Chickpea Cookie Dough

I love trying new treats at home, especially when they provide good nutrition, too. Which is why I was so excited to try my hand at developing an edible cookie dough based on canned chickpeas. My entire family loves these chickpea cookie dough bites that we enjoy right from the refrigerator or freezer. My boys can’t even tell that the main ingredient is chickpeas. And, in fact, after tasting one for the first time, my youngest has asked me to make this treat every single week.

The Main Components

Here are some of my notes about the main ingredients for this recipe:  

• Canned chickpeas: I always have a hand of canned chickpeas on hand since my dietitian teammates, Jessie, Stacie, and Jessica, are always talking about the importance of fiber and how beans are one of the best high-fiber foods that almost everyone needs to eat more of. I use it to make homemade hummus and this favorite high-protein lunch salad. The chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) make the creamy base of this cookie dough and, when fully blended, you can’t even detect that they’re in there. Any canned and drained white beans, such as cannellini beans or Great Northern beans, can be used instead. 
• Peanut butter: I always opt for natural creamy peanut butter with no added sugar since it tends to have a more drizzly consistency and I don’t want any sneaky sugars in my pb. Whatever peanut butter is used, make sure it’s on the runny side to prevent the batter from being too dry. A few brands the team likes are Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter, Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter, Crazy Richard’s 100% Peanuts PB, Old Home Natural Peanut Butter, Santa Cruz Organic PB, and Trader Joe’s Organic Salted Valencia PB. 
• Oats: Most often I use old-fashioned oats, which get chopped into finer pieces in the food processor. But it’s fine to use quick-cooking oats instead, if that’s what’s in the cupboard. I love that this flour-less cookie dough is based on nutritious oats, since they provide beta glucans, an important type of fiber. 
• Maple syrup: I love the flavor that pure maple syrup provides, but honey makes a fine substitute.
• Chocolate chips: I use mini chocolate chips so that each bite gets the perfect ratio of chocolate. And since I’m sensitive to dairy, I always keep these dairy-free chocolate chips stocked in my cupboards for baking. 

Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Essential Equipment

This blender cookie dough recipe comes together fast and requires just a few pieces of equipment: 

• Food processor: This is an essential tool in order to get the ingredients blended together until creamy and smoothie. It helps break down the beans and peanut butter, and breaks the oats into fine pieces. A high-speed blender will also work. I process it for a full 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the blade and sides of the food processor about 4 times during this step. 
• Cookie dough scoop: I like to use a 2-tablespoon cookie dough scoop (or a #40 scoop) to scoop the dough into uniform size mounds. Can also scoop the dough with two spoons.  
• Baking sheet: I place the mounds of cookie dough on a baking sheet and then transfer them to the refrigerator to firm up a bite. 
• Parchment paper: To prevent sticking, I always line the baking sheets with parchment paper, and also use parchment paper between layers when I freeze these cookie dough bites in the freezer. 

Serve Immediately Or Chill For Later

These cookie dough bites are safe to eat raw and can be enjoyed right away. My favorite way to eat this new recipe is right out of the freezer with a little pinch of sea salt. Other than eating like a type of energy ball, I’ve also used it as a healthy cookie dough dip to spread over apple slices, pretzels, and graham crackers, giving me a snack that is low in sugar and saturated fat and provides healthy fats and fiber.  

My kids always snag one immediately, and then I transfer the rest (still directly on the baking sheet) to the refrigerator to firm up and chill. After a few hours, I transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 5 days, or I’ll pop them into the freezer for longer storage. 

To make frozen cookie dough bites right away, freeze the cookie dough mounds directly on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes to harden. Then transfer the dough mounds to a freezer-friendly container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To enjoy a dough bite from frozen, take one or two out of the freezer and let them thaw for 5 minutes at room temperature before enjoying.

Onto The Next Batch

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

No Bake Protein Balls: Monster Cookie Edition

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls with Chocolate Chips

Peanut Butter Protein Cups

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Recipe

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Chickpea Cookie Dough Recipe

This edible cookie dough makes a delicious and nutritious treat that can be eaten right out of the refrigerator or freezer. It’s made with a base of canned chickpeas that gets blended with other ingredients until smooth and creamy. No one will ever know they’re in there! 

Prep: 10 minsTotal: 10 mins

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Servings: 14–16 dough bites 1x

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Ingredients

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ⅓ cup natural peanut butter
• ⅓ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (may use quick-cooking oats)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup (may use honey)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of fine salt
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. To a food processor, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas, peanut butter, oats, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. (NOTE: I process the mixture for almost a full 2 minutes, scraping down the blade and sides about 4 times to get a very smooth texture.) 
2. Transfer the cookie dough to a bowl. Add the chocolate chips and stir and fold them into the dough. 
3. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough into mounds and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You should end up with 14 to 16 cookie dough mounds.
4. May enjoy right away, or transfer the dough bites, still on the baking sheet, to the refrigerator or freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, transfer the dough bites to an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. To enjoy directly from the freezer, remove a dough bite and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to thaw slightly before eating.

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Notes

For dairy free and vegan cookie dough, use maple syrup as the sweetener and add in dairy-free mini chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand.

Nutrition Information

• Serving Size: 1 dough bite (1/16th of recipe)
• Calories: 118
• Fat: 5 g
• (Sat Fat: 2 g)
• Sodium: 81 mg
• Carbohydrate: 15 g
• (Fiber: 3 g
• Sugar: 7 g)
• Protein: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Dietary

Dairy-FreeEgg-FreeGluten-freeVeganVegetarian

© The Real Food Dietitians

Recipe By: Ana Ankeny

The photos in this blog post were taken by Casey Colodny of The Mindful Hapa.

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