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.
I saw a picture of these on instagram and asked for the recipe and was lead over here. I have always been skeptical of chickpea cookie recipes but I had ALL the ingredients and no sweets to eat so I figured why not. SERIOUSLY the most amazing cookie I’ve ever had. I used agave nectar. Completely vegan. YUM YUM YUM! Thank you! This is a keeper for sure.
Wow! Thanks a bunch for your very positive feedback. :) I’m so happy that you liked these cookies and who wouldn’t be skeptical of chickpea cookies? They’re just weird. ;) And thanks for the rating, too!
These are amazing. I totally disagree that they aren’t yum while still uncooked. In fact I make a double batch then I cook half. The rest I make into much smaller balls and put in the fridge or freezer. My kids LOVE them!!!
I’m so happy to hear that you and the kids like the cookies! And also that you like them uncooked. I think it’s just the chickpeas… it messes with my head a little. ;) Thanks a ton for the feedback!
I’ve made 5 times now and because I don’t eat sugar have substituted Splenda, stevia and xylitol along with sf choc. Splenda seems to be the best – others give me too much has with the chickpeas too. These are best right out of oven. Ok warmed up in microwave too but best right out of oven!! Thank you.
I’m happy Splenda works out well! Do you use the type that’s cup for cup or another type? Just so I can add it to the post. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Hello,
The thing is I do not have a food processor. Just a Vita-mix blender (It was made in the 70’s and is still going strong.) and a Magic Bullet. So I wonder if I can use one of these to make your cookies. I know my Vita-mix can make bread dough and Ice Cream.
A Vitamix would be fine! I mentioned Blendec in the post but a Vitamix is pretty much the same, right? :) So give it a try! Let us know how it comes out.
I am diabetic. Wonder if these would work with imitation
honey.
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Let me know how they come out. :)
Can I use Smart Balance organic peanut butter on this recipe? What brand of natural peanut butter did you use? I can’t wait to try, they sound amazing, I’m curious about the chickpeas since I’ve never had them with cookies!
You should use a kind that just has peanuts and salt. The people who used the kinds with added fat (like Smart Balance, I checked the label!) said that they came out oily. I used homemade peanut butter. Just toss the peanuts in the a food processor and let it go! https://www.texanerin.com/2012/01/how-to-make-homemade-peanut-butter.html Hope you’ll like the cookies. :)
Unbelievably good! Thank you so much for a recipe that satisfies the sweet cravings without so much of the guilt!I’m feeling like a domestic goddess with all the peanut butter (and any other nut that I can now find for that matter) making and super healthy cookie baking!:-) LOVE IT.
Hehe. I love that you feel like a domestic goddess! That is awesome. :) And so happy that you liked the cookies, too. Thank you so much for the feedback!
How do you store them after baking? Do they need to be refrigerated or can they be kept at room temperature?
Sorry, Therese! I seem to have accidentally missed your comment. You store them covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Hope they came out well! :)
I rarely like “health” desserts (except fruit) but these intrigued me. They were SO good! I even loved the dough (but I LOVE peanut butter). I better not make these too often or I’ll be in big trouble. Thanks for the recipe – it really exceeded my expectations!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks a bunch for your feedback and the rating! And most people seem to like the dough. I’m just weird, I guess. ;)
This is the first chick pea recipe that I have tried that actually worked!! My 9 year old granddaughter loved them and so did hubby! May I post a link to this recipe on my blog?
I’m so happy to hear that, Vickie! :) Of course you can post a link to the recipe! If you repost the recipe, please reword the directions in your own words. Or you could list the ingredients and just link to this post for directions if that’s easier. Thanks so much for asking! :) People rarely do that. And thanks so much for your review and rating!
omg!! these cookie bites are great! a nice treat
Yay! Happy that you liked them. :) Thanks for the feedback and rating!
And she does it again!!!
Can thbey be frozen?
In refrigerator, how long should they last?
Gracias.
They can be frozen. Other people have said that they freeze them after baking and then reheat them in the microwave! In the fridge, I’d say they’re good for at least a week. Hope you like them! :)
My dough lasted in the fridge for over a week (about 12 days I think). Every day I was nervous when I opened the container to see if it was still good, but it survived until the end. Next time, I’ll definitely ball them up and freeze them just to make sure they don’t go bad.
These are fabulous. Who knew? I’ve made them twice now and love them!!
Yay! So happy that you liked them. :) Thanks for the rating!
OMG I’ve been looking simply everywhere for gluten-sugar-milk free bake recipes which actually sound appealing to make and then eat!
And, as I love peanut butter and chocolate, I’m definitely going to try this, thanks so much!
Got here via Facebook :)
I’m so happy that you found the recipe! I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies. :) And gluten, sugar, milk free is indeed a hard one. Gluten and dairy free? Okay. But sugar free? It’s a little difficult. Let me know how the cookies come out! :)
Why do the pictures look like there is jam in these?
All I see are chocolate chips.
What should they be like when they come out of the oven? I used maple syrup. They seem VERY soft and I am not sure if they should be more dough like. My tongue is a little tingly so I am not sure what that is about either.
Thanks
They should be very soft and not set like cookies. That’s why they’re called cookie dough balls and not cookies. I have no idea why your tongue would be tingly. You’re the first one to mention that.
I’ve been planning to try this as it sounds delicious, just a quick response to the person above – just make sure you don’t have an allergy to chic peas (possible with tingly tongue. They are a legume, like peanuts, and allergies to chic peas are not uncommon. That’s not to say they’re not a great food for those who aren’t allergic. I’m coeliac so pretty aware of food allergy issues
Hi, what temp do you bake these at?? I’m going to make them at the weekend:)
350 degrees
Look at the first line of instructions. :) Hope you like them!
I love these! The first time I made them I was at someone else’s house and we were 3T shy on peanut butter. So we threw some lightly salted roasted sunflower seeds in the food processor and went with that. Then, she had no honey. So we used sugar free syrup (eew!) they came out alright. Her food processor was an immersion blender attachment. It started smelling funny, so we stopped using it. They could have been smoother, for sure, but they were good!
The second time I made them I used the entire can of chickpeas, added 2T peanutbutter (3/4C total) added two big handfuls of multigrain cereal (oats, barley, wheat, and rye) 3T powdered buttermilk, 2T PB2, 1/2C frozen spinach, and 1T cocoa powder. I didn’t measure the chocolate chips. I blended everything except the cereal and chips. They’re green, for sure! The cocoa did not cover up the spinach! But they’re tasty! I’m convinced there’s nothing you can’t put in them! They’re firmer than the plain recipe, but still soft when fresh from the oven. I like them chilled better than room temp. My kids (4 & 6) LOVE THEM!!! :) Thank you! These are so simple and quick! I love them!!! :)
That first version sounds… not that appetizing. ;)
And whoa! Your second version. Cereal, buttermilk, and spinach?! That is certainly creative and even more healthy than the original. :) I’m happy that they worked out! And awesome that the kids like them, too.
Thanks so much for your feedback and rating! If I could, I’d give you an award for “most creative” chickpea cookie adaption. :D
Found this when people kept posting it on Facebook. I am so pumped to make these! I would have never thought to use chickpeas!
I’m happy you found the source of the original recipe! Yay. I know people have been having problems with that. I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies. :)
Ok, so I really don’t like peanut butter of any sorts, is there anything else I can use?? Nutella maybe??
There are two alternatives listed in the ingredients. Almond butter and sun butter or any nut butter you like.
I created a Nutella version here: http://cookieswithfriends.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/healthy-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-bites-pb-and-nutella-flavors/
It’s not a 1 for 1 substitution because they would be way too sweet. Enjoy. (Erin’s recipe has been such a HUGE inspiration for me. I’m still creating new variations!)