookie, or even just something to satisfy your chocolate craving, give this recipe a try.

NINJA COOKIES
(CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SPINACH COOKIES)

Ingredients:1 1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup spinach puree
Chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Beat butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Beat in spinach puree until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until fluffy and moist. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not over bake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly for a couple minutes before removing from cookie sheet to wire rack. If you try to transfer them too early, they will fall apart! Cool completely.