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.
HI there would you know the nutrition info for these cookies at all?
So I tried freezing some, and they tasted exactly the same afterwards :D I'm so happy. Wonderful recipe
i just want to say THANKKKK YOU!!! THESE ARE AMMMMMMAZING!!!
*family's oops! ;)
I have made these twice in the past 24 hours! They were fantastic. The only thing that I changed was I used dark chocolate chips (my favorite). I was able to make 20 cookies each time which took the calorie count down to 95 per cookie bite. Thanks for the great recipe this is now one of our families favorites.
These cookies are delicious! However, I had to bake mine for 20 minutes instead of 10 minutes.
Anon – Someone said that they were going to try that powdered peanut butter but I don't know if they actually made it because they just left their name as anonymous and then dozens of people left their reviews as anonymous. I haven't tried agave but the other people have said it works fine. If they used more or less, I don't know. Good luck. :)
Anon 2 – Two people above calculated the calories. The last one said 130 calories per cookies.
These look great. Can't wait to try them out. Has anyone figured out the calorie count on them. Just wondering
Can't wait to try these! I don't have natural peanut butter but I have PB2 (it's a powder PB that you mix with water), has anyone tried using this yet? Do you use the same amount as Agave as honey in the recipe?
Anon – Oh no. I hope this recipe didn't cause it's death. :( Sorry that happened. But a food processor shouldn't have a problem with the task at all. You gotta get one! They're really, really useful. :) I'm so happy you still liked them and thanks for leaving feedback!
It broke my mini cuisinart! They were delicious though. Would like to make again in my new mini cuisinart but don't want to kill it again!
These are AMAZING. I just made them and they are great. Unfortunately my blender died halfway through the recipe so I'm sure they'd be even better if the chickpeas were all smooth.
Anon – Really?! Maybe it depends on the type of chickpeas you use. I hope the frozen ones come out well. We were wondering the same thing in some of the comments above.
Olivia – Someone in the comments used the "normal" type and said they came out a little crumbly and these definitely shouldn't be crumbly. If you don't want to buy the natural stuff, you could just buy some peanuts and process them in the food processor until it turns into peanut butter. It only takes about 5 minutes! The natural stuff is just way gooier than the other stuff.
J-me Odom – Please tell me you're going to serve them warm at your party?! Warm is the key to these. Just wanted to make sure. :) And haha, yeah. Good idea about not telling others what's in them!
I love what you said about the melted stuff. It's so true. Literally the only reason I pinned this. Making them tonight for a party based on nothing but sheer faith in the beauty of your "melted stuff" pictures! I also don't plan on telling anyone what's in them until after they start "mmmm!!!"ing. It'll be much more fun to watch their reactions.
Do you have to use all natural peaunut butter? can I use Jiff reduced fat?
Made them last night, it was quick and easy (crushing the chickpeas can be a pain). I really liked them, but I could taste the chickpeas.
I froze half and I can't wait to make more!
Trista – Well these aren't the best for weight loss but at least they're healthier than most cookies. :) I hope you liked them!
Jamie – Yay! Thanks for letting me know. I'm happy the kids liked them in dough form. :)
Gina – Haha. Yeah, the chick peas thing is kind of weird but at least you can't taste them. I hope you'll like them!
Okay, okay I will try them. Not! Definitely trying them! I have been on the hunt for a good cookie like this and whoever thought of using chick peas? Brilliant!
I just made these. They are so good. Two of my kids thought the dough was better than the baked cookie. Good thing there's no egg to worry about!
Have these baking right now! So glad I found this, chocolate pb stuff is my weakness and trying to lose weight. So thank you!!
Anon – I can't believe these still came out okay without the honey! Thanks for letting me know. :)
Jenny – Yay! I'm happy that you all liked them. Thanks for the feedback. :)