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!
37 comments are awaiting moderation!
Terry – It should be okay! I think someone else mentioned not using the parchment paper and it being okay. I'm just so used to using a Silpat for absolutely everything that I never think about if it's really needed. Good luck with the pulser chopper. :)
Colleen – Haha. You sound like me. I'll attach -y to the end of any word. And two?! You only baked two? Oh my goodness. I would have gone back to the freezer and pulled some more out. But you know, your way is really the best. If you only bake two, you can only eat two. These aren't low calorie so portion control is nice. :) Thanks a bunch for leaving feedback!
I found this recipe on Pinterest and just had to try them! My husband is on a new high protein diet and I'm a runner so naturally, I love trying recipes like this. They are AWESOME!! I am seriously shocked how Unchickpea-y (like that one?) they are. I was pouring stuff into the food processor when I realized I didn't have honey, so I used agave and they turned out perfectly! I only baked two and froze the other dough balls and now I'm a little disappointed I did that, because I want more! Thank you so much for posting!
Thanks, I have a small pulser chopper, I'll try that. So much for reading the whole recipe. I'm dying to make these and have everything, but no parchment paper. Think I'll be ok just baking them on a cookie sheet without the paper?
Terry – If you have something like a Vitamix, I guess it would (but I've never used one so I can't say for sure). But some people have mentioned using an electric mixer and the chickpeas not getting pureed enough. I just can't imagine these being yummy with chickpea chunks. :(
I don't have a food processor, would a blender or electric mixer work?
Lauralynn – They ARE weird. I can't deny that. I'm happy that your kids still liked them!
Janelle – I'm happy you all liked them! I hope your mother in law likes them too. :) Thanks for the feedback.
Morgan – I hope you do and that you enjoy them!
Anon – I hope you do! I'm sure organic peanut butter will be wonderful.
Ally – You really can't! But I agree that they are weird. Super weird. But tasty when warm. :)
Alyssa – Wow, thanks a bunch! I really appreciate it. I'm happy you both enjoyed the cookies and I hope that your clients enjoy them too! Thanks for letting me know. :)
I just made these this weekend and they were a hit — event with my chickpea-hating husband! I am a dietitian and am printing your recipe and pictures for my clients, giving your site and pictures all the credit! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Wow, I found these on Pinterest, and thought they were just cookie dough with something to substitute the flour, and then I saw chickpeas, and thought "Weird……" But after I read some of the comments you said you couldn't taste the chickpeas at all. Interesting! Please check out my blog: avhlife.blogspot.com I recently turned it into a foodie blog. Thanks!
I saw this and I have to try it. I'm going to try with organic chocolate peanut butter which is very tasty. I will let you know how it turns out.
I'm going to make these tomorrow! :) Thank you for posting this!
We made these tonight, after finding them on pinterest – they were wonderful! My 4 kids loved them, and so did my hubby!! We will make these often! My mother-in-law has celiac and I cannot wait to make these for her!!
Thanks!
Janelle
I just made these. Kind of weird; kind of delicious. My toddler loves them. I also made a second batch and adapted them for my 9 month old (no peanut butter, maple syrup instead of honey, added some applesauce). He loves them too. Thanks!
Mine did not come out like yours, but they were okay. I think my peas were too soggy and they didn't grind up very well.
However, I am trying to lose weight, and these are NOT light food. You should put that somewhere. They are about 165 calories each (varies a bit w/your peanut butter, sweetener, and chocolate chips. But I think on the whole you'd probably always end up between 150-200 calories each. That's a LOT of calories for their size. I've seen some say they downed 3-4 at a time. I did 4 before it hit me that they probably had a LOT of calories and I ran to add them up.
While I think they are really yummy for skinny people, if you struggle with weight the nutritional content is just not worth the calories. They are like those protein bars trainers give athletes to pack on the weight.
Just a thought to keep in mind.
Anon – Yay! Thanks for letting me know! I hope you husband also liked them. :)
These were great!!! I'm going to see if the hubby can tell!! I think they taste great!!!
Lorna – I don't think it's that bad either. :) Thanks for leaving your calculation and I hope you'll like them!
What an interesting recipe. I'm totally going to try these. I just calculated it, and they're 125 calories & 5 g of protein each (if you make 14). Not too shabby for all that gooey PB and chocolate! nomnom!
Anon – Great! I'm happy you all loved them. Thanks for leaving feedback. :)
I made these and everyone loved them – including myself! they go just as fast as it takes to make them – super quick! =) these are awesome.
Casper – Haha. I'm happy that they liked it! Thanks for the nice comment. I'll try to keep them coming although my other recipes are a bit more "normal" than this one. I need to come up with some more bizarre ones. :)