Chocolate Chickpea Cookies
These delicious gluten-free cookies are easily made vegan and take no time to make. You might be surprised that the secret ingredient is a tin of chickpeas! They’re a recipe out of my Fresh Start cookbook.
Ingredients
- 400 g can chickpeas drained, rinsed
- ½ cup nut butter e.g. almond, cashew or peanut ½ cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
- 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil melted (use coconut oil for dairy-free/vegan )
- 70 g good-quality dark eating chocolate at least 70% cocoa solids (about ½ cup), finely chopped (check label for dairy-free/vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170degC. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Pat chickpeas dry with paper towels. Place in the food processor with nut butter, vanilla, brown sugar, baking powder, ground almonds, and butter or coconut oil. Blitz until all ingredients are well combined and have formed a cookie dough consistency.
- Add dark chocolate and pulse briefly to distribute the chocolate throughout the cookie dough.
- Roll heaped tablespoonfuls of cookie dough into balls (having wet hands helps stop the dough from being too sticky to roll) and place on prepared baking tray, about 3cm apart (they won’t spread much). Flatten slightly with the back of a wet fork.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and leave cookies to cool slightly. Use a fish slice to transfer them carefully to a wire rack to cool completely – they will be quite delicate.
- These cookies are lovely eaten warm, but can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry for up to a week, or frozen for several weeks – when you want to eat one (or two!) just warm for 10 seconds in the microwave and the chocolate will melt and go gooey.
Notes
Chickpeas make a great gluten-free (and more nutritious) alternative to wheat flour in baking, as they provide the same substance and floury texture. I’ve used them in these chocolate nut-butter cookies to boost their nutrition.
This cookie recipe is perfect if you’re watching your weight. You can keep them in the freezer so that you’re less tempted to munch on them. Simply microwave one for 10 seconds and it will be nice and warm. These cookies are naturally gluten-free and can be made dairy-free/vegan by using coconut oil instead of butter and dairy-free chocolate such as Green & Blacks Dark or Lindt 85% or 90%. If you like this recipe, you’ll also like my Healthier Chocolate and Berry Brownie – it too contains a secret ingredient!
This cookie recipe is perfect if you’re watching your weight. You can keep them in the freezer so that you’re less tempted to munch on them. Simply microwave one for 10 seconds and it will be nice and warm. These cookies are naturally gluten-free and can be made dairy-free/vegan by using coconut oil instead of butter and dairy-free chocolate such as Green & Blacks Dark or Lindt 85% or 90%. If you like this recipe, you’ll also like my Healthier Chocolate and Berry Brownie – it too contains a secret ingredient!