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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I made these last night, and I am very impressed! I had sprouted, cooked and frozen some garbanzo beans a few weeks ago, and I decided to pull them out yesterday. I made a batch of hummus and a batch of these cookies. I have made several varieties of bean cookies and these are by far the best! The only thing I didn’t realize was that they don’t actually set like cookies in the oven so I had to flatten them with a spoon to make them look like a cookie (not sure if that is normal?). I followed the recipe exactly and used Whole Food brand creamy peanut butter. My husband, who is very skeptical of all my “creations”, loved them. He actually asked for 2 cookies after dinner which NEVER happens when I make things with substitutes. He couldn’t believe they were made from Garbanzo beans. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I’m so happy that these are the best bean cookies you’ve made! They don’t really set like cookies (which is why I called them cookie dough bites. They seemed more like balls of slightly baked cookie dough!) I’m thrilled to hear that your husband liked them, too. Woohoo! Thanks so much for the feedback and the rating. :)
Just tried these tonight with sugar-free chocolate chips… and… didn’t realize until after I bought it, chunky organic natural peanut butter. I don’t suggest that. I also didn’t have a food processor for the peas. They were sweet enough, but the texture was super weird.
Hoping to try them again after I invest in a processor!
Yup, these will be much better if you use a food processor. :)
I just made these and they are OH SO GOOD!! I used PB2 instead of natural peanut butter. It has less calories so i ended up with 57 calories per cookie but with the cookie scoop i used (less messy) i ended up with 19 cookies!
57 calories?! Wow. That’s quite a reduction. Good going! :) Just because other people have asked – how did you use the PB2? Just add water like it says on the instructions? I’ve never used it or even seen it anywhere but I’d love to update the recipe with that info! Thanks so much for the feedback and your rating! I really appreciate it. :)
these are amazing! I’m pregnant and diabetic and so these are a blessing – a protein rich low carb chocolate chip cookie! I use less honey then called for, and less chocolate chips and they are still super sweet and yummy!
But….in the fridge for a week? mine never last that long!
thank you!!!
Haha. I’m happy that you liked them! :) And great that less honey and less chocolate was sweet enough for you. I wish I could say the same for me. ;) Thanks so much for the feedback!
I am type 2 diabetic and am always looking for ways to have my sweets without sending my sugars through the roof. Reading your reply made me want to try these and other recipes from this site.
That’s great to hear! I hope that you’ll enjoy these cookies and the other recipes from the blog, Angela! :)
These cookies turned out so amazing, way better than I thought possible. I didn’t have chocolate chips so I put chopped dates instead and it was super tasty.
Chopped dates?! That sounds like a nice, healthy change. So happy that it worked! Thanks for the rating and the feedback. :)
This recipe is amazing – I have been meaning to try it for months but just never and decided tonight was the night! I used apple sauce instead of honey to sweeten and used white chocolate! My new favourite treat – hands down!!! And it’s a good protein source for all my gym training ;)
Thank you for sharing!!
Oh, no. Sorry I missed your comment! You used applesauce to sweeten?! That’s amazing! I’ll have to try that. Thanks so much for the rating and the feedback! :)
Wow!!!! I made these yesterday and cannot stop eating them; they’re very addictive. Will try with sunflower butter next time.
So happy that you like them! Let me know how the sunflower butter goes. :)
OBSESSED with these cookies…thanks so much!
So happy that you liked them! I guess there are worse things to be obsessed with. ;)
Just made these. Exceeded my expectations by far. This is my first cookie made with chickpeas. My very picky 10yr old loves them. Thank you bunches for the recipe.
I’m so happy you and your son liked them! Thanks a ton for the rating and the feedback. :)
OMG the picture is so appetizing ! Found it on Pinterest (without the watermark btw) and I had to look for the recipe.
I love chickpeas (lol) and peanut butter so that’s perfect ! well I’ll have to find natural peanut butter but I will def try this treat
thx thx thx !
You can also make your own natural homemade peanut butter! The link’s in the recipe. :) It’s super simple! So happy that you came and found the source of the recipe. Thank you! :)
I had all the ingredients in the pantry and decided to give them a try. I was very disappointed. They are bland, crumbly, and don’t taste like cookie anything. I don’t see the point of the ingredients. There are better and tastier paleo cookie recipes out there!
Sorry you didn’t like the cookies! Of about 1,000 reviews, only about 5 people have disliked them so far so I wonder if something went wrong with your batch. They definitely aren’t crumbly so I’m wondering if perhaps your oven is off a little? It sounds like they might have been overbaked.
Guess I got your recipe via a post off FB that didn’t have your name or watermark on the pic…now that I know who the author of the recipe is…I would like to thank you for providing me with a Fabulous treat that satisfies my “cookie” addiction and keeps me on the right track! Will be checking out your blog more often!
Hi, Kelly! Thanks for coming to find the source of the recipe. :) I’m so happy that you liked the cookies and that you’ll be back to check out some more recipes. I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
I had gastric bypass a year ago and really have to be careful about too much sugar, but these are amazing! Now when the rest of my family wants chocolate chip cookies, I can make these and enjoy them, too! Thanks!
Hi, Leesa! I’m so happy to hear that you can enjoy chocolate chip cookies with your family now! :) Thanks so much for the feedback and for the rating!
I made these and they were so yummy! In fact when I brought them to a family gathering, they only lasted about 15 minutes so I must make them again. My only issue is that personally, I didn’t feel it was sweet enough, so I ended up adding 1/4 cup brown sugar. The raw cookie dough was good as well, I had to force myself to stop sampling.
I’m happy that you and your family liked them! Another 1/4 cup of brown sugar sounds great. :) And awesome that you liked the dough! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
I would love to try these but don’t have a food processor, any suggestions?
Do you have an immersion blender? I don’t even know if that’d work. The problem is that you really have to get the chickpeas pureed and smooth and you can’t really do that without a food processor or something similar. Sorry! :(
I used almond pb. I think it overtook the taste of the cookie. It really doesn’t taste like anything. Think I should use less almond butter next time or add more honey?
To be honest, I think almond butter just isn’t as good as peanut butter in cookies. :( It’s so bland (in my opinion). If you have to use almond butter due to allergies, I’d suggest adding more chocolate. More honey won’t help the blandness but more chocolate will! ;)
Ooooh yeaaah. Used only half suggested amount of PB and only 1 tsp. raw honey for sweetness. I also used high quality dark (70%) chocolate for baking so it would melt well. So good! And I must be the exemption to the rule because I thought the dough in raw form was pretty tasty…
I think most of the other people like the dough, too. I seem to be in the minority here! ;) So happy that your changes worked well and that you liked the cookies. Thanks for the feedback! :)
Do you think I can use Date paste instead of honey or agave?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but I’m assuming it’d work!
I made it with 1/2 honey and 1/2 date puree. IT WAS DELICIOUS! Next time i may try to use date puree entirely. thank you for the recipe!
So happy that it worked! Thanks for letting me know. :)
These cockie bites are sheere genious!! I ate almost the whole batch and now I have a tummy ache :) thank you!!
Haha. So sorry that you got a tummy ache! I hope that it was worth it. ;) Thanks so much for the feedback!
I’ve made these twice and I love them! I’m pregnant and wanting a baked good that I don’t feel too guilty about! But I’m not up for the rolling/time on my feet. Can these be made into a bar variation? Any advice on timing? I’d probably use a square 8 inch pan.
I did that once and it worked but I just can’t remember how long I baked them for! I’m guessing they wouldn’t take too long. Maybe 15-20 minutes? There’s no egg in there so you can dig in to try if they’re done to your liking or not. Thanks for the feedback! So happy that you liked them. :)