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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These are in the oven as I type this!
Do you have calorie info for these? I made them last night and was impressed! Telling all my friends about them :)
I made these last night and substituted a liquid sweetener (Sweetz-Free) for the honey. They turned out great! THANKS! I was diagnosed with Diabetes almost a year ago and I have been CRAVING cookies! So this really helped to hit the spot.
I loooove chicpeas and I lover your recipe. I tried 'meatballs' out of chickpeas, I tried smashed chickpeas but really, I never ever tried to make them with sweet things and with chocolate. These cookies / cookie dough bites look amazing! I definitely have to try them.
I just made these today using raw natural almond butter. OMG, they are SO good! Since I learned I was gluten intolerant almost a year ago, I havent eaten a single warm chocolate chip cookie. Thank you.
Tried the recipe as is; disappointed :/ Maybe substituting ripe banana would work next time.
Hey Erin! One of my friends brought the most amazing GF chocolate chip cookies to a gathering last night, and after I asked her for the recipe, lo and behold — they are yours!!! SO good! :-)
I hope yo're well!
This is a test comment. Something weird is happening with the comments… I can't reply to anyone and it's not publishing my comments. And one got deleted when I replied to it.
And if this actually goes through, thanks for the feedback! I'll try to reply once it works again. :)
Wow, these are so good!! What a great recipe, I too will inhale these anytime my wife whips up a batch. We've made them for other people too, they can't believe the recipe. Yep, no GMO's and no nasties. Way to go Erin.
These cookies are out of this world!!! I made one batch as you said…awesome, and then added one whole banana (but kept the rest of the recipe the same)…also awesome (the whole banana made them a touch sweeter and gave them a gooey-er texture)
I found your recipe on Pinterest, and made them last night! They were a complete hit! My husband had some this morning and said the peanut butter taste really came through at room temperature! Thanks for a great recipe! :)
Do you think you could make the dough and freeze that instead of baking them all and then "reheating" it??
Just so everyone knows, these are DELICIOUS! I'm not a health freak, just wanted to try somethign that sounded crazy. They tasted just like peanut butter chocolate cookies. I LOVED THEM! My 2 and 3 year old loved them and so did my husband. They are delicious cold as well. We used regular peanut butter and hat to use a mixer instead of a food processor. Loved it! Thanks for the recipe
These are fantastic. My whole family loved them. I even really liked them cold.
Thanks so much for this great recipe! I just tested a cookie straight out of the oven and it was divine! Only substitute I used was broken up blocks of chocolate instead of the chocolate chips. It's turned out quite chocolate heavy, so I can't seem to taste the peanut, but that's okay with me. Amazing how great a texture you get with the tinned chick peas – and no hint of the flavour in the finished product.
Do you know if liquid stevia would work with this in place of honey? I am not allowed any sugar whatsoever.
I made these last night….SO YUMMY!!
I am going to make these with chickpeas. I can't wait!
I didn't have enough chocolate chips, so I put a bunch of cocoa powder in. And I don't have a food processor, so I used my blender which did nothing. So I went to my hand mixer. I added two eggs as it just wouldn't mix.
15 minutes baked on my pampered chef stone was just perfect.
Going to make this. Thanks so much! I have chickpea flour. I wonder if I could use that instead of chickpeas canned?
I know you said you'd try these with chickpeas, but for any other people wondering – no. Flour doesn't have the same texture as chickpeas so it's important to use chickpeas! I hope you liked them. :)
I tried these on the weekend and may I just say – WOW! Just WOW!!!! Should have seen the look on hubby's face when I told them they were made from chick peas… he is a convert!!
Used almond butter since I am avoiding peanuts right now…they looked awesome, smelled lovely, and tasted kind of blech. I sprinkled some sugar on top – helped only a bit. Added whipped cream – slightly more palatable. Will try with PB for the kids, perhaps.
they're currently in the oven! Thanks for the awesome recipe, I also love baking and am getting into healthy substitutes! – Rachel
Tried this recipe tonight. I found it by searching for Paleo desserts on Pinterest. I did not like my first cookie at all until I realize it needed more salt. About a 1/4 teaspoon made a world of difference. Not sure if I'll make them again, but it was an interesting recipe.
I'm happy you liked them better with the salt addition. And are these Paleo? I had no idea!
Delicious! I did make a slight change, but they tasted amazing so I'm thinking it was not a big deal. I substituted the natural peanut butter for Reduced Fat Jiff (which is what I had on hand). And I used a small icecream scooper (you know, the kind folks use for mini cupcakes) to put the dough on my baking sheets, instead of wet hands, which worked out really well. I got 24 cookie dough balls that way too. YUM! I'm amazed at how the chickpeas gives you that flour like consistency. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
And thanks for the feedback! The ice cream scooper tip is a great one. :) I'm happy that the Jiff worked for you. You're the first one to mention reduced fat Jiff worked so thanks a bunch for mentioning that! I'm happy you enjoyed them and thanks for the feedback. :)
I made these last night to bring to a potluck today – out of the oven yesterday, they looked exactly like the pictures, but today when I went to serve them they were extremely oily! Still tasted delicious, but any idea what happened? I followed the recipe exactly :/ Thank you for posting – my friends had fun guessing what the "secret ingredient" was!
Oh no! I know you said you followed the directions exactly, but you did use natural peanut butter? I feel awful that they did that for you. I can't imagine what would cause that! You're the first person to mention them being oily (a few other people did but they used regular peanut butter). But I'm happy that your friends still liked them!
I was doubtful but I just made a batch and they are absolutely amazing! How on Earth can chickpeas cookies taste this heavenly!? How can something so delicious be healthy?! Thank you so much for the recipe! I'm trying to be healthy without removing the fun of junk food once in a while without eating a ton of junk!
I love your attitude! You have to keep the fun of junk food or you'll just go batty one day. At least I would. I'm happy that you liked them and that they could help out with your healthier eating thing you're going for. Good luck with that and thanks for the feedback! :)
Well, I made the cookies and I love them! They are so moist! I will make these again for sure. My only suggestion is to wait several minutes before taking them off the pan. I smooshed a couple! haha Of course, that just gave me a great excuse to eat them!!
Haha. That's the spirit! Smoosh them and then you're forced to eat them. :) I'm happy that you managed them and thanks for letting us know that they came out!
I am making these cookies right now. I will let everyone know how they turn out. I am so excited!!
I probably missed it if anyone had asked about the amount of calories or fat or fiber are in each cookie? I can't wait to try these cookies. I have to buy the Natural PB first, ( I have everything else ready to go).Thanks for your reply!
I think the average for calories was 130 or so, but they do have a lot of protein. Just keep loading more comments and you'll find the analysis! Lots of people have posted what they came up with. Or wait. Go here! They posted one. http://nutritiontwins.com/blog/610-grain-free-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies#.UPr7fic0WSo
Made these last night and LOVED them!! I even took a couple with me today when I met up with some girlfriends and both them and their 2 year olds loved them as well!
I used a full can of chickpeas which is only 1/4 cup more than the recipe calls for and it didnt make a difference.
I also used a cookie dough scoop (kind of like a melon baller) to make the balls instead of my hands which worked amazingly and gave me no trouble.
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
A cookie dough scoop is a great idea! The dough is really sticky so I'll have to try that next time. Thanks for the idea! :) I'm happy that everyone enjoyed the cookies. And hooray for getting two year olds to eat chickpeas! Thanks for letting me know that they turned out for you!
Looks wonderful. Do you think I can use chickpea flour aka besan or gram flour? There's plenty of this in India where I live.
Unfortunately, that wouldn't work. At least I don't think so. The texture of ground up chickpeas and dry flour are just too different. Can you find chickpeas there?
Love them! Just made them, are awesome! greetings from Venezuela!
OMG, amazing! I just made them, there awesome, warm are better! greetings from Venezuela :)
Thanks, Stefania! I'm so happy that you liked them! And yup, warm are definitely better. At least for us. Lots of other seem to prefer them as dough or room temperature. For me, they just taste too healthy that way. Anyway, thanks for the feedback and for trying them!
Do you happen to have the nutritional info on these?
If you look at the previous comments, several people have posted their analysis. :) I think the average for calories was 130 or so, but they do have a lot of protein.
Made these before dinner tonight.. and my family of four ate every last one! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you, I'm gluten free.
Found this recipe via Pinterest and made them tonight…ridiculously good!!! I am allergic to peanut butter, so I made them with Sunbutter and they are amazing! My husband and three-year-old son love them, too! So so so good!!!!
I love that the whole family enjoyed them! I could never get my husband on board with these but I'm happy you were able to. :) Thanks a bunch for the feedback! Oh and thanks for the Sunbutter comment. I'm sure that tip will help the other people who are allergic to peanut butter!
I found this recipe as a feature in a gluten free article and made them last night. I love everything about these cookies. They're great warm or room temp but I like them warm a tad bit more. My husband likes them room temp and my daughter likes the dough. To each his/her own. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Cathy
Haha. I love how everyone enjoys them a different way. That's great! Thank you so much for letting me know that you all liked them.
I love these "cookies"! I made them for a snack after working out, but decided to share them with my study group. I was expecting people to snub them because of their healthy quality, but everyone ate them faster than the "real" chocolate chip cookies! I can't wait to make them again =)
-Amy at http://www.sweetspatulas.com
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear. And I'm impressed that your study group liked them. :) Thanks for your feedback!
I just switched to a wheat free diet, and I was dying for some chocolate chip cookies. I didn't have natural pb so I had to use regular, but they still came out great! I have to stash these away or I'll eat them all right now haha. I used dark chocolate chips mixed with regular since I didn't have enough, and I subbed the agave for the honey. Delicious!!! My chickpeas must have had a little more water in them even after patting dry since the batter wasn't as thick but they still really came out great. Thank you!!
I'm happy that they came out with the regular peanut butter! And the agave. :) Maybe you could try a different brand of chickpeas next time? Just to see if it'd be different. Thanks a ton for the feedback. I appreciate it!
Made them tonight. My toddler said "Yummy yummy!" My husband and I thought they were awesome too!
That's great! I'm so happy you all liked them. :) Thanks for letting me know!
Your recipe sounds soo good. I'm just wondering if you can use something besides a food processor to combine the ingredients because I don't have one. I'd like to try it, do you think a mixer would work?
I'm afraid that a mixer wouldn't blend the chickpeas well enough. :( You really want to get them well combined or else these will be pretty unpleasant, I think. I suggest trying these at a friend's house! It'd be fun, right? :)
one of my fav healthy cookies! Ive been making them for about a year now, amazing! everyone is blown away by the taste & whats inside!! thank you! :) -Sondrea
Thanks for your feedback, Sondrea! I'm so happy to hear that people enjoy them. :)
Wow Erin, the melted chocolate was calling me :o) I used dark chocolate chips (as I don't like milk chocolate) and the cookies were delicious!!! I cut it into2 parts, one part for the cookies and the other as a spread for my Pumpernickel bread yummieeeee with slices of apple this morning it was lovely (I like chickpeas so I even like the sweet combination)
About your Speculoospasta addiction, if you tell me which one you like I can send you some, I’m close to the source (live in Belgium). Some people like to use the Speculoos cookies for a Cheesecake bottom (I prefer nuts and oatmeal as a bottom)
Have a nice day
Gabi
You used this as a spread?! That's great. And very, very creative. :)
Thank you so much for the Speculoospasta offer! I went to France recently and bought a lot so I'm covered. :) Thank you, though! I've used Speculoos as cheesecake and pie bottom and love it. So much more interesting than a normal crust, but nuts and oatmeal is also lovely. Thanks again! I really appreciate it. :)
Thanks to your recipe chocolate chip cookies are back on the menu! These cookies were amazing. Thank you!
Yay! So happy that you enjoyed them. :) Thanks for the feedback!
This recipe looks amazinggggggggg. i'm gonna bookmark and make this. WOW.
I hope you can give it a try! The reviewer above you, Sonia, seemed to like them at least. ;)
I am SO making these!
LIKE NOW!
Well, after my workout, that is!
Darn, no canned chickpeas. Gotta soak 'em.
Alright then let me try that again…
I am SO making these.
LIKE TOMORROW!
When I have some chickpeas ready, that is.
Haha. I hope you'll like them! I'm interested to see what you do with the honey. :) And I'm interested if non-canned will work. I've had that issue with something else before. I used fresh when I should have used canned and it didn't work out. Although it could just be that I didn't like the recipe. ;) Good luck!
OK, Erin, WOW, I mean, OMG, WOW!
I am speechless… wordless, breathless, motionless…
I fact, I think I might have fallen unconscious but my body does not yet know it.
I've eaten FOUR just taking the pictures, and now I'm just sitting here, eyeing them as they "lay" across the table, "evilely" trying to tempt me.
A few of them I had to break open for the pictures, you know. Surely I can't store them like that, what a dishonor it would be for the poor cookies to be put in a jar with their bodies in pieces. I think I might have to put an end to their suffering and eat them right now, before they even realize that they are no longer complete!
Seriously, what a winning recipe! I made a few substitutions, but really, just a few. I am in total awe, and in complete adoration.
`
Tell me, can one marry a cookie?
Motionless? Unconscious? Hahaha. You leave the BEST comments! Thank you! But they're not low calorie so stay away, okay?! And a dishonor? Oh goodness. You're awesome! I hope you post them so I can see your healthy subs! Thank you SO much for leaving feedback. This is, hands down, my favorite comment ever. :D So yes, so stay away from them for today and give them to your son. Just don't tell him what's in them! And warm them up! He'll never know. :)
GIVE THEM TO MY SON??? NO WAY!!! I ate them ALL, ALL I tell you! Well, no, that is not true. I kept four in the freezer to test freezability and munchability of frozen cookie factors, so hopefully next time, I can make a bigger batch.
Becuause, yeah, there WILL be a next time.
Heck, I think they're even better once they cool down. Their texture is just the best. So dense, yet so soft. I can't wait until I can afford to have the other 4 (I might go only 2 at a time this time 'round though. 4 in one go was a little over the top!)
Say, did you happen to see the picture I posted on my FB page? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=545045392172468&set;=a.291773160833027.84204.247662465244097&type;=1&theater;
I can't look at it too much, it only makes me want to completely lose myself in one of them babies once again.
And are you saying I can warm them up? And they'll be just as decadent as when they came out of the oven?
Oh my… I might very well have just fallen unconscious again…
Thanks for the Facebook link! I've been having problems with Facebook for the last few months. I only see posts 4 – 8 days afterwards so I pretty much don't go on there. And yes, put 'em in the microwave! Thanks again for the funny comment. :)
This recipe was incredible. I just made it…and as usual didnt check to make sure I had everything before I already started mixing things so…I used 1/2 cup almond butter + 2tbsp peanut butter since I was nearly out of peanut butter! Then I used 1 tbsp of vanilla extract instead of 2 tsps because I grabbed the tbsp before I realized…lol. BUT even with these mess ups they were delish. I actually liked it as dough too! What I liked even more was that I ate 2 and felt satisfied. If it were "real" cookies the sugar and flour would have set off my carb monster and I would have ate til I regretted it!
I'm so happy that your subs worked! And congratulations on feeling satisfied with two. I have to admit that I don't share your control around these or anything I like for that matter. :( Stupid carb monster! Thanks a ton for your feedback and sorry it took me a while. :)
Looks like a recipe worth trying. I will let you know what my kids think.