Prior to this lockdown I was already frequent flyer to club kitchen, but now I think I’m starting to wear out my welcome. Baking stuff was one of the first activities I was able to do after my knee surgery and I’ve circled back to spending a ton of time in the kitchen; getting acquainted with my toys from Christmas and just trying to pass the time. I will say that I have somehow avoided making banana bread so far, but I have discovered some new goodies that are equally if not more addictive- and not to mention super easy.
First of all, let’s talk about chickpeas. Ah the garbanzo bean! Put on the map largely because of hummus. Which is of course extremely tasty, but hummus doesn’t do much for my sweet tooth. I LOVE baked goods, but I also love staying mindful of how I’m eating. Now that doesn’t mean that I won’t stuff my face with a pizza or blizzard from good old DQ (shout out midwesterners) from time to time, but love to find creative ways to fulfill my baked good needs and keep me from feeling guilty about it. So when I stumbled on a TikTok video about chickpea cookie dough, I decided to take matters into my own hands to create the perfect bake-able chickpea almond butter cookie.
Without further ado: here is what you need in your cupboard to attain the level of happiness that these cookies bring:
- 1 1/2 cans of chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 5 dates
- Chocolate of choice (I used Lilly’s dark chocolate chips)
- Salt (I use pink Himalayan)
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. It is crucial to do this first because if you forget to do this at the beginning, you will eat all of the dough before the oven heats all the way up. The dough is phenomenal but you’re doing yourself a disservice if at least half of the dough doesn’t make it to cookie form.
Next up take your chickpeas and strain them. There’s a bunch of liquid in the cans called aquafaba and it needs to go. Apparently it can be used as a vegan replacement for egg whites, but we don’t need that right now. Once you get that all drained out, the chickpeas can go straight into your food processor or mixing bowl. I have a Vitamix (this one to be exact), so I put all of my ingredients straight in that bad boy. I highly recommend the Vitamix but it is quite the investment. Mixing it with a mixer in a large bowl will work just fine.
Then I added in the almond butter. I like to make my own with the Vitamix but I haven’t made these cookies with homemade almond butter. Instead, I used Justin’s brand (which actually isn’t my favorite be cause there are more ingredients than just almonds, but it’s slim pickins here in northern Iowa). I struggle to keep my measurements exact but this is somewhere around 1/2 cup. You can add in more if you’re really feeling it that day. Next, add in the honey. You could probably use agave or maple syrup if you aren’t a honey fan. But I haven’t played around with those substitutions so if it makes your cookies taste like shit, don’t come for me.
Once you’ve done that, add in your 5 dates. I recommend pitted medjool dates. They aren’t super calorie light, but they add great flavor and are a natural sweetener. Also if you’re needing a little pre-cookie snack, take a date and halve it like a hot dog bun, put a blop of almond butter inside and top with a chocolate chip (or two) and a little sprinkle of salt. You’re welcome.
Back to your cookies. All you’re missing is the vanilla, baking powder and salt, so throw that in. As far as the chocolate goes, you can add it in before you blend/mix your dough, but some people prefer to fold in the chips so that they don’t get broken up in the dough. This is up to you but I typically mix 1/2 in and stir in the rest. 
If you’re using a Vitamix, use the tamper to get the ingredients all the way into the blades. You might have to stop every once in a while and mix it manually in between blending cycles. It’s up to you how you do it, just use your best judgement! Now of course you must stop and taste test the dough. Wow, right?
Next take a spoon and begin to scoop out little balls of dough to put onto your cookie sheet. I think this makes about 16 small-medium size cookies. You could probably stretch it a little bit more if you don’t eat a lot of the dough. Plop them in the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes. Don’t worry about pressing the cookies down until the 10 minute timer goes off. Once the first ten minutes passes, take a fork and press the cookies down in the center. Put them back in and set the timer again for 10 minute and repeat this process. Since the ingredients are different than your average cookies, they need a little help taking on their cookie form and I’ve found this is the best way to get them cooked all the way through. After your second 10 minutes and fork press, put them in for a final 5 minutes. You could probably even do 10 minutes if you like them a little crispy.
VIOLA. Take out those puppies and let them cool. I like to top mine with a pinch of Himalayan salt. So damn good. As with anything, there are different variations to take. You could try adding an egg or two, oats, fruit instead of chocolate chips… the list goes on and on. Have fun, get creative and let me know how they turn out for you!
R + R 