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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found this recipe on facebook and tried them this evening. They are amazing. I found your site in one of the comments on fb, so I have it pinned for future reference. Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe.
Thanks so much for coming to look at the recipe rather than just relying off of what someone copy and pasted on FB. :) So happy that you tried the cookies and enjoyed them. Thanks a ton for the feedback and rating!
Holy cow!!! Why didn’t I double batch these!!!! Thank you so much; they are AMAZING!!!
So happy that you liked them, Jen! :) And be careful with doubling… it might be too much for your food processor!
I’d love to try these – my son has to eat gluten free – but will they work without a food processor? Can you mix by hand?
I wouldn’t recommend mixing them by hand. You just can’t combine chickpeas well enough without a food processor or a *very* good blender like a Blendtec. My blender could most definitely not do this recipe. There have been a few people who said they used a hand mixer, but it just won’t be the same. Sorry. :(
made these this weekend and will be making them again, and again. Great recipe to have on hands for when kids want a treat or you need something sweet to take to a party. I did end up baking mine for 20 min instead of 10. I thought they were too mushy at 10, but were perfect after 20.
20 minutes?! I’m amazed that they didn’t burn. That’s great. :) I’m happy to hear that you’ll be making them again and again. Thanks for the feedback!
Just tried this recipe substituting Naturals Almond and Chia Spread. Perfect texture, great taste and I might not have any left by school pick-up. Thanks for the wonderful idea!
Chia spread?! I didn’t even know that that was a thing! Thanks for the tip. :) So happy that you liked them and I hope that your kid(s) got to try one as well. ;)
Just wanted to stop by and say I made these Friday night. They were amazing! I now have many of your recipes bookmarked to try in the near future! :)
Hi Brittney! Sorry for my slow reply. Thanks so much for your feedback and I’m so happy to hear that you found other recipes you’d like to try. Let me know how they come out! :)
So sorry but someone is taking credit for you. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201251264105780&set=a.2267017237046.2135897.1297002873&type=1
Can’t wait to try your recipe
Thanks for letting me know! I’ve written the FB author. :) Hope you like the cookies!
That doesn’t look like someone taking credit to me, she even said “I found it”. People share recipes all the time on FB. Hell, I suppose I’ve “stolen/taken credit” for hundreds of recipes! Ahhh too much FB policing going on… Just share and enjoy good recipes….
thank you for posting
You’re welcome! :)
I just made these and they are so tasty! Yes…I made these for breakfast :) I used Smucker’s peanut butter which worked well. I love how soft and chocolatey these cookies are. My sister had one and she was shocked when I told her there were chickpeas in it. Can’t even taste them in the cookie! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
They’re great breakfast food. :D And I’m so happy that you and your sister enjoyed them! Smucker’s…. that makes me wonder about a PB&J version of these. I’ll have to get on that. :) Thanks for the feedback!
Just thought you’d want to know… This “lady” has taken your photo and removed the watermark. She is sharing the recipe in her post and claiming the photo as her own. This picture is one of the most stolen on FB. I’ve seen it so much that I recognize it right away. That’s why I searched Google images to find out who it actually belongs to. Thought I’d let you know!
Hi Lynn! Thanks so much for letting me know. I’m going to write her a message and if she doesn’t credit me, I know FB will take care of it by removing her entire post. And that is so sweet of you to actually try to find the source. I really appreciate it! I wish more people were like you. :) Thanks again!
I took away the link because the FB author was very apologetic and removed the instructions and added a link to the post rather than just having it copy and pasted. :) Thanks again for letting me know! She was *the* only one of these FB people who hasn’t said nasty things to me or just ignored me completely.
Hi! I made these and LOVE them! What is the recommendation for storing them? In the refrigerator or out?
Room temperature is fine! And if you have too many, I’ve heard that they freeze well. Just let them come to room temp and perhaps reheat in the microwave so they get gooey again. :) I’m happy that you liked them and thanks for the feedback and rating!
These were delicious, thanks! My dough was VERY wet and liquidy – but I just baked them for a bit longer and they worked out perfectly. I also think they are delicious cold!
What else potentially could you use chick peas for?! any ideas?
Thanks!
Liquidy?! That’s odd. My dough is always super thick and pasty. But I’m happy it worked out for you!
I only went through the last 4 pages of comments and only in those pages, people have used (and liked!):
Butter beans, navy beans, red kidney beans, great northern beans, and lentils.
Okay. That made me laugh.
I think these cookies = any kind of beans cookies!
Let us know if you try any different types. Thanks so much for the feedback and your rating. :)
I made it with the recommendations from some of the comments. I peeled the shells off the chickpeas before grinding (I only have an immersion mixer, and it seemed to work well), and added 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and 1 egg. I used the Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter I had in my cabinet. My husband doesn’t like chocolate, so I made a few without chocolate chips and sprinkled cinnamon and Turbinado sugar on the tops of those. I found that there was a slight chickpea flavor when eaten hot (although if I didn’t know they were in there, I would not have been able to identify the flavor). However when they cooled, the chickpea flavor disappeared and the peanut butter flavor popped. They were very soft and cake like, and just the right amount of sweet. Super yummy! My 4 year old ate a half dozen before I realized what was happening. Made just over 2 dozen one inch cookie balls.
“My 4 year old ate a half dozen before I realized what was happening.” That line really made me laugh. Thank you! :) And uh, sorry for contributing so many calories to your little one!
I’m happy that the cookies worked out with your substitutions. I really appreciate that you took the time to write them all up! And a husband who doesn’t like chocolate? I’m so sorry. ;) (just kidding!)
Anyway, thanks again!
So easy, and so yummy! I did this in our Vitamix, and mixed in the chips with a spoon. My batch was VERY sticky so I blended up some oats into about a 1/4 cup flour and they were absolutely perfect. Next time, I’ll make sure my beans aren’t so wet. Thanks so much for this recipe!
My dough is usually sticky but wet hands solves that problem. :) And oats and flour?! Sounds great! Thanks a bunch for your feedback and the rating. It’s much appreciated. :)
Has anyone tried these with almond butter instead of peanut butter?
Hi Dorothy, I made them with almond butter just this morning and they are really good (even though I inadvertently omitted the vanilla extract, jelly brains that I am). I will definitely make them again.
Can I just point out that they’re not vegan if you use honey….maple syrup would be fine. The constituents of the chocolate chips would also need to be checked if you’re vegan.
Jelly brains? I’ve never heard that one before and I love it! Definitely going to try to work that one into my daily vocab. :) Thanks for answering Dorothy’s question and for the feedback! I listed agave and maple syrup as a sub for the honey and assumed that a vegan would know not to use honey. But I just realized people might make these for their vegan friends and not realize about the honey and chocolate chips so I’ll make a note about that. Thanks again!
Yup, almond butter is listed as an alternative to peanut butter in the ingredient list. :)
My wife just made these, they were great. And then I went on kickstarter and found someone using your photos for their project. That always bugs me:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2092955106/zaiynahs-grandma-mobile-pastry
Thank you so much for letting me know, Boris! I’ll go check out that site right now. And I’m happy that you liked the recipe. Thanks again for the tip! :)
Yummy! I tried them with reconstituted chickpeas, and they turned out great! I had never used reconstituted chickpeas before, but they taste amazing and I highly recommend trying them. Also, because the chickpeas hadn’t cooled after cooking them, I ended up accidentally melting the chocolate chips. My neighbour referred to them as ‘chocolate bombs’.
I had to google what reconstituted chickpeas are. Thanks for teaching me something new. And melted chocolate in the cookies? Genius! Thanks a bunch for the feedback and the rating. :)
I tried these this weekend and loved them. Reblogged in fact! Would love for you to follow me/check it out.
Thanks!
http://mymilehighpie.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/cookie-dough-doesnt-always-have-to-be-raw/
I’ll go check them out, Annie! Thanks a bunch for letting me know about it. :)
Thanks, Erin! Good suggestions all, especially using nuts and brown rice syrup.
Since my husband is a serious chocolate lover, I will look for the Sunspire brand of grain-sweetened chips. But, also, here’s something else: After posting my question regarding avoiding refined sugar, I remembered that I had a recipe tucked away for making homemade chocolate chips with cocoa powder, extra virgin coconut oil, vanilla extract, and pure stevia (no blends) for the sweetener. For anyone who also needs to remove sugar from their diet, but loves chocolate, this might fit the bill. Guess I’ll try my hand at producing some of these tasty looking morsels (using powdered pure stevia as the sweetener)! The recipe came from this blog:
http://wholenewmom.com/recipes/desserts/homemade-chocolate-or-carob-chips/
That recipe sounds great! Thanks for sharing it. In Germany, we have high quality and delicious chocolate at a very low price. I’ve been in the US for the past two weeks and just discovered how expensive chocolate chips are. It’s insane! And they’re not even that good. Thanks again for sharing. :)
I can’t wait to try these. It’s no longer “dough” once it’s baked though.
Hope you like it! And once baked, they’re still basically doughy. Hence the dough in the name. :)
anything with chocolate in it is good as long as it has the right texture