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.
Looks like a recipe worth trying. I will let you know what my kids think.
Helen – I hope you enjoy them! Is your cookie recipe online? :)
Brenna – I'm sorry! I don't know what to say if you followed the recipe exactly. Perhaps a difference with the chickpeas? Anyway, sorry. :(
healthy and delicious – Nobody has mentioned using Stevia before so I'm afraid I don't know what to say about that. Perhaps if you added some extra liquid? Sorry I'm not more of a help. Please let us know if it works out! It'd be a big help to other people, I think.
any suggestions for alternate sweeteners for people needing a low carb version? could you sub stevia and/or erythritol? would they hold together without the honey or agave? The more I learn about blood sugar (especially fructose), the less interested I am in even "natural" sweeteners that raise insulin…….
thanks!
rachel
mine look NOTHING like this… i follow the recipe exactly. :(
I have a cookie recipe that uses chickpeas too! These look great. I can't wait to try them. =)
ce32 – Haha. Love your comment. :) I'm thrilled that they worked for you using normal peanut butter! Thanks for letting me know. :)
Jennie – I'm happy the kids still liked them but they shouldn't be crumbly. They should be very soft so maybe you overbaked them, but I think it'd be pretty hard to do if you just left them in there a few minutes longer. Could it be that the oven temperature is off? Just a thought. :)
Marcella – Haha… yeah, black beans aren't my thing, but neither are chickpeas so who knows? Maybe it'd be okay. :) I'm glad that you enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. :)
Anon – I used the homemade kind that I linked to in the recipe but hundreds of people have made these and I'm sure they all used different kinds. So just use whatever you have! Good luck. :)
Catrina T. – Yay, happy they worked with sunbutter! And also happy that your entire family enjoyed them. Thanks for the feedback :)
I made these using Sunbutter (since I am allergic to all nuts) and they are delish!! Regular staple in our home. :) My hubby and kiddos all loved them.
Hi! This sound great! What kind/brand of natural peanut butter did you use?
Thanks,
Beth
Just made these. Very good. I had to heat up my honey since it had crystallized, so it started melting the chocolate and made the dough a little darker. I used 60% Coco chips, and they are very rich that and chunky laura scudders. I put coconut oil on the cookie sheet and they did not stick. A cookie you can eat without spiking your blood sugar! Thanks! I like idea above for the mashed bananas. Black beans…I'd have to draw the line there. Sounds horrid.
I just made these and they tasted amazing! The texture was crumbly and they didn't hold together, though my children ate them all in minutes flat. Do you think I overbaked them? Regardless, I'll definitely make them again!
OMG!!! I just made these because I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and wanted to check them out. These are "slap yo mama" good! Seriously? Healthy alternative and taste good, who knew? I did not have natural PB on hand and used regular and they turned out just fine. Haven't tasted them cold yet, but hot out of the oven they are delicious! Thanks for a Pinterest successful recipe pin!
Anon 1 – Sure, but why? They're already gooey enough. :)
Anon 2 – Yay! Happy you and your family liked them. :) I also dislike chickpeas but love these! Thanks for the feedback.
Guillaume – Happy you liked them! And of course you can do that. Thanks for asking. :)
Anon 3 – I'm happy your friend posted them too! :)
Amanda – Try searching for a recipe nutrition analyzer. Copy and paste the recipe into it… it should tell you the carbs. :)
NES DesignZ – Other people have used it with success! I've never used it, though, so I can't promise it'll work.
How do you think PB2 would work?
If anyone can figure out how many carbs are in a cookie, I would love them forever. :D
If anyone can figure out how many carbs are in a cookie, I would love this person forever. These look great.
So glad a friend posted these on FB. They are awesome =)
Just made them ! Delicious :-) I like to cook with cheakpeas : complete proteins and good texture to make cookies !
Question : Can I traduct your recipe in French and put it on my blog ? Of course I would put a link to here ;-)
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe. My family loved them! My husband said they were phenomenal. He and my son don't even like chick peas. They couldn't believe that the cookies were made with them.
do you think i could throw some coconut oil in there?
These cookies are amazing! I am a daycare teacher, it is so nice to have a "treat" for them that is actually full of protein and goodness. One of my personal favorties, everyone loves them & no one knows the secret ingrediant! -S
Hi Sondrea! So happy that the little ones like the cookies, especially considering the ingredients. :) Thanks for the feedback!