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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Just made these up today and they are wonderful! I never thought something so healthy could be so ooey goey! So, for the low down, I used the almond butter because it was what I had all natural from Trader Joes — but my dough was a little thin/runny which I think is because the almond butter was pretty runny, so I added in about 1/4c. gluten free flour and 1/2 tsp of xanthum gum, this keeps the cookies together nice since their is no gluten in the beans. I added some pecan pieces to the second batch. All were yummy and I plan to freeze and keep them for treats for me and the kiddos! TYTY!
And thank you for the review, Tina! I’m happy that you liked them and adding the extra flour sounds like a good move. :) Thanks for the tip! I know it’ll help others who want to use almond butter, too.
YUMMY! Great idea and great recipe. I even love them straight from the freezer. Thanks for the creation.
So happy that you like them! And straight from the freezer?! Wow. That’s great! Thanks for the feedback. :)
This look fabulous! Do you have an idea of what the nutritional value is for these?
People in the comments are saying anywhere from 80 – 140 calories. You can use a recipe analyzer like you find on CalorieCount if you want to analyze it. :) Good luck!
Just baking up my first batch of these. I have a little one and so have exchanged the peanut butter for hazlenut butter-for a sort of praline flavour :) The dough tastes just fine.
Praline?! That sounds awesome. I’ll have to give that a try! Thanks for the tip. :)
thank you so much for this recipe! they are so tasty! I had success with cheap regular peanut butter (doesn’t seem extremely oily though). Do you need the peanut butter? or are they fine with out?
I’m happy that they came out well the regular peanut butter! I’m afraid that you need the peanut butter or some other kind of nut butter in the cookies. If you didn’t have it, it’d just be chickpeas + honey and that doesn’t sound so good. ;) Thanks a bunch for the feedback and the rating!
Thanks. Haven’t tried them yet, but am excited to. My question is, “What is PB 2? (My mother had given me a recipe for a black bean torte, and I was so surprised that beans could make a cake. So this doesn’t surprise me.” I have used chick peas for falafel, and that is delicious.
Hi, Judi! PB2 is powdered peanut butter. You don’t need it for this recipe, though! Some others have used it but the recipe calls for normal natural peanut butter (with no added oil or sugar!) I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies. :)
wonderful! I must try it.
Did you know in ancient persian medicine, chickpeas are king of beans and peas.They make your mind and body strong and young.Thank you so much for this recipe.
No, I did not know that. I’m happy that my cookies will make you strong and young. :D Thanks for the info!
Love these so yummy and healthy. How do you keep these……wrapped or just on an open plate and how long do they keep…I live alone!!! Thanks Nancy
I’m so happy to hear that you liked them, Nancy! You should keep them wrapped on a plate or in some tupperware. I’ve kept mine at room temperature for about 3 days before and then I put them in the fridge, where they should keep for a long time. Just reheat slightly in the microwave so that they’ll be gooey again. :)
Just made these tonight.. they taste just like choc chip cookies… like someone else said the dough before baking was great too. My question is how do we store them.. I ate one and not having anything sweet it was very satisfying.
Yay! So happy that you liked them. :) You should keep them wrapped on a plate or in some tupperware. I’ve kept mine at room temperature for about 3 days before and then I put them in the fridge, where they should keep for a long time. Just reheat slightly in the microwave so that they’ll be gooey again. :)
These look awesome….trying to count my calories each day. How many calories for one cookie ball?
How do you know when they are done? Mine turned out very soft.
Hi, Sheila! They should be very soft. They don’t set like normal cookies hence the “cookie dough balls” title rather than cookies. :) I always bake mine 10 minutes, but they don’t start to turn brown or crackle or do anything like that that would indicate when to take them out. So I just always go with 10 minutes.
Thanks Erin, I guess I cooked them right after all! They taste delicious! I flattened most of mine out to be like cookies but I think I will keep them like dough balls next time ;)
I’m happy that they’re edible despite their softness. ;) And I hope they’ll come out prettier as balls next time. I can imagine them coming out all funky looking when flattened. Thanks again for the feedback!
These are so amazing. Even the unbaked batter tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough! Why would anyone want to make regular cc cookies after making these. Much healthier and easier to make. And they’re so yummy. Can’t wait to surprise my guests with them tomorrow!
I hope that your guests liked them and were very surprised, Lonna! I’m so happy that you liked them so much. And better than real cookie dough? Whaaat? No way. ;) Thanks a bunch for the feedback!
I’m making the recipe right now–and it’s forming a ball in the food processor which is impeding the mixing process–any thoughts?
thanks!
Laura
Hmm. That’s the first time anyone has said something about a ball forming. I’m sorry to say that I have no idea! Did you follow the directions exactly or are you using some different ingredients? Are the chickpeas getting obliterated? Because that’s what’s important. If they are, then it should all be okay! Good luck. :)
Thanks for the speedy reply! I love your blog!
I used all the correct ingredients (except I used maple syrup instead of honey) and tried to measure as accurately as I could. I ended up adding a little more maple syrup (maybe 2 teaspoons?) and 1 teaspoon water. That helped the mixing process a bit, and they baked up fine and yummy–not as pretty as yours, though. They are definitely cuter as balls and not pressed down into cookie shape.
Thanks, Laura! :) That’s so strange about the ball forming. I’m just happy to learn that it worked out! And thanks for coming back to let me know it worked out. :)
It happened to me too—I have a kitchen aid food processor. Luckily, the dough was practically ready at that point. My peanut butter was hard out of the fridge, that’s why I think that happened. To be honest I even though about it before starting, but was too excited to wait! Anyway, both my husband and I loved them!
Interesting, Stef! I’m going to update the recipe to say room temperature peanut butter just to make sure that nobody else will have the same problem. I’m happy that it still worked out for you and thanks a ton for the feedback and the rating! :)
These were great! I made some substitutions though…I used 4oz of applesauce instead of honey, used PB2 and added a scoop of protein powder. Because I added 4oz of applesauce it was too runny, I added in a 1/2 gluten free oat flour. Mine looked like your picture too :) Thanks for sharing!
Those are some great subs, Trisha! And applesauce instead of honey?! That sounds wonderful. Your version sounds so much healthier and much lower calorie. Go, you! :D Thanks a ton for the feedback and the rating!
I made these today and I wasn’t incredibly excited about the taste or consistency; however, once my kids (ages 3 & 1) devoured them asking for a 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th I was sold! I used white chips in place of the chocolate ones and that might have impacted the consistency. They were a bit crumbly and although the chips softened they never melted. I will definitely make them again! Also I am going to recommend them to my friends with children who are also picky eaters and in need of nutritional cookies. :) Thanks for the healthy cookie recipe!!!
I’m happy that you ended up liking them, Kim! Definitely try them with chocolate chips next time if you want them to be gooey. The gooiness adds a lot to the experience. ;) Thanks so much for the feedback and the rating, too!
What did I do wrong?? Followed the recipe exactly…except added the few extra chick peas from the can, maybe a teaspoon? The chocolate chips didn’t even melt…even after leaving in oven 4-5 extra minutes…they were very crumbly…flavor just “so-so” – not “melty” at all….I used natural peanut better too…
Sorry to hear that, Peggy. I have no idea what could have gone wrong. But it definitely sounds like you need to get some new chocolate chips as they should always melt in the oven. If you left the cookies in the oven for 4-5 extra minutes, that might explain why they were crumbly. These are incredibly soft and gooey.
Ok I JUST made these and they far exceeded my expectations!! SO yummy!.. I made one faux pas.. because I used my vitamix, it warmed the dough up quite a bit. I didn’t realize till after I dumped in the chocolate chips and mixed them. They all melted so I have very dark cookies. I waited till it cooled a bit and tossed in more chips. So I actually have twice as much chips as I should so I guess mine are double chocolate chip peanut butter bites!! lol;)VERY delicious. I still have to try it the right way though.
I am eating them now while still hot and gooey.. I am looking forward to seeing what they are like when cooled, though I’m not sure they will last that long!
Bahahaha. That’s awesome! Double chocolate is almost always better, isn’t it?! I hope that you enjoyed them when cooled. I didn’t but it seems like most of the others did! Thanks a ton for your feedback. :)
they were delicious cooled!!! And I JUST took out another batch.. but I cooled the dough before adding chips this time, so it looks right. So we’ll see which ones I prefer!:)
I just made them but I think I wish I made them double choc!! :-D I wonder – which did you prefer?
I don’t know if Leah will see your question but I wanted to say that I want to try them double chocolate, too! Lots of people have mentioned their chocolate chips melting, creating a nice double chocolate version. I need to try that. :)
We made these tonight and we have no ac so it was very hot in the kitchen as I was cooking. Well they turned out more like brownie bites rather than chocolate chip cookies! They still taste great but all the chocolate chips melted and now we have healthier brownies :-) they are great for anyone who likes brownies!!!
Hmm. That sounds awesome! I kind of wish that these would come out more like what you’re talking about. I want healthier brownies. :) Thanks for the feedback!
I can’t use honey, agave or maple syrup. I will probably use Truvia to sweeten. What liquid do you recommend?
I haven’t made these with Truvia and don’t have any experience with Truvia so I’m afraid I can’t recommend anything. One commenter wrote that she used 30 drops of Stevia in place of the honey and that worked out well for her. I hope that’s an okay substitution. :)
I made this with sugar free syrup and Truvia. I used Caco nibs instead of chocolate chips for a nice chocalatey bite and crunch. Baked for 20-25 minutes. These were so incredibly yummy.
Sorry I’m just now replying, Cynthia! Thank you so much for the feedback. I think your comment will help others who want to use Truvia. And thanks for the rating, too. :)
What about using PB2 for the peanut butter??
I haven’t tried that but other commenters have and said that it worked well. :)
I just used PB2 today and they turned out great! I did sub out the honey with applesauce though.
Thanks for the tip! A lot of people ask about that so now I’ll know. :)