I know it sounds strange, but these Flourless Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies are super delicious. They're made with chickpeas, peanut butter, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup or agave. They're naturally gluten-free + vegan and a tasty and healthy alternative to regular peanut butter cookies.
| vegan + gluten-free + refined sugar free |
It's officially Throw Back Thursday today! Let's celebrate with a heaping plate of Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies.
And yes, I'm fully aware that putting chickpeas in the title of a peanut butter cookie recipe post doesn't sound like much of a celebration. I get it. It's a weird combo. But hear me out!
A few years ago (4 1/2 years ago to be nearly exact) I posted this #tbt recipe for the first time. It was when it was all the rage to be gluten-free. I swear that everyone I knew was on a gluten-free diet and everyone who was (and still is) celiac was rolling their eyes at everyone who was lucky enough to be able to choose not to eat gluten.
I think people have started to chill out on the gluten-free fad. I know I have. But even though I don't shun gluten like a bite is going to kill me (it's not going to kill me) I still don't like to eat a ton of it. I just feel better if I don't binge gluten. Are you the same?
Rounding back to these Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies …
Yes, they're made with chickpeas. No, there's no gluten to be found in them. And no, they're not as weird as they sound.
Truth → They're really pretty awesome.
I'm not going to sit here and try and convince you that Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies taste exactly like regular peanut butter cookies. That would be a lie. If anyone ever tries to tell you that they're either lying to you or they haven't eaten a peanut butter cookie for so long that they forget what they taste like.
I'm always honest with you guys about what a recipe tastes like. These cookies are delicious, but you're not going to fool anyone into thinking they're a ‘regular' cookie. BUT … no one will guess they're made with chickpeas.
The flavor of the cookies is really great. They're loaded with chocolate chips, so chocolate is what you mostly taste. The peanut flavor comes through a lot since there's tons of peanut butter in the recipe. They're softer than a regular peanut butter cookie, too. It almost seems as though they're undercooked even though they're not.
They don't get crisp around the edges like a regular cookie. It's like the entire thing seems a little underdone, which is awesome. I love soft and chewy cookies, so these guys are right up my alley.
I also love that I can give my daughter an extra cookie and know that she's eating mostly good things. #win
Original post date: October 19th, 2013
Last night, after staring at far too many delicious looking treats on Pinterest (you guys do that too, right?) I came down with a serious peanut butter cookie craving. Serious enough that I really really really wanted one, but not serious enough to feel like eating a whole batch of butter and sugar. I know butter and sugar is one of the best combinations in the world- like these crazy delicious Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies – but I wanted to keep these a little healthier.
Please don't run away just yet. I promise you that healthy cookies can taste good too!
Once in a while I wonder if I should share certain things with you guys. Like this afternoon, I've had the most random mix of mostly cheesy music on. Right now Pitbull is singing through my stereo, “I know you want me. You know I want you.” and I'm staring at these super yummy flourless chickpea peanut butter cookies and … you know where I'm going with this, right? Sometimes (most of the time) it's a little embarrassing how big of a cheese ball I am 🙂
But hey, when the shoe song fits …
I need to warn you guys that these flourless chickpea peanut butter cookies have a rather strange sounding ingredient, at least as far as cookies go. But don't worry, you won't taste the chickpeas even a little bit. I had them the first time this summer when my handsome man's very talented daughter, Kaitlin, made them at the cabin. I was a bit apprehensive about eating chickpeas in my cookie; it sounded just a little too healthy for my liking.
These cookies are super peanut-y and have a soft, almost undercooked, texture. And they're addicting. Very addicting.
And one more thing, not only are these chickpea peanut butter cookies flourless, they're vegan and gluten-free too. Win win win!
If you love these Flourless Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies as much as I do, make sure to give them a 5-star review in the comments below!
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Flourless Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep Time: 10 mins- Cook Time: 12-14 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
Yield: 28 cookies 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
I know it sounds strange, but these Flourless Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies are super delicious. They're made with chickpeas, peanut butter, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup or agave. They're naturally gluten-free + vegan and a tasty and healthy alternative to regular peanut butter cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 – 14-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 3/4 cups of cooked chickpeas)
- 1 cup smooth, all-natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup agave, maple syrup, or honey
- Optional: 1/4 cup coconut sugar (Depending on how sweet you like your cookies. Can sub brown sugar.)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add drained chickpeas and honey or maple syrup to a food processor or high-powered blender (don't use a regular blender) and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
- Add all remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended. The batter will be sticky, don't worry.
- Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
The original pictures of these Flourless Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies:
If you’re interested in learning a few tricks that I did to improve my food photography, check out the posts 10 Food Photography Tips for New Food Bloggers and The 10 Best Food Photography Props to Improve Your Food Photography and The Food Photography Equipment I Use.
Kristen Stevens
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Hi, I’m Kristen! 
Kelly says
April 22, 2019 at 8:39 pmI made this recipe but substitute PB for Sunbutter. My cookies however came out green on the inside once cooled!? Has this ever happen to anyone before and why are they green inside?
Kristen Stevens says
May 2, 2019 at 4:50 pmMaybe something to do with the Sunbutter? I’ve never had that happen before!
Andrea says
May 10, 2019 at 6:36 pmBaking soda reacts with sun butter, turning it green. It’s totally harmless…just makes your baking a funny colour.
Kristen Stevens says
May 10, 2019 at 8:23 pmThank you so much for letting us know!
Mia Valdez says
January 16, 2019 at 8:58 pmI baked this many times already. I followed the recipe but made some variations in terms of the nuts and chocolate chips.
Last weekend I baked it with dried blueberry and used date syrup. My family and office colleagues liked it.
It is rewarding to bake vegan goodies when your non-vegan friends and family like it too.
Kristen Stevens says
February 4, 2019 at 7:53 amLove the tweaks you’ve made to the recipe! They sound delicious!
Vanessa says
September 3, 2018 at 1:11 pmI am trying to get my husband to eat more legumes, and plant-based foods, so I thought I’d give these a try. I made the first batch last week with no chocolate chips, and he declared them “pretty dang delicious!” He has been asking me to make them again, so I tried them again today with chocolate chips. They’re in the oven, and I’m sure he’ll love these ones even more, as he is a huge fan of the chocolate-PB combo. Thanks for the great recipe!
ps. “pretty dang delicious” is high praise indeed, as my husband is a cookie snob 😉
Kristen Stevens says
September 24, 2018 at 7:37 amThat’s amazing! I’m so happy to hear he likes them!
Andreas says
July 9, 2018 at 11:19 amGreat recipe. For people who don’t know about a nice sweetener alternative – try making this with 1/3 cup of date sugar, which is just pulverized dates.
★★★★★
Kristen Stevens says
July 21, 2018 at 8:59 amGreat call on the date sugar!
Samantha says
May 24, 2018 at 8:18 amThese are amazing! I was pretty skeptical at first but super happy with how they turned out. Not exactly like a regular peanut butter cookie but really tasty in their own way. Will make them again!
★★★★★
Kristen Stevens says
May 24, 2018 at 8:31 amHappy you tried them! They’re one of my fav healthy cookies!
Cheryl says
May 3, 2018 at 5:16 pmI put pumpkin seeds in along with some blueberries ,since I didn’t have chocolate chips, Pretty tasty!
Kristen Stevens says
May 7, 2018 at 3:08 pmI’m so happy you like them!
Michele Ely says
April 30, 2018 at 2:01 pmI made these and they did not turn out. I only substituted sunflower seeds for the peanuts. They never spread out just looked like drops of dough after 12 minutes in the oven. Any suggestions? Thanks
Kristen Stevens says
May 24, 2018 at 8:51 amThe only thing I can think of is that maybe the peanut butter wasn’t quite as oily. It’s the oil (or butter in most cookie recipes) that causes the cookies to spread out.
Meghan says
April 25, 2018 at 10:08 pmCould you use maple syrup instead of agave?
Kristen Stevens says
April 26, 2018 at 4:54 pmAbsolutely you can!
Susan says
March 31, 2018 at 10:06 amThese cookies are amazing! I’ll be making them over and over again. Thank you for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Cassie Thuvan Tran says
March 5, 2018 at 5:41 pmThese cookies don’t look strange at all! I never would have known that you included chickpeas. Everywhere I see chickpea cookie dough or dessert-style hummus, but I rarely see baked chickpea cookies! Looks fantastic, and the peanut butter flavor is so perfect!
Kristen Stevens says
March 6, 2018 at 9:38 amAwww thank you so much, girl! I owe all credit for the creation of this recipe to my stepdaughter. She was the genius who first made them for me!
Elias A. says
March 4, 2018 at 10:02 amI was skeptical at first, but I figured I’d give this a try.
They turned out very nicely. Binge-worthy, in fact.
You might want to flatten them a bit before baking.
★★★★
Kristen Stevens says
March 6, 2018 at 9:46 amI’m so happy to hear you like the cookies!
2pots2cook says
March 2, 2018 at 1:33 amAfter I read your text and the comments as well, all I can say : hooked 🙂 Thank you !
Kristen Stevens says
March 3, 2018 at 8:15 amYou are so welcome!
Mike Nykoruk says
November 29, 2016 at 11:02 amThanks for this concept! I’m going to try a variation on this with Almond butter and sliver almonds, and craisons in stead of choc chips. ( Since I have some almond butter and slivered almond and craisons on hand ) I also have dried chick peas that I’ll soak overnight then cook them in my insta-pot pressure (which I do for hummus) .
I’m inspired! Mike
Kristen Stevens says
December 2, 2016 at 11:48 amRecipes are the best when you can make them your own, aren’t they?!! So happy to be the inspiration behind your almond butter chickpea cookies!
Marilyn says
February 13, 2014 at 5:07 pmI just made these and they’re great, rather amazing, in fact. I used a can of black beans because I didn’t have chick peas and although the cookies were dark, you’d never know they were made with beans. I also used maple syrup. I will definitely make these again. Thank you for the recipe!
Tracey says
October 23, 2013 at 11:48 amIf I do not have maple syrup do you think agave would work instead of honey to keep them vegan?
Kristen says
October 28, 2013 at 10:30 pmI definitely think it will work great. I’m not super familiar with agave but I believe it is sweeter than maple syrup and honey, right? Maybe try adding a little less and tasting the batter as you go till you get the sweetness you like 🙂
[email protected] says
October 20, 2013 at 12:43 pmChickpeas in cookies, absolutely amazing, and they looks so yummy!