Sicilian bakers once used mashed chickpeas instead of flour during wheat shortages—this legume swap secretly makes cookies denser and protein-rich.
Chickpea Cookies
Indulge in these scrumptious chickpea cookies that prove healthy can be oh-so-tasty! Packed with the natural sweetness of ripe bananas and the protein power of chickpeas, these delightful treats are not only easy to whip up but also guilt-free. Get ready to enjoy a chewy, satisfying snack that will have you coming back for more!
Prep
15
min
Cook
25
min
Serves
9
people
Level
beginner
The Story
Right, so this so-called Italian biscuit is actually a Middle Eastern defector in disguise—chickpeas have been ground into pastes across Lebanon and Turkey since the Ottoman era, but some clever soul in 1990s health-food California decided to smuggle them into cookie dough, and now Tuscan grandmothers would faint at their beloved chocolate chip biscotti sharing a bowl with hummus's main ingredient.
Regional Twist
In Sicily's Modica region, bakers would swap standard chocolate chips for the town's famous cold-processed chocolate, which stays grainy and intensely bitter, cutting through the banana's sweetness like a proper Sicilian argument at Sunday lunch.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 9🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 2 Banane
🫙Pantry Staples(5)
- 130g Farina di Mandorle (1.04 cup)protein powder
- 240g Ceci cotti (8.47 oz)
- q.b. Gocce di Cioccolato (io 50g) (1.76 oz)optional
- 115g Miele (4.06 oz)maple syrup
- 50g Burro d’Arachidi (3.5 tbsp)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- q.b. lievito per dolci, sale, aroma vaniglia
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Blend chickpeas, peanut butter, and honey.
- 2
Add and mix in almond flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt.
- 3
Fold in half of the chocolate chips into the dough.
- 4
Using a spoon, create cookies on a baking sheet (the dough is particularly moist).
- 5
Decorate with the remaining chocolate chips.
- 6
Bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.
- 7
Let cool for another 20-25 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Rinse and drain canned chickpeas thoroughly, then pat them completely dry with a towel before blending, since residual aquafaba liquid can add up to 15% extra moisture and prevent the cookies from setting properly.ingredient15% moisture reduction
- ✓Blend the chickpeas until completely smooth (2-3 minutes on high speed) because any remaining skin fragments create a gritty texture that almond flour won't mask, unlike wheat-based cookie doughs.technique2-3 minutes
- ✓Chill the finished dough for 15-20 minutes before portioning since the natural oils from peanut butter loosen at room temperature, and cold dough holds its shape better given the absence of gluten structure to provide support.timing15-20 minutes
- ✓Flatten each mound slightly with a wet spoon before baking, as this dough lacks the gluten network needed to spread on its own at 180°C, so cookies will bake up in the exact shape you form them.technique180°C
- ✓Let cookies cool fully on the baking sheet for the full 20-25 minutes before transferring, since the chickpea-almond flour matrix is structurally weak until residual heat evaporates enough moisture to firm the crumb.timing20-25 minutes
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
25
min
Serves
9
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Sicilian bakers once used mashed chickpeas instead of flour during wheat shortages—this legume swap secretly makes cookies denser and protein-rich.
Chickpea Cookies
Indulge in these scrumptious chickpea cookies that prove healthy can be oh-so-tasty! Packed with the natural sweetness of ripe bananas and the protein power of chickpeas, these delightful treats are not only easy to whip up but also guilt-free. Get ready to enjoy a chewy, satisfying snack that will have you coming back for more!
The Story
Right, so this so-called Italian biscuit is actually a Middle Eastern defector in disguise—chickpeas have been ground into pastes across Lebanon and Turkey since the Ottoman era, but some clever soul in 1990s health-food California decided to smuggle them into cookie dough, and now Tuscan grandmothers would faint at their beloved chocolate chip biscotti sharing a bowl with hummus's main ingredient.
Regional Twist
In Sicily's Modica region, bakers would swap standard chocolate chips for the town's famous cold-processed chocolate, which stays grainy and intensely bitter, cutting through the banana's sweetness like a proper Sicilian argument at Sunday lunch.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 9🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 2 Banane
🫙Pantry Staples(5)
- 130g Farina di Mandorle (1.04 cup)protein powder
- 240g Ceci cotti (8.47 oz)
- q.b. Gocce di Cioccolato (io 50g) (1.76 oz)optional
- 115g Miele (4.06 oz)maple syrup
- 50g Burro d’Arachidi (3.5 tbsp)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- q.b. lievito per dolci, sale, aroma vaniglia
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Blend chickpeas, peanut butter, and honey.
- 2
Add and mix in almond flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt.
- 3
Fold in half of the chocolate chips into the dough.
- 4
Using a spoon, create cookies on a baking sheet (the dough is particularly moist).
- 5
Decorate with the remaining chocolate chips.
- 6
Bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.
- 7
Let cool for another 20-25 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Rinse and drain canned chickpeas thoroughly, then pat them completely dry with a towel before blending, since residual aquafaba liquid can add up to 15% extra moisture and prevent the cookies from setting properly.ingredient15% moisture reduction
- ✓Blend the chickpeas until completely smooth (2-3 minutes on high speed) because any remaining skin fragments create a gritty texture that almond flour won't mask, unlike wheat-based cookie doughs.technique2-3 minutes
- ✓Chill the finished dough for 15-20 minutes before portioning since the natural oils from peanut butter loosen at room temperature, and cold dough holds its shape better given the absence of gluten structure to provide support.timing15-20 minutes
- ✓Flatten each mound slightly with a wet spoon before baking, as this dough lacks the gluten network needed to spread on its own at 180°C, so cookies will bake up in the exact shape you form them.technique180°C
- ✓Let cookies cool fully on the baking sheet for the full 20-25 minutes before transferring, since the chickpea-almond flour matrix is structurally weak until residual heat evaporates enough moisture to firm the crumb.timing20-25 minutes