Looking for the chickpea cookies from Pinterest or Facebook? Here’s the original recipe! Scroll to the bottom of the post for a how-to recipe video.
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!
I used homemade peanut butter in these cookies but store-bought (the kind with just peanuts and salt) works just as well.
Here’s how to make peanut butter! There’s also a video included. All you need is peanuts and a food processor (which you already have to pull out for this chickpea cookie recipe!).
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.
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!
Please read the following before asking a question! It will probably answer it. :)
- Tons of people have posted the nutritional analysis for these. They’re supposedly anywhere between 80-130 calories, which seems like a huge range to me. Please use a recipe analyzer like on CalorieCount if you need more information.
- You can use almond butter, sun butter, or whatever nut butter you like.
- The peanut butter should be the kind with only peanuts and salt. No added fat or sugar.
Be careful because there are some “natural” brands out there which aren’t really natural. I find that this peanut butter is usually expensive so I make my own.
You can make your own in only 5 minutes with a food processor. Check that out here. - 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!
- 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.
But thanks to the experimenters who left feedback, I’ve been able to update the recipe with alternatives to honey and peanut butter. Thanks everyone!
For my readers who are really sensitive to gluten, you might want to read my post on Is Honey Gluten-free? - For a totally sugar free version, use 30 drops of Stevia and cacao nibs.
- Do not double the recipe! It might be too much for your machine and could damage it.
- For a vegan version, you can’t use honey. Use agave.
- For a dairy-free version, use Enjoy Life chocolate chips. They’re just as delicious as regular chocolate chips. SO good!
And thanks for everyone who has pinned and left feedback. I really appreciate it. :)
Want more gluten-free treats? Here are some of my favorites!
Grain-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites (gluten-free with vegan and dairy-free options)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 14 1" cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups canned chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel1
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (165 grams) natural peanut butter, SunButter Natural or almond butter - room temperature2
- 1/4 cup (80 grams) honey (agave or maple syrup for vegan)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder3
- a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn't have salt in it
- 1/2 cup (90 grams) chocolate chips (use vegan and dairy-free chocolate chips, if needed)
Directions
- 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.
- 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.
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2106 comments on “The Original Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites Recipe (aka Chickpea Cookies)” — Add one!
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Anon – Yay! I'm so happy that your husband finally got a cookie and then you also liked them! Thanks for leaving feedback. It's a great way to wake up. :D
I just made these and words can't describe how awesome they are! You can charge for these babies! Thanks for the recipe, first time my husband was able to have a cookie in years!!
Bake-A-Holic – Yup! But remember, fresh from the oven! Then the texture is just gooey. :D
Wow! Chickpeas?? I must try this recipe just to see what the texture and taste of these are like. Very intriguing.
E. – Thanks for the tip! When I got it from the store, it was already kind of smelly, but I have to say, the Asian food stores around here aren't so great with freshness. I was there the other day and they were selling soy sauce that had expired three months ago. I hope you like the cookies. :)
I'm a longtime whole foods plant-based eater and am very familiar with all those alternative flours. Chickpea flour, like ALL bean flours will not go rancid. It's not a grain flour; there is no fat in them to GO rancid. If you've had the flour for, say, 1,000 years it might be stale :) but not rancid.
That smell is just it's natural odor. All bean flours have that aroma; they're naturally bitter, even when soaked. I love all beans in cooked form in any method of preparation, but the flours are just blech! And while I love chickpea flour in socca (an Italian garbanzo bean pancake-like flatbread), it is absolutely dreadful in ANY sweet creation and even most other savory applications so you are NOT alone in despising this flour. :) But, I highly suggest trying it out in socca form. Check google for a recipe; it took me two tries to be sold on it and fall in love so give it a shot.
If your chick pea flour smells bad it has probably turned rancid .it is a whole grain so keep it in the fridge next time.Indian food uses chick pea a lot and the flour is called besan .sprouted chick peas are too yummy just soak over night and eat as is or use in recipe.I got to try these cookies ,looks awesome.thanks for it.
You said she's allergic to nuts but can eat Nutella so I guess she can eat hazelnuts, right? How about adding some hazelnut meal? I have no idea how much. But natural peanut butter, at least mine, is really liquidy. So I don't think we want to make the Nutella thicker. Hmm. If I were you, I'd just try with the Nutella and if it's too gooey, add hazelnut meal. It's just an idea, though. Good luck!
Yeah, natural peanut butter is a lot less gooey, my fear is that with Nutella, it'll just become one big gooey mess that doesn't even slightly resemble a baked good, hahaha! I wonder if there's some way to kind of thicken up the Nutella?
Caitlin – That's a tough one. The texture of Nutella and natural peanut butter is really different. I'm thinking they would be even better with Nutella, but then again, I'm not really sure. Please let me know if you try it! I might even try. :)
These look amazing! Unfortunately, my roommate's not only allergic to wheat, but also allergic to nuts… do you think Nutella would be an OK substitute? She can eat Nutella…
Have you tried Sunbutter? I am paleo and we do not eat peanuts or legumes. I have found sunbutter is closer to peanut butter than almond butter. It is delicious and most brands are completely nut free.
Try Sunflower seed butter, it's the same consistency as pb!
Erin – Thanks! And yeah, get chickpeas on that list! :)
Lindsay – YAY! I noticed it in my stats yesterday and was very confused. But then very happy! Thanks for stopping by. :D
I see these are at the top of the Foodgawker favorites! You rock!! And they DO look amazing.
Yum!! These look so gooey and delicious! Going to have to add chick peas to the grocery list!
Anon – I'm happy you liked them and that's great that you like them cold! They're definitely more convenient that way. :) Thanks a ton for leaving feedback!
These taste so good & infact – I prefer them cold! :) Thanks for the recipe.
Koci – Thanks! They are nice and gooey fresh from the oven. Thanks for stopping by. :)
RMA – Yay! Thanks so much for leaving feedback. It definitely makes my day when people do that. I'm happy brown sugar works, but then again, I'm guessing brown sugar makes everything tastier. :) Thanks again for the comment!
I just made these and they are amazing- I was a little short on honey, so I added a little extra brown sugar. Thanks for sharing this!
Those cookies sound awesome! I love how soft and gooey they look, not to mention the whole chocolate and peanut butter yummyness!
Noelle – YAY! I'm so happy you liked them! Thank you so very much for leaving feedback. A lot of times people only leave feedback on Pinterest and not on the recipe so I really, really appreciate your comment. :) I also don't have any special allergies so oats sound good to me. I might try that next time. Thanks for the tip!
I found these on pinterest, and just had to make them out of sheer curiosity. (i dont have any allergies or reason to need them.) Anyway, they are so good! I threw in a couple handfuls of oats and they are like a chewy delicious protein bar. Thanks!
bigFATcook – Thanks! :)
Sheila – I've never been to Flensburg but I looked at some pictures just now and it looks lovely! I wish I could live in a smaller city like that, but unfortunately, I'm in the capital. Big cities just aren't for me. I'm happy you found me too! I hope you find something you like. Thanks for taking the time to say hi. I love it when new readers do that! Makes my day. :)
So fun I found you! These do look amazing and I was shocked to see chick peas in the ingredient list. I lived in Flensburg Germany for a year as an exchange student way back when. I have been back many times and love the country and it's food. You found yourself a new follower excited to peruse your site and get to know you better!
oh yummy.. these look amazing!!!
Anon – I always use canned.
Have you tried using canned chickpeas, or just dried?
Nora – Yay! Then I'm back to being happy about my recipe. :) And about your cookie posting, lots of people want lower sugar cookie recipes. We know that they won't taste like a regular cookie and we're okay with that. At least I am. :)
Sonya – Goedemorgen! I just have to say I find Dutch fascinating. I kind of speak Swedish, so when I'm looking at something in Dutch, it's like, "English word, Swedish, German, German, Swedish, English." It's like a fun game! But I would never want to learn it because it seems awfully difficult. Anyway, thanks for pinning and I've tried a cookie pie with beans and thought it was gross. I haven't tried black bean brownies, though! I'm actually about to leave to go to a larger grocery store to try to find black beans. I want to make Secret Ingredient Cupcakes this weekend. Without the Cadbury eggs! I hope you like the cookie dough bites if you get a chance to make them. Thanks for stopping by. :)
MyFudo – Thanks! I hope you enjoy them.
Wow! This is really awesome…I really have to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Pinned these! Have you tried the Black bean brownies?? those are seriously awesome..moist,dense and not a hit of black bean taste. I can't wait to try these!
I'm an American living in The Netherlands :)
Ok well it's not exactly the same so it's still original! :) I need to make more cookies…silly me, I love cookies but I guess I just need to post more of them. I've definitely made my fair share but sometimes I don't think they are good enough to post? Since I try to make them lower sugar too, sometimes I come up with more "ok" recipes…I'll work on that!
Amy – Thanks! You really can't taste them. You should definitely give them a try. :)
Nora – Aww. I thought I had come up with an original recipe. :( Before I read that you hadn't posted your recipe, I went through your recipe index and I came across those monkey cookies and they look yummy! And how do you only have three cookie recipes?! Are you not a cookie lover? Or it's just hard to make them gluten free?
The dough kind of grosses me out. I just think, "Eww… chickpeas." But baked? WAY better. My focus is then on the gooey chocolate. :)
Thanks for the nice and enthusiastic comment!
EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee! I LOVE chickpea cookies! these look amazing with the gooeyness! can you say yummmmmmy?!?
Funny because I have almost the exact recipe for the base but for thumbprint cookies! We must be on the same wavelength – nice going with the grain-free goodies :)
Confession: I happen to love the dough but if I am eating it uncooked then I added a couple ingredients to jazz it up (I know, I need to post both).
Love the photos miss Erin!
oh wow, these look awesome. i can't believe that there are chickpeas in there. crazy! i'll definitely have to try making 'em soon!
Natasha – Yay! When? And why? And with whom? And for how long? :) Happy you like the cookie dough thingies!
Shelley – I know it's weird. But they don't taste weird! They don't have the texture of a normal cookie but they're still so yummy when hot!
Becca – They definitely won't work without the nut butter (then they'd just be chickpeas and honey… yucky) but maybe you could try almond butter. I don't really know if they'd taste good but I'm thinking no. I'll experiment in the next few weeks and let you know!
Georgia – Thank you! I never thought of them as being wholesome until now. I like that. Wholesome cookie dough bites. It sounds so heavenly. :)
Dawn – Chickpea flour smells so bad! I have some but I'm a little afraid to use it in anything baked. Do you have any recipes you can recommend? And thanks for your comment!
Heidi – These are totally edible. I think chickpeas and hummus are gross but these are super. I'm not promising them to taste like real buttery full of sugar normal cookies, but they taste like a gooey mess that tastes likes peanut butter and chocolate. They might be a nice goodie for you to keep in the freezer and pop in the oven when your little ones want something sweet. :)
Erin,
I tried these and found that a few tweeks not only make them easier to handle but they taste absolutely as delicious cold as they do warm. I think the problem is that they are too dry and sticky when the dough is raw and when they cool they are even drier and don't taste very good. Try the following changes – the finished product is a super moist cookie warm or cold and super delicious. Reduce the honey to 1/8 cup (still plenty sweet) and add 4 scant teaspoons of water to the dough while it is still in the food processor (just before adding the chips). The resulting dough is very soft and easy to work with and they cookie remain so moist for days. LOVE THESE thanks for sharing. They are my new favorite cookie.
I know what you mean! I don't usually put really weird things into cookies – I mean, I still want to eat them! And I've seen the beans in cookies thing before but I've always brushed it off. These look seriously yummy though! I'm so tempted! I have a tried a sweet hummus before that was really sooo good, so I should just try these :D
I have made cookies with chickpeas/garbonzo bean flour before, and they always surprise me! These look so yummy, especially the melted gooey pic! :)
Wow, what an interesting combination of wholesome ingredients in these cookie dough bites! I would have never known from the look of them that they're not bad for you! Great recipe, Erin.
They look amazing! I'm so intrigued by the chickpeas – I'd love to try these but I hate peanut butter, do you think they would work without it or can you suggest any substitutions?
What about Nutella???
Almond butter? Cashew butter?
You could definitely sub out for any nut butter. I think cashew butter would delicious….very creamy!!
Maybe try another nut butter so you get the protein without anymore added sugar. Cashew nut butter is very good and has a mild sweet flavor to it! I use it to make chocolate frosting and you can't even tell there's a nut butter in it!
there's also natural almond butter :)
Chick peas? Whaaa? So weird it must be good!
Erin! I just saw that first picture up there on my blog reader and died and went to heaven a little. Can I have one in my mouth, like NOW?!
PS. Random, but I might actually be going to berlin this summer, lol!
Prairiesummers – Yeah, do it! They're yummy. And kind of healthy. :)
Katrina – I didn't even think about the protein. Good point!
Kammie – Canned is what I used. I only cooked my own chickpeas once and it was a pain.
Becca – They're also called garbanzo beans if that helps. Most of my grocery stores don't carry them either, but the big ones do. And the health food stores will definitely have them.
I've seen some recipes that call for chickpeas, but I've never seen them in the store. I'm not even really sure that my grocery store even carries them. But these do look good. And yes, you're right about people liking upclose shots of melty things. I want to lick my computer screen to get to that heavenly chocolate pool :P
You can find them in the canned vegetable aisle…by the other peas I think
They would be in the canned beans section and called Garbanzo Beans. :)
Look in the Mexican section for garbanzo beans they are the same thing. You might also find them in with the dried beans.
Would canned chick peas work?
What a neat idea! These would be great after a run! So full of protein :)
I am so curious now that I have to try them!
Cassie – And I wish I could send you some! I'm out of control. It's all the chocolate's fault.
Sara – Yeah, you've got to try them! But don't leave out the chocolate or eat them cold. Lots of chocolate and hot cookies (eh, cookie dough bites) is what we want here. :)
Rachel – Haha, thanks. I like that you said trickery. It makes me feel like a cookie wizard or something.
Caroline – Do it, do it! :D
Miryam – He's kind of dumb and refuses to eat warm baked goods. He said that the room temperature ones were "good, but not yummy" while I said that the room temperature ones were NASTY. I gave some to a friend to take home and heat up in the microwave and she loved them, not even knowing that they were healthy. :)
Give them a try! I really don't think you'll be disappointed. Unless you eat them when not hot. I know I've said it 20 times in this post but it needs repeating.
I'm so happy people are receptive to these little odd looking things. Thanks everyone!
No way…chick peas?? I have never come across such ingredient in cookies. I love chick peas though, but on cookies? They do sure add a lot of healthy properties to the cookie though!! Did your hubby like them?? I need to try this!!
Very cool! I love these. Must try! :D
Looking at these, I'd never know about the trickery you've got going on in there ;) The melted chocolate oozing out is calling to me!
Oh goodness, these look so amazing, Erin! I wish I could reach through the screen and grab a couple!
These look delicious! I love a good 'secret ingredient' recipe!! I'm going to have to try these soon!