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Surprise your kids and bake these high-protein Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies with a healthy twist!

Hidden Ingredients In Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies are great for parents with picky eaters who want to hide some healthy goodness in baked goods.

I know what you are thinking: cookies made with chickpeas sound disgusting, but the truth is far from that.

You know from previous posts that I am a chickpea fan and use them to create recipes for our menu plan as they are low in fat, high fibre, and protein.

Once you make them, you will agree that you can hardly taste chickpeas in the cookie.

The best thing is that it’s a cookie recipe for kids, and they won’t even know they are eating healthy chickpeas in their favourite chocolate chip cookies.

Creating Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

Where did my Chickpea Chocolate Chip cookies idea come from?

While preparing to cook my dry chickpeas in the crockpot, I thought about making healthy chocolate chip cookies.

Something about the mashed chickpea’s color and texture reminded me of what the batter for chocolate chip cookies looked like.

I like to make a mess in the kitchen, explore new foods, so I thought I’d try it.

The first step I took, which might sound odd, was to put a spoonful of chickpeas on a plate, mash them, and then add a few chocolate chips.

I ate that to test what chickpea chocolate chip cookies might taste like, minus all the other ingredients.

Was my cookie idea worth the effort and full of healthy goodness? YES!

The ingredients I chose for this recipe are what we practically would use in a traditional chocolate chip cookie.

I’ve substituted some fats, changed the flour, and added chickpeas.

I used three ingredients together to see how they would work: almond oil, coconut oil, and barley flour.

Barley flour was chosen because it creates a moist texture when used in baked goods such as muffins and cakes.

Since my wife was on a low GI diet, we thought it would also be great since she eats lots of barley.

I was worried that the chickpeas might be dry, so a couple of tablespoons of magic barley flour should do the trick. It worked like a charm.

Uses For Almond Oil

What is almond oil?

You might think almond oil is only good for beauty products such as hair, massage, and perfumes, but you can use it to stir fry.

In this case, I used it to make chickpea chocolate chip cookies.

You’ll find almond oil, which smells sweet and tastes like almonds.

They press the sweet almonds to extract the almond oil.

It has many health benefits and is packed with vitamins.

Almond oil also aids digestion for those with digestive problems.

The oil from bitter almonds can also be used in cooking, and it’s also what makes amaretto, so I’m told.

We picked up our bottle of almond oil at a local Indian shopping market for about $8.00, which we thought was reasonable.

It says it can be used for both beauty and cooking.

Almonds can also be used to make almond butter and almond milk, where almond flour is used as a gluten-free alternative to flour.

Importance Of Barley Flour

What is barley flour?

Barley flour is a non-wheat flour that is low in gluten, and all you do is grind up barley until it’s a fine powder.

With its nutty flavour you might enjoy adding it to your baking to give your sweets a wildly moist product.

The first time I used it, I used too much barley flour, but through research, I learned why I couldn’t substitute flour in a recipe for barley flour in its entirety.

I ate that to test what chickpea chocolate chip cookies might taste like, minus all the other ingredients.

How long does barley flour last?

Unfortunately, barley flour doesn’t last too long before it goes rancid.

You’ll get maybe 1-2 months in the pantry or up to four months in the freezer, where my bag will go.

I also didn’t know that barley could be a thickener for sauces and soups.

You can substitute barley for a teaspoon of xanthan gum as a thickening agent for baking and cooking.

Now that I know that, I will test that out and see what I can do with it. I’m not sure what sauce or soup I would use it in.

Uses For Coconut Oil

What is coconut oil?

Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the meat of mature coconuts harvested from the coconut palm.

We’ve been using Grace coconut oil ever since my friend, a doctor, recommended it to us instead of frying with extra virgin olive oil, but only in moderation as it is high in fat.

You will find coconut oil in the health food aisles at your favorite grocery stores as it has become very popular with vegans and those who feel coconut oil benefits them, such as natural foodies like us.

We are just part-time natural foodies learning all we can about it. 

Coconut oil smells and tastes like coconut and can also be used on your hair to give it a smooth, silky touch. (Mrs. CBB uses it on her hair)

Flaxseed

What is flaxseed?

My friend also told me he puts crushed flax seeds in his yogurt and morning cucumber smoothies.

I looked for it in the health food section of the grocery store.

Luckily, I got three bags of flax seed due to the scanning code of practice at two different Zehrs stores in Ontario.

What were the chances of that?

I decided to add them to the chickpeas mixture for health benefits.

“Flax seeds come in two basic varieties: (1) brown; and (2) yellow or golden and contain high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids.” 

I enjoy learning about ingredients in my recipes and hope you do, too.

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Prep time: 10 minutes (more if you use dry chickpeas, but I cook them in the crockpot in advance)
• Total time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: approx 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees (adjust according to your oven)
• Serving Size: large cookies 12-14 or more if you make them small

Ingredients for Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsps large flake oats
• 2 tbsps barley flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut (optional)
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsps pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp almond oil
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups of chickpeas (canned)

Directions

• Add chickpeas, vanilla extract, coconut, and crushed flax seeds to a food processor and blend until it becomes a paste.
• Add the butter, brown sugar, almond oil, and coconut oil in your stand mixer and mix your eggs one by one until combined.
• Add barley flour, oats, whole wheat flour, salt, and baking soda in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
• Add the chickpea mixture to the stand mixer and mix until combined.
• Fold in the chocolate chips gently.
• On a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper, add about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture per cookie. I made big cookies, but what size you like is up to you.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until just slightly browned as they finish cooking on the baking sheet as soon as you take them out. If you like a harder cookie, you can cook them for longer.
• Let cool for 5 minutes before eating.

I hope you enjoy making these chickpea chocolate chip cookies, and if you want to substitute products, try adding raisins, nuts, or your favorite Chipits.

Now you can find all my recipes on one page here on Canadian Budget Binder with my new Free Recipe Index. 

• Italian Tomato Salad With Potato, Green Beans and Chickpeas
• Keto Roasted Chickpeas Recipe (Leblebi)
• Economy Chickpea Kale Soup
• Greek yogurt stuffed cherry berry smoothie
• Black Bean And Corn Salad Medley