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.
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. :)