These chickpea cookie dough bites taste similar to the real thing but are made with nutrient-dense ingredients. They’re completely safe to consume since there’s no raw flour or eggs. A sweet treat that contains fiber and heart-healthy fat as a bonus!
Alternate post title: yet another way to use a can of chickpeas!
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m so pleasantly surprised by this trend of using chickpeas to make “cookie dough”. Of course that’s in quotes because this isn’t really cookie dough, but it is similar in taste/texture.
Now hear me out: I’m as big a skeptic as anyone when it comes to incorporating beans into desserts. If I’m having dessert, I want the real thing.
But these are snack-worthy, and still taste great. I’ve been using them for a mid-afternoon or after-dinner snack. Just sweet enough, but also super satisfying because of the fiber and healthy fats.
Chickpea Cookie Dough Ingredients
Here are the seven staple ingredients you’ll need to make them:
- Chickpeas. These are the base of the recipe that makes up most of the volume. Drain and rinse really well to remove any lingering juices/flavors.
- Peanut butter. I used unsweetened natural salted (the kind that you need to stir), so be sure to adjust if you use a sweetened version.
- Oat flour. This helps bind everything together and take away the stickiness so you can handle it with your hands. To make it, just add oats to a food processor and pulse until it’s fine like flour.
- Maple syrup. I chose a liquid sweetener because I knew it would blend well.
- Vanilla bean paste aka my new favorite baking item. I picked this up on Amazon a couple of weeks ago and have been using it in all sorts of fun ways (including these vegan oatmeal cookies and a vanilla bean simple syrup).
- Sea salt to bring out the flavor (could also top with flaky salt)
- Chocolate chips. I use bittersweet because I love the flavor of dark chocolate and I wanted to keep these lower in sugar.
Do these taste like chickpeas?
No. Seriously, they don’t! They somehow manage to mimic actual cookie dough even with an entire can of chickpeas blended in. With strong flavors like nut butter, vanilla paste and maple syrup, any hint of beans gets masked and you’re left with a smooth, lightly sweet and perfectly doughy final product. Let’s be honest, it’s not Nestlé Tollhouse. But it’s delicious and does not taste like beans.
Can I make substitutions?
As always, there are plenty of ways you can customize these to make them your own and I recommend that you do. You could even switch up the cookie flavor (snickerdoodle maybe? white chocolate macadamia?).
Swap in a different nut butter
I think cashew butter would work really well, but it can be a bit hard to find and much more expensive. You could also try a flavored almond butter and cut back on the maple syrup.
Vanilla extract works in place of the paste
If you don’t have the paste, feel free to use an equal amount of vanilla extract. I totally get that it’s not something most people keep stocked. That being said, I’m a HUGE fan of the vanilla bean paste and would highly recommend picking some up. Once you have it, you’ll want to experiment with it in everything.
Try another sweetener
I can’t speak to the results of any other sweeteners because I haven’t tested anything besides maple syrup. I’m thinking brown sugar would taste really good, but I’m not sure if you would need more stickiness to bind everything together.
Use whatever chocolate you love
Bittersweet is my favorite because I love the taste of really dark chocolate over the sweeter varieties. Semi-sweet or even milk chocolate would work just as well though.
Give these a try and let me know what you think, especially if you’re a skeptic like I was! Even better, snap a picture and tag me on Instagram to let me know how they turned out.
If you love this recipe, you might also like:
- Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
- Maple Tahini Oatmeal Balls
- Coconut Chia Pudding with Ginger and Cacao
Chickpea Cookie Dough Bites
These chickpea cookie dough bites taste similar to the real thing but are made with nutrient-dense ingredients. They’re completely safe to consume since there’s no raw flour or eggs. A sweet treat that contains fiber and heart-healthy fat as a bonus!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 15 bites 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
- 1/3 cup salted natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup oat flour (see notes)
- 1.5 tsp vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp kosher sea salt
- 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (plus extra for topping)
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add chickpeas through salt to a food processor and run until completely smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally.
- Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in chocolate chips (reserving some for topping).
- Use a spring-loaded cookie scoop to portion into 1.5 Tbsp size balls and drop on the sheet pan. Roll each between your hands. It will be a little sticky, but you should be able to handle it. Push a few reserved chocolate chips on top of each.
- Freeze for at least 30 minutes (until solid), then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or food storage container.
Notes
- The equipment section above provides affiliate links to tools/appliances I use often in my kitchen and love!
- To make oat flour: add rolled oats to a blender and run until it resembles flour.
- I also tested these with ground flax instead of the oat flour and it worked well! I just preferred the flavor of the oat flour but know that’s an option as well.
- For best results, store cookie dough bites in the freezer or refrigerator. These will soften if left at room temperature and while still delicious, they’ll be messier to eat. Let it thaw for about 5 minutes before eating and it will be perfect.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bite
- Calories: 104 calories
- Fat: 4 grams
- Carbohydrates: 13 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
Keywords: chickpea cookie dough, vegan cookie dough, cookie dough bites, sweets
Want More Plant-Forward Recipes?
Join my VIP list and I'll send you five reader favorites! Healthy, flavor-packed recipes. What's not to love about that?
Kerri S says
Recipe does not state when you put in the oats or at what step!!
★★
Leanne says
Hi Kerri! In step 2 it specifies to “add chickpeas through salt to a food processor”. This means that you add all the ingredients listed between those two items. Everything except the chocolate chips. Hope that helps!
Nikki says
I am obsessed with these!!! Just made for the first time and they are delicious. Can you recommend which brand of Vanilla you bought from Amazon? There are so many options and its hard to trust the reviews.
Leanne says
Hi Nikki! I’m so glad you loved these as much as me. I love Rodale vanilla paste the best.
Pat says
Trying to reduce sweets, so I used half the maple syrup and subbed 2oz walnuts and 2 oz dried blueberries for the chocolate. I also make with a tsp measure so I get about 3 dozen mini bites.
Leanne says
Sounds delish!
Jennifer Buckley says
This recipe sounds great. Can I substitute stevia powder for the maple syrup?
Leanne says
Hi Jennifer! I’m not well-versed in using stevia so I’m not sure. If it’s a liquid variety, I don’t see why not! Let me know if it works out for you.
Russ says
Fantastic. Consistency is perfect. It’s the easiest vegan treat I’ve ever made.
★★★★★
Leanne says
Wow, what a great compliment! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a rating and review Russ. I’m glad these turned out well for you.
Debbie says
Could you use almond flour instead of oat flour?
Leanne says
I think it would work but I haven’t tried it myself so I’m not positive. I have tried ground flax and that works really well as a sub. Let me know if you give the AF a try!
S says
Everybody loves these, I don’t tell them they are made with garbanzo beans. ;~)
I gave them to several picky eaters, ages 80-18, added walnuts and white chocolate chips cause I had them in the pantry. Thanks fur the recipe!
★★★★★
Leanne says
Love those sneaky chickpeas, haha! And great add-ins too, I’ll have to try with the white chocolate and walnuts next time. Yum! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating!
Deanna says
Can the oat flour be substituted with coconut flour?
Leanne says
I’m not sure coconut flour would work here since it can absorb so much moisture, it’s a little riskier to try as a sub in most recipes. I have used ground flaxseed in place of the oat flour though and it works great! Let me know if you give either a try. Thanks Deanna!
william gregory hunicutt says
I’d consider making this because (1) I love the dietitian’s honesty about the recipe being good, but it’s “no Nestlé’s Tollhouse cookie;” (2) it’s also safer to eat since many folks with immunosuppressed systems (like me) risk a lot from eating uncooked products such as cookie dough; and I again like her noting she won’t publish my online address.
★★★★
Leanne says
Thanks William!