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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Hi,
I baked these last night and absolutely love them. I used almond putter instead of peanutbutter to make them healthier.
I think next time I may keep them in the oven a couple of minutes longer.
I brought them to work and people really liked them. They didn’t believe they were made of chickpeas.
thanks!
So happy that you liked them! Your colleagues, too. :) Almond butter sounds like a good sub! I still haven’t tried it but it seems like everyone else enjoys it. :)
These were soooo good!! Love the texture. Very good treat that doesn’t make you feel bad! :)
I have no idea why, but I just found this comment in the spam. Sorry about that! :( I’m so happy that you liked the cookies. Thanks for the feedback!
How much PB2 should be used?
Hi Kristen! So sorry for the slow reply. I’m on vacation and just got internet access on my computer. I’m not sure how PB2 is used but I think people have mentioned that they add water to the PB2 and then measure out the amount of peanut butter called for in the recipe. I hope that makes sense! Good luck. :)
mmmm I made these and they were delicious. I made them in the morning while my roommates were sleeping so mashed the chickpeas by hand and mixed everything in. Still turned out great. I filled a tray with cookies and there was probably 1-2 cookies worth still left of batter, which i just ate with a spoon. SO GOOD! Thank you!!
So sorry for the slow reply! :( I’m happy that you liked the cookies. And so nice of you to mash the chickpeas while your roommates were sleeping! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
Looks awesome can wait to try them but to be truly Vegan you can not use honey. Ill try them with maple syrup :)
There’s a note in the recipe and the notes about that. ;) Hope you like them!
I just found you /this recipe via pintrest and I just wanted to say thank you soo much for sharing! My 12 year old daughter and I absolutely loved these. I cant tell you how much I appreciate healthy sweets like this. See, I recently started a healthier lifestyle (not diet lol) and I don’t want to blow it or feel like I did when a sweet craving hits. These allow me to indulge, without tons of calories & fat. Thanks ;)
That’s great to hear! I’m so happy you found something to indulge on and that your daughter likes them, too. Good luck with the healthier lifestyle! Thank you so much for your kind comment and the feedback. :)
I’ve been sitting on the fence about these because I couldn’t imagine that they were actually good. Uh oh! They are! Surprise! I actually did like the “dough” (paste?) but from the looks of it, I was the only one. I am fairly certain this could be modified with a chocolate syrup to make a chocolate cookie, no problem. My chips softened quite a bit in my kitchen and my 2nd batch just over-mixed right into the cookie to make a flat out chocolate cookie. Still good! I also was successful using the blender. Thank you!!
Haha. Well I’m happy you gave them a chance! :) And a chocolate version sounds wonderful. I’m happy that the blender worked for you. A few people have mentioned that their blender died with this recipe, which is what the warning is about. ;) Thanks so much for your feedback and rating!
These are lovely!! And even better that they are guilt free!
I was a bit worried when I took the lid off the food processor to scrape the sides, as the chickpeas made the mix smell disgusting! :/
But once cooked, like you say, it’s just chocolatey goodness :)
They’re a bit messy to get into balls but I think I can live with that!
So glad I found this! Thank you! X
Agreed! The smell is nauseating! Especially when you open the can of chickpeas (I don’t like chickpeas so maybe that has something to do with it). Next time you make them, try using wet hands to mix together the balls. That should be easier! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
So I made these before I read the comments and saw that the chickpeas were supposed to be cooked first. I used them right from the can but they still turned out good. My 1 year old loved them!
Lauren, you did it correctly! If you use canned chickpeas, you don’t need to cook them because they’re already cooked. It’s only if you use the raw kind. They’re super hard so they have to be cooked first (and soaked before that!) I’ll go and edit my other comment so it doesn’t confuse anyone. I’m happy your 1 year old liked them! :)
Hello. I just finished making these cookies and they are delicious !! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. The only problem I have is that they dont get very hard on the outside. Any ideas? I folowed the recipe and everything.
I’m happy that you liked them! A few other people have said that theirs didn’t form a “crust” like mine so what they do is turn on the broiler for a minute and watch them closely. Supposedly that will work. But I really have no idea why they come out that way for some people! Perhaps a difference in chickpea moisture? Sorry I can’t help more! Thanks a bunch for your feedback and rating. :)
Well, I tried this recipe but cause I was curious about a cookie made from chickpeas, so I bought almond cream that in Spain must be the most similar to almond butter that I could find on the grocery store and I could stand the flavor ( I refused the peanut butter because we’re not very kind to that flavor) so, I followed the recipe bit by bit and it came a liquid dough… I thought that maybe could work and after the oven, It was stuck on the parchment paper. Then I decided that I should be fixing the liquid issue and I added some plain flour ..finally they taste great, even the first batch are broken
I wonder if almond cream is the right stuff. Is it just ground up almonds? Because that’s what almond butter is. It shouldn’t be liquid at all so I’m happy you were able to fix it with some flour! Thanks for the feedback. :)
Hi, the chickpeas have to be like raw and hard or soften? Mmm spanish is my native language so i dont really know if im explaining myself.. Can i put them in warm water before blending?
As much I understood after googleing, I think that the chickpeas must be already cooked, I mean… Try writing “can of chickpeas” maybe that help you. Cocidos de bote
Yes, they must be cooked!
The chickpeas should be cooked before putting them in the cookie dough. Not just put in warm water but soaked for several hours (if the chickpeas weren’t cooled at all).
So I only have a little bit of almond butter (saw that in another chickpea cookie recipe) and pb2 powder.. could I use that instead of natural peanut butter??
Yes, that should work! :)
I just made these and they were delicous. I removed the waxy shell from the chickpeas its much easier to mash and mix and it gives the chickpeas a creamier texture.
Thanks for the tip! So happy you liked them. :)
About how many cookies does this recipe make? I’m wanting to make them for a dinner party and I will need a bunch!
Nevermind I just found the answer – sorry!
It’s okay! Was it enough? :)
Would a Magic Bullet work for this? Has anyone tried it?
I have a nutribullet and it worked just fine.
I made these last week using only 1/8 cup of agave. Definitely sweet enough for me. I loved them so much I had to make them again. Only this time, I forgot to add the agave syrup! Oops! They are still yummy sweetened by the chocolate chips.
Wow, without any sweetener? That’s great! I’m happy they were still sweet enough without the agave. :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Hi there,
I was just wondering if they still turn out the same if you don’t have a food processor and just mix everything by hand?
I haven’t tried it but I imagine they’d come out with chunks in them since you can’t really grind the chickpeas. Doesn’t sound very good to me. :( Sorry!
I made them without a food processor and they were great! I used a potato masher to mash up the chick peas, which took some time, but it all came out fine! Just needed to use some elbow grease.
Wow, that’s a great idea! Thanks for the tip and the rating. :) I’m so happy that you liked them!
Absolutely love these!! Would you say they are suitable for freezing? Thanks :)
People have frozen both the dough and baked cookies and both seem to work. Enjoy! :)
I saw this recipe of yours on Pinterest last year. They are amazing. I love the combination. I feel it’s more like dough bites. My husband is crazy about these. This is one of his favourite cookies. Plus it’s healthy and satisfying :)
Wow, one of his favorites?! I’m impressed. :) My husband says, “Eww, chickpeas?! No, thank you.” So frustrating! Anyway, thanks so much for the feedback. :)
Well, he does love chickpeas and even when he first heard that were made out of chickpeas, he was shocked. It was when he tried it, he fell in love with it. He ate three cookies at one go. He loved the combo of the peanut butter and honey and would sometimes ask me to add more of them hahhaha.
Ah, I see! I love how enthusiastic he seems about the cookies. :) I wish I could get my husband to feel the same way! ;)