The Original Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites Recipe (aka Chickpea Cookies)
Chickpea cookies with no flour, no oil, no white sugar. These are just full of chickpeas. And they’re my very favorite healthy cookie so far!* I don’t know if they really classify as cookies so I’ll go with cookie dough bites.
And as a bonus, they’re grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. Just in case that matters to anyone out there! And if you’re worried about the chickpeas, don’t be. I don’t like chickpeas and won’t eat them but that didn’t prevent me from inhaling these.
* 2017 update: this post is 5 years old and I have a new favorite. :D You HAVE to try these paleo chocolate chip cookies if you haven’t already! There’s also a vegan option. And for hot summer days, these no-bake oatmeal cookies (naturally gluten-free + vegan) are my favorite!
- Nutrient-Rich Ingredients: Packed with protein and fiber from chickpeas and natural peanut butter, these bites are as nourishing as they are delicious.
- Naturally Sweetened: Maple syrup or honey provides a subtle sweetness, eliminating the need for refined sugars.
- Diet-Friendly: These bites are gluten-free, dairy-free, and grain-free, making them suitable for various dietary needs.
- Kid-Approved: Their cookie-dough-like texture and chocolatey goodness make them a hit with both kids and adults.
One thing I’ve learned since starting this blog is that people really love closeups of melted stuff. So there you go. :)
These aren’t the most beautiful cookie dough bites, but fresh out of the oven, with all that gooey chocolate, I bet you can’t tell that these are made with chickpeas. Or are grain-free. But cold? Yuck. These need to be warm!
You can either freeze the balls and pop a few in the oven whenever it’s on, or simply put them in the microwave until they’re warm and gooey again.
By the way, if you’re a peanut butter lover like I am, you have to try these healthy peanut butter balls. They’re also gluten-free and vegan!
Ingredients Notes
These are just notes on select ingredients. Please scroll below for the full recipe!
- Chickpeas: Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas provide the creamy base for these bites. Use canned chickpeas for convenience, and make sure to rinse and drain them well to remove any briny flavor.
Chickpea flour won’t work. I don’t think plain hummus will either. I haven’t tried anything other than chickpeas, but others have used butter beans, navy beans, red kidney beans, great northern beans, and lentils with success.
I generally don’t like goodies made with those types of beans, but I love these cookies made with chickpeas. Please use chickpeas unless you have an allergy! - Peanut Butter: This should be the kind with only peanuts and salt. No added fat or sugar. Be careful because there are some “natural” brands out there that aren’t really natural.
I find that this peanut butter is usually expensive, so I make my own. Here’s how to make peanut butter! All you need is peanuts and a food processor (which you already have to pull out for this chickpea cookie recipe!).
Other nut or seed butters also work great. I use sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version. - Maple Syrup or Honey: make sure to use maple syrup for the vegan version. For a totally sugar free version, some commenters have used 30 drops of Stevia and cacao nibs with success.
- These need the chocolate. Don’t go making them without the chocolate and then tell me that they weren’t sweet or gooey enough! These would be incredibly boring without the chocolate.
- And for some weird reason, these cookie dough bites do not taste yummy in dough form. Baking them somehow brings out the sweetness and peanut butter flavor. Or maybe it’s just all that melted chocolate.
- Doing this in a blender won’t work and might kill the blender. Making these in a Blendtec blender or something equally powerful might work but I haven’t tried it.
- Adding random stuff like eggs… probably won’t work either. ;) Experimenting is great but I think this is a bad recipe to experiment with.
- Do not double the recipe! It might be too much for your machine and could damage it.
- Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge: A creamy, caramel-like fudge made with just four ingredients. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and comes together in minutes.
- Peanut Butter Apple Crumble: A delightful twist on a classic dessert, combining tender apples with a peanut butter oat topping. It’s gluten-free and vegan.
- Peanut Butter Protein Balls: Perfect for on-the-go snacking, these no-bake bites are packed with protein and flavor, and they’re easy to customize.
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies: Soft, chewy, and flourless, these cookies are a simple yet satisfying treat that’s naturally gluten-free.
- Healthy Peanut Butter Ice Cream: A rich and creamy no-churn ice cream that’s both vegan and paleo-friendly, offering a guilt-free indulgence.
Chickpea Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (205 grams) canned chickpeas well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel1
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 10 tablespons (160 grams) natural peanut butter SunButter Natural or almond butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (80 grams) honey or maple syrup or agave for vegan
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup (90 grams) chocolate chips use vegan and dairy-free chocolate chips, if needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they’re combined.
- Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.
- With wet hands, form into 1 1/2" balls. Place onto a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don't do much rising.
- Bake for about 10 minutes. The dough balls will still be very soft when you take them out of the oven. They will not set like normal cookies.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the fridge) for up to 1 week.
Notes
- My can of chickpeas was 400 grams, 240 grams without the water, and I used all but a few tablespoons of the chickpeas.
- Don’t even try with regular peanut butter! They’ll come out oily. You MUST use natural peanut butter.
- If you need grain-free baking powder, you can use 1 part cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda + 2 parts arrowroot.
Anon – I'm happy that you'll try again! Thanks for letting us know that adding nuts does not work. :)
I just finished making these. They didn't quite turn out perfect. BUT this was my fault. I decided to add hazel nuts. I added them to the items to be blended without thought. This left my cookies gritty. Opps! I will try again following the recipe next time!
Christine – Yay! But I have a question for you. What in the world are you doing with all these baked goods? :) You seem to be baking more than I am. It's great!
Dani – Good! Cold is definitely more convenient. :) So happy that you all like them. Thanks for letting me know!
I've made these three times already in the past four days….(kind of addicted)…my boyfriend and his friends actually liked them BETTER cold. I've also been using dark chocolate. YUM.
I've made these several times now just as the recipe is. They're brilliant! My husband and I love love love them. We enjoy them either still warm or cold. They don't last long once they're made!!!
Anon – Yay! So happy that you liked them! :)
Rachel – Someone said that they used kidney beans in these and that they worked but I wouldn't risk it. There's not really a good substitute for chickpeas. Sorry! I hope your mom goes to the store soon. :)
Anon – I'm afraid not. The texture of chickpeas and chickpea flour is totally different. I'm pretty sure that they'd come out a dry and crumbly mess if you tried. I hope you can find some chickpeas. :)
Is it possible to substitute chickpeas for chickpea flour?
Um these look soooo yummy!! But I have a problem..I don't have any chick peas right now (quite surprising) and my mom doesn't really want to go to the store soooo I was wondering if there is any substitute. I'm not allergic to anything so anything could work for me :)
I just made these… YUMMY!!!! Omg so good.. and I feel so good knowing that theres no egg sugar butter flour! thanks!
Dani – Wow, that's great that you liked the dough and the chocolate free versions! Thanks for letting me know. I'm thankful that people are still leaving feedback even after all the other comments. :)
Just made these and they were delicious! I did the agave version and they came out great.
Several points of contention though –
The dough was so good!! Maybe it's just because I don't mind chickpeas, but judging by the amount of cookie dough it was great uncooked.
I also made them with and without chocolate chips and thought they were great without the chocolate too, tasted just like a peanut butter cookie. I didn't feel like I was missing out on a 'real' cookie at all.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
I can't believe how amazing these are! I could eat the whole batch!
Heather – So happy that you and your daughter enjoyed them! Thanks for letting us know that almond butter works. :)
oh yes, and I made mine with almond butter.
I absolutely LOVED these! Finally a cookie i was happy to make for my 3 year old and she loved them too. Thank you!
Anon – So happy that it worked with a blender! And great that you liked them better the day after. It's definitely more practical to not have to eat them all at once! Thanks a lot for letting me know. :)
I saw these on pinterest and I had to make them. As a college student, I don't have a food processor so I used a blender. It was a bit tedious as I expected lol, but totally worth it. I love them! I actually liked them better a day later! I feel like the flavors had more time to mesh. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe!
autumnphoenix2 – And thank you for leaving feedback! Happy you enjoyed them. :)
Amanda – Nope! No refrigeration required. And I'm super happy that you and your toddler enjoyed these! It's wonderful that (s)he likes chickpeas. I still don't like them, except in these! Thanks for the feedback. :)
Oh my word, delicious! Will be hard not to eat all of them today. Found out my toddler loves them and regular old chickpeas, too. ;) will definitely make again! Do they need to be refrigerated?