Hummingbird Hilltop Homestead

Craving delicious chocolate chip cookies while trying to eat better?

It feels most people, especially these days with the internet to guide and influence us, are on some sort of diet or at least trying to eat “better”. Whether that means for you eating cleaner, less sugar, less carbs, etc. it has definitely become more prominent. With our wealth of knowledge we now have access to we all now know what less than ideal foods can do to our health and our family’s health too. Despite trying to eat better, we often find ourselves craving the “good” stuff (and by good I mean tasty!).

When you find yourself longing for a tasty dessert chickpeas may not come to mind. Let me tell you, these chickpea chocolate chip cookies are so good you’ll never even know that you are eating chickpeas chock full of health benefits. This recipe is also low in sugar, free of unknown ingredients, and super quick and simple to make.

Eating Cleaner

Lately, I have been working to clean up my diet. I can’t say I was eating terribly. We don’t eat out much, and try and not eat too much processed food in general, but things sneak in. For instance, we were still consuming mildly processed foods on occasion. We also found that some of the items like store-bought cottage cheese were full of unneeded ingredients. Since then we have been on the hunt for items that have minimal ingredients and all known ingredients. We are also avoiding preservatives and anything that is extra bulk (for instance xantham gum) as much as possible. Prioritizing meals with solid nutrition has been at the forefront of our venture and that includes desserts.

The Inspiration For These Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few years ago I stumbled on a recipe for healthy chickpea protein chocolate chip cookies. I loved them and made them a few times a month as a quick snack or dessert. My boyfriend at the time, now husband, equally loved them. Once we got married, we moved, and in the first two weeks of marriage got pregnant. Safe to say, I was so busy, and dealing with the less than stellar feeling of the first trimester of pregnancy that I completely forgot about those tasty chocolate chip cookie treats.

During the whole process of eating cleaner we have begun minimizing sugar and if we do have it we go natural. After having our daughter I mainly baked items for her using banana or applesauce as the sweetener. As she has gotten a bit older I have added the use of occasional honey or maple syrup in. Of course, for special occasions we go the natural route of real cane sugar, but while natural we do try and keep this to a minimum.

I began feeling like my husband and I should eat as healthy as our daughter (it’s never too late to start!) and so I have begun making more naturally sweetened treats for the whole family. That recipe for those tasty chickpea cookies popped into my head, but no matter how much I searched I haven’t been able to find the recipe – so I made up my own!

Health Benefits Found In This Recipe

A big goal for this recipe was to use natural and minimal sugar that had some health benefits. In moderation, maple syrup can provide vitamins and minerals, it even has some antioxidant properties, and for those dealing with insulin issues it’s a safer choice than white sugar because it has a lower glycemic index. The chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are the base for this recipe and obviously a big part of making this a healthier alternative to regular chocolate chip cookies. Chickpeas are full of health benefits. They provide protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and the list goes on.

My husband is big on protein and I am working to up my protein and fiber. While this recipe isn’t going to take you over the top in these areas, it will add something. Plus, it is preventing you from eating something that has almost no nutritional value but tastes delicious, to eating something that satisfies the craving just as well but also gives some value.

Gluten-Free

Another benefit that this recipe offers is that it is gluten-free. I have a few friends with food sensitivities including gluten and they have been able to eat these cookies without any issues and really enjoyed them. If you have other allergies, while I have not tested it, I see no reason why you could not switch flours or nut butters to work for your specific sensitivities, or that of your family’s.

A Few Notes

These cookies are labeled as chocolate chip cookies but they are a bit different from your normal chocolate chip cookies. First of all, these cookies will not spread – at all. If you want the “cookie” shape then I suggest shaping them before baking them. I have not done this as I like the more cookie dough ball shape and texture, but you could scoop the cookies out as instructed below and then flatten out the tops. Texture wise that cookie dough ball shape that remains even after baking is also a good description for these cookies. These cookies have a very soft and cookie dough like texture even once baked. I love this texture, but it is different than a regular baked cookie and worth noting.

Recipe Bonus

As mentioned above these cookies are similar to cookie dough. If you are craving cookie dough you can actually eat the dough without baking and it is very similar to regular cookie dough in my opinion. I would suggest leaving out the baking powder if you plan to eat the dough without baking, but if you want to bake part of the dough and eat part of it you can do so safely with the baking powder added. Since there are no eggs and almond flour is safe to eat without first baking it is safe, nutritious, and delicious to eat without baking. Plus you get to eat the yummy treat even quicker if you really have a craving!

Recipe

With the big health benefits for this recipe discussed, below is the general ingredients breakdown of these tasty chickpea chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients Breakdown:

Dry Ingredients:

• Almond Flour: This recipe uses a little almond flour. The bulk of the recipe comes from the chickpeas but the almond flour gives these cookies just the right texture and consistency both for eating baked or not. Almond flour also packs a punch in nutrients, fiber, and protein. Plus, as a bonus because it is safe to eat without being heated it allows this recipe to be cookie dough eating friendly.

• Salt: A great flavor enhancer and balancer for sweet treats. I like using pink Himalayan sea salt in most of my cooking and baking but most salts will work well here.

• Baking Powder: The baking powder in this recipe assists in the texture and structure of the cookies. There is not a lot needed in the recipe but a little goes a long way. If you decide to make the cookie dough and it eat raw then I would omit the baking powder. A few bites with the baking powder added won’t hurt you though if you need to “test” it before baking it ;).

• Chocolate Chips: I prefer using mini semi-sweet chocolate chips for these cookies. The cookies are on the smaller side so I feel like the mini chocolate chips work really well in this recipe. The smaller chips also allow you to add a good amount of chocolate to your desired preference meaning you can get a good amount in each bite. If you would like to add additional chocolate chips on top of the cookies it’s a tasty addition and makes the cookies look a little nicer.

Wet Ingredients:

• Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans): The star of the show in this recipe is naturally the chickpeas as the recipe title suggests. Chickpeas as we discussed above also pack a punch adding to the soft texture, bringing in nutrients, fiber, protein, and have a laundry list of other health benefits. I suggest rinsing your chickpeas after you drain them. Rinsing canned chickpeas can help with a lower sodium profile (I use low-sodium chickpeas for this recipe too), but it also improves texture too allowing for the chickpeas to blend into the recipe better.

• Peanut Butter: I prefer using natural peanut butter with nothing added but the peanuts and maybe a little salt. I have not tried a variation using a different nut butter in this recipe; however, I see no reason you couldn’t swap the nut butter for a different one if you prefer or need to for health reasons. The peanut butter really adds to the texture of these cookies, the flavor, and again provides further nutritional benefits.

• Maple Syrup: These cookies, of course, need something to add a bit of sweetness (outside of the delicious chocolate chips). I wanted the sweetener in this recipe to be natural, minimal, and have additional health benefits so maple syrup is perfect as it checks all those boxes plus pairs well with the flavor profile of the rest of the ingredients.

• Vanilla Extract: Adds great flavor and a little more helpful liquid to blend the ingredients to a smooth consistency.

Delicious And Nutritious

This recipe, as you can see, is simple, uses minimal ingredients, which are all clean ingredients, packs a punch with nutrition along with protein and fiber, and satisfies the sweet tooth too! What more could you ask from a dessert?! These are the types of cookies you could even have at breakfast, as a snack, or to take care of that late night dessert craving. It’s also a sweet treat you can feel good about giving your kids because they not only taste great but provide a bit of sneaky nutrition. I don’t know about you, but that’s everything I want in my dessert!

For more delicious desserts and other tasty treats check out the recipes section of my blog. For traditional chocolate chip cookies that are so easy to make and taste so good and nostalgic check out the recipe here. More recipes are constantly being added!

*Nutrition is an estimate