Easy Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookie Recipe (One Bowl)

Looking for a healthy alternative to sugar and refined flour filled chocolate chip cookies? You've found it! This simple and scrumptious chickpea cookie recipe is made from whole foods, is refined-sugar free and comes together in minutes.

If you know anything about me, you'll know I love tasty desserts. There's something SO nice and nostalgic about sitting down to a glass of milk (or fresh homemade almond milk!) and a couple of good-ol' chocolate chip cookies. But I love them even more if they are GUILT-FREE! By this, I mean they are made with wholesome healthy ingredients, minimal sugar (even if it's natural sugar) and still satisfy my sweet tooth.

When I make healthy cookie recipes, I feel they can float over from the realm of "treat" into the realm of "snack", if you know what I mean.

Really. These chickpea chocolate chip cookies are mainly composed of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) and pure almond butter. These are healthy foods that are wonderful to incorporate into your diet! So why not do it in cookie form. He he he...

And people say you can't use the words "healthy" and "dessert" in the same sentence. Pish posh.

Are Chickpea Cookies Healthy?

Let's consider a regular chocolate chip cookie. It's mainly made from refined white flour (which basically just turns into sugar in your body) and white and/or brown sugar. Consuming more sugar than your body can handle (which is 28g or 7 teaspoon per day, by the way), can lead to heart problems, diabetes, inflammation (the root of MANY health issues), premature skin ageing and cell ageing, depression, and many more problems. It's just bad.

Chickpea cookies are made with simple, wholesome ingredients and WAY less sugar. They still should be consumed in moderation, but you don't have to feel bad about eating them at all. You're giving your body many good nutrients, along with a little sugar. Here are the main ingredients and a bit about their nutritional value:

Chickpeas (canned) - The main ingredient! A great source of fibre, protein, folate and manganese and a decent source of many other vitamins. Much healthier than the highly refined white flour (that is stripped of almost all of its nutrients!) which is the base of most regular cookies.

Almond Butter - Almonds are high in protein, healthy fats, vitamin e, magnesium and manganese. They are also a decent source of fibre. Be sure to use PURE almond butter- the kind with no additives! If you substitute it with another nut butter, the nutrient profile will be somewhat similar. The healthiest option would be to use homemade almond butter from soaked nuts.

Maple Syrup - Contains some minerals and antioxidants, and of course is high in sugar. Can't ask much more from a sweetener! My aim is to create recipes using the least amount of natural sweetener possible that will still yield a subtly sweet and delicious treat.

Do Chickpea Cookies Taste Good?

I have found that when a baked good is made with a legume (such as chickpeas or black beans), there is often a slight grainy texture. This puts some people off.

I don't know why, but that does not happen with these cookies! They are smooth, soft and delicious!

Chickpea Cookie Tips

• To achieve a smooth consistency, be sure to process for at least 1 minute in the food processor.
• As the dough will be quite sticky, keep a small bowl of water close by to dip your fingertips in before forming the cookies. This will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and will make forming the cookies much easier.
• The cookies will be very soft when removed from the oven. Leave them on the pan at room temperature until they cool completely. This will result in a soft cookie that holds together well.

Variations of Chickpea Cookie Recipe

Just as with most chocolate chip cookie recipes, you could replace some of the chocolate chips with other add-ins, such as dark chocolate chips or chunks, your favorite chocolate bar (chopped), dried fruit, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, etc. I definitely recommend using at least ¼ cup of chocolate though!

Another fun idea is to roll the dough out on some parchment paper (dampen the rolling pin so it doesn't stick) and use cookie cutters to shape the dough. This will work because this cookie dough doesn't change shape while baking. This way you can customize your cookies to fit a themed birthday party or holiday!

Chickpea Cookie Recipe FAQ

Can You Use Another Nut Butter Instead of Almond Butter?

You can use any nut or seed butter, such as natural peanut butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter. Just make sure it is pure with no additives- check those ingredients! It should be nothing but the nut and possibly salt. Also, consider that this will change the flavor of the cookie. I find almond butter to be a very mild and subtle flavor, so it doesn't overpower the cookie. On the other hand, if you used peanut butter, they would most likely more accurately be described as peanut butter chickpea cookies.

Can You Use Another Sweetener Instead of Maple Syrup?

Any liquid sweetener would work in place of pure maple syrup, but the only substitute I would recommend is raw honey since it is also a natural sweetener. I use honey in my kitchen a lot, but sometimes I just prefer the flavor of maple syrup. This is one of those situations. Date syrup is a great natural sweetener as well, I have just never tried it. Agave, corn and rice syrups are all highly refined with no nutritional value, so avoid those if you can.

I have not tried using granulated sugars (white sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, etc), so cannot comment on how they would work in this recipe. If you try them out, let me know how it goes!

Can You Use Chickpea Flour Instead of Canned Chickpeas?

I have not tried it and imagine it would not work as a direct replacement. Other ingredient amounts would likely need to be adjusted, so I wouldn't recommend it.

Can This Chickpea Cookie Recipe Be Doubled?

I would not advise doubling this recipe. The dough is very thick and doubling it would most likely overfill and put excess strain on your food processor. If you want to double it, make two separate batches.

Can You Eat Raw Chickpea Cookie Dough?

Many cookie recipes contain eggs, which are risky to eat when uncooked, but guess what... THIS ONE DOESN'T! It is completely safe to eat this chickpea cookie dough raw. YAY EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH! So don't feel bad if they never make it into the oven... *wink* *wink* yet another reason this recipe can be called "guilt-free"!

Are Chickpea Cookies Gluten-Free?

Yes! All of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free. The only ingredient that you may want to ensure is gluten-free is the chocolate chips (most are gluten-free, but some aren't, so just check to make sure if you are celiac or gluten-intolerant). As we know, the body often has a difficult time breaking down gluten completely, so whether you're celiac, gluten-intolerant or neither, gluten-free is a great choice.

Are Chickpea Cookies Vegan?

As long as you use plant-based chocolate chips or chunks, these cookies are 100% naturally vegan!

Tools You May Need

Food processor

Cookie sheets (2)

Measuring cups and spoons

Cookie scoop (optional)

Chickpea Cookie Ingredients

19 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed well and drained

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup + 2 tablespoon natural almond butter (or another nut butter)

2 tablespoon pure maple syrup (see substitution options above)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup chocolate chips or chunks

How to Make Chickpea Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper (or grease them with oil or butter).

Add all ingredients to a food processor, except for chocolate chips. Process for at least one minute until the mixture is smooth (it will be quite thick).

Add chocolate chips and pulse for a few seconds to incorporate them into the cookie dough. Don't over-do it or your chocolate chips will get chopped up!

Make cookie dough balls that are about the amount of 2 tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet (I use a ⅛ cup measuring cup, which is the same as 2 tbsp. You could also use a cookie scoop). The dough will not spread much, so you will need to form the cookies. Moisten your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to them and pat the balls down into flat circular shapes.

Bake for 10 minutes. When you remove them from the oven, they will look and feel very soft- this is normal. Place the cookie sheet on a wire rack and allow the cookies to cool for at least 30 minutes. If you pick them up too soon, they will fall apart. Makes approximately 20 cookies that measure about 2 inches across.

How to Store Chickpea Cookies

These cookies are very moist, so if not eaten the same day they are made, I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. They can also be frozen in an airtight container and stored for 2-3 months in the freezer.

More Delicious Guilt-Free Desserts:

• CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA POPSICLES
• GERMAN GINGERBREAD COOKIES
• HEALTHY CHOCOLATE FUDGE POPSICLES
• KEY LIME PIE
• DAIRY-FREE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

What did you think of these chickpea cookies? Let me know in the comments below!

Pin It For Later