Easy Chocolate Chip Chickpea “Cookie Dough”

“Cookie dough” and “clean eating” typically don’t go together in the same sentence. But I knew if I was ever going to stay with clean eating, I had to find a way to indulge in an all-time favorite junk food from time to time.

After much researching and taste testing (not a terrible side effect of the process, I might add), I stumbled across chickpeas. Not only do these little legumes pack a ton of protein and fiber, they also have minimal taste—making chickpeas the perfect vehicle for clean eating experimentation.

The key to chickpeas becoming the perfect base for this cookie dough is to make sure they blend up well. Two things are needed for this critical step: soft chickpeas and a good food processor.

For the soft chickpeas, you have two options.

1. Buy dried chickpeas and cook them yourself, but make sure they are completely cooked. Do not—I repeat, do not—stop cooking them until they are soft to the bite. If you undercook the chickpeas, your smooth, silky chocolate chip chickpea cookie dough will have a slightly chunky bite to it, which is not something you want.
2. Buy canned chickpeas (aka: garbanzo beans). All you need to do is rinse very well, drain, and they are good to go.

For the good food processor, learn from my mistake. For years, I contemplated getting a food processor but couldn’t justify getting yet another kitchen appliance. Honestly, couldn’t my KitchenAid mixer and a knife or mandolin do the same thing?

Finally, after years of going back and forth, I finally got a 12-cup Cuisinart Elite food processor and have never regretted it. Yes, it was somewhat expensive. Yes, it takes up quite a bit of space. Yes, it is not the most fun to clean (and I’ve cut myself on the blades a few times). But, I use it almost every week to make anything from baby food to hummus to shredded veggies to chocolate banana “ice cream” to… The point is—invest in a good food processor sooner than later. If not, you’ll look back years later when you inevitably get one and wonder why the heck you waited so long.

Ok, back to the recipe. Once you have soft chickpeas and a good food processor, not much else stand between you and clean cookie dough. This recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes and truly tastes like the real thing. While you can enjoy it right away, I think it’s best chilled, so do yourself a favor and try to think ahead with this one. I know, I know—it’s damn near impossible to resist fresh cookie dough. So, grab a spoonful to hold you over, pop your freshly made chocolate chip chickpea cookie dough in the fridge for a hour, then really dig in. Or, be mindful of how much you eat and only have a spoonful (or two). Either way, with the small amount of chocolate chips and the huge health punch of chickpeas, you’ve made a much better choice with this than falling into the store-bought cookie dough trap.

TIP: Buying and preparing your own dried chickpeas and other beans may take a bit more prep time, but you’ll save money and know exactly what is in your food. To save time, I like to prepare a pound or two of chickpeas at a time, lay the cooked beans on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, freeze, and then transfer to a freezer-safe container for prepared beans that are always on hand. No clumping, easy to measure out, and always available for a quick salad, dip, or (most likely) this chocolate chip chickpea cookie dough.

Chocolate Chip Chickpea “Cookie Dough”

Course: Dessert, SnackCuisine: American

Servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calorieskcal

Cookie dough cravings are conquered with this clean take on chocolate chip cookie dough. No eggs, no flour, no stomach ache.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas 1 15-oz can; drain and rinse well

• 1/2 cup milk 2% or nondairy

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 TBSP honey

• 1/3 cup peanut butter

• 1 cup old fashioned oats

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

• In the bowl of your food processor, add chickpeas and process for about 1 minute. Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the milk and process for another minute and scrap down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the salt, vanilla extract, honey, peanut butter, and oats to the chickpea mixture. Process for another minute, scraping sides periodically to ensure everything is incorporated.
• Finally, add chocolate chips and stir (don't process or you will wind up with tiny bits of chocolate instead of chocolate chips).
• Enjoy at room temperature, refrigerated, or frozen in cookie dough balls for treats you can enjoy straight out of the freezer.

Notes

• My family loves regular sized chocolate chips, but mini chocolate chips work extremely well in this recipe and give you a bit of chocolate in every bite. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
• This recipe is designed for a smooth, velvety cookie dough. For a chunkier dough, reserve some oats to add along with the chocolate chips.
• If the dough is too thick, add another tablespoon or two of milk to thin it out. I find that if I use frozen chickpeas (thawed before using, of course), I need to add a little extra milk to get the right consistency.