So it seems that I'm on a grain-free treat kick, but I assure you that I'm no Paleo or Primal devotee. Far from it! But I also see no harm in using legumes in treats as long as the end result is tasty. I'd heard about this chickpea peanut butter thing ages ago but never tried it. After the success of the black bean cupcakes, I was newly inspired to try the cookies.
I took the recipe from Texanerin's grain-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough bites and made only the most minor of changes to accommodate my desire to use a full can of chickpeas and to eliminate the need to scoop pb three times (as you need to do if using measuring cups sine the original recipe calls for 1/2 c. plus 2 TBSP peanut butter). I chose the maple syrup sweetener option as I'm not all that fond of honey. To make them taste even more like traditional peanut butter cookies, I subbed out 1 TSBP maple syrup in favor of 1 TBSP packed brown sugar. Delicious!
Elspeth's friend wasn't totally sold on these but everyone in our family happily went back for more, whether they were warm or room temp. As my dear friend Melanie said, with these cookies you wouldn't mind if that's all your kids ate for lunch because they'd be getting some great fat and protein. I image that, though gooey from travel, they'd be a great hiking snack.
The fact that these come together so easily is just one more bonus!
INGREDIENTS
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed well, drained and patted dry
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c. natural peanut butter, at room temp (my food processor balked when I used straight from fridge)
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips; I like to use mini chips
DIRECTIONS
I took the recipe from Texanerin's grain-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough bites and made only the most minor of changes to accommodate my desire to use a full can of chickpeas and to eliminate the need to scoop pb three times (as you need to do if using measuring cups sine the original recipe calls for 1/2 c. plus 2 TBSP peanut butter). I chose the maple syrup sweetener option as I'm not all that fond of honey. To make them taste even more like traditional peanut butter cookies, I subbed out 1 TSBP maple syrup in favor of 1 TBSP packed brown sugar. Delicious!
Elspeth's friend wasn't totally sold on these but everyone in our family happily went back for more, whether they were warm or room temp. As my dear friend Melanie said, with these cookies you wouldn't mind if that's all your kids ate for lunch because they'd be getting some great fat and protein. I image that, though gooey from travel, they'd be a great hiking snack.
The fact that these come together so easily is just one more bonus!
INGREDIENTS
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed well, drained and patted dry
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c. natural peanut butter, at room temp (my food processor balked when I used straight from fridge)
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips; I like to use mini chips
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Place drained chickpeas in food processor and blend until very fine. I find if I don't process the chickpeas first, I end up with chickpea chunks because the food processor craps out after adding the pb.
- Add remaining ingredients except chocolate chips and blend for 2 minutes or as long as your processor will let you, stopping twice to scrape down bowl. Batter should be very smooth
- Transfer cookie dough to a medium bowl and stir in chocolate chips to distribute evenly or, if you're feeling lazy, add to food processor and pulse to combine. This will work better with mini chocolate chips
- Scoop walnut-sized balls of dough and place on a baking tray. Whether you use hands or a scoop (as I do), you might need to wet in between cookies. Cookies will not spread much so you can put them close together
- Flatten cookies slightly with your hands or a fork, if desired
- Bake about ten minutes or until they look done. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Eat warm or at room temperature. These freeze well
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