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.
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!