When life gives you chickpeas, make cookies.
Lately after I scarf down a hugh jass dinner of veggie burgs or noodlies or enchiladas plus three million roasted sweet tater rounds, I stillll want something sweet afterwards. I mean duh. Don't you??
And sometimes, just sometimes, a piece of dark chocolate doesn't cut it.
WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY?!
Gasp as you will, but we all need one (or seven) of those soft, pillowy, cloud-like cookies after a hard day's work. The thing is, I still want to nosh on something somewhat nutritious so I don't go to bed feeling like I ate a white-flour-white-sugar-cookie-the-size-of-my-face. Plus, the more good-for-you foods I can pack in there, the more cookies I'm allowed to eat.
Ya know?
And because these cookies are entirely naturally sweetened (youdda bomb, Medjool dates) and have zero refined flour, sugar, butter, or oil, you can totally consider them a snack rather than a dessert. Who would of thought that blending the hell out of chickpeas, nut butter, dates, and cinnamon could be such a party for the taste buds? MAJOR fiesta for the pie-hole, my friends.
And to answer your question, no, these don't taste like chickpeas. Promise.
Sometimes I have a chickpea flour breakfast pizza for lunch and a roasted broccoli chickpea burger for din and one to many gingerbread chickpea blondies for snack. And then I have some sweet taters dipped in hummus and I thank the heavens for creating such a fabulously delish and versatile little bean. If there's one thing I've learned from all the damn hummus I eat, it's that you can never have too many chickpeas in your life.
Eat 'em for breakfast. Eat 'em for dinner. Even for dessert, chickpeas sure are a winner!
I write poems in my free time.
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Flourless Apple Cinnamon Chickpea Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
- Cuisine: Snack
Description
You'd never guess that these tasty apple cinnamon cookies were made with high-fiber chickpeas!
Ingredients
- 1-15oz can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
- 8 large Medjool dates, pitted
- ⅓ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ½ cup nut butter (I used cashew butter, but almond or peanut would also work)
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 medium apple, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray (or line with parchment paper or Silipat) and set aside.
- Make sure to rinse the chickpeas very well so they don't taste beany. Shake off the excess water before dumping them into a large food processor. Add in the rest of the ingredients (except apple). Process for a full two minutes, or until batter is very smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides. Fold in chopped apple.
- Spoon batter onto cookie sheet. It will be very wet and sticky (like hummus). The batter will thicken as it sits. Wet your hands and pat them down into smooth cookies. You should have about 16.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until lightly browned and set.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
[These Apple Cinnamon Chickpea Cookies make the perfect guilt-free treat! @TheHummusapien"]
Catherine maxey says
No idea how many grams of dates is 8 large. I counted 8 dates and they weighed about 60 grams. I didn’t add chopped apples. I added 80 grams of chopped dried cranberries. Good flavor. Use. Peanut butter. Next time will add chopped peanuts. They are a soft cookie. They are versatile because of the possibilities of add ins. I refrigerated dough so I can bake a few trays but not at one time.
cee says
these sounded great but even after letting them bake an extra five minutes, the texture never became cookie like.
Alexis Joseph says
These are definitely a healthier cookie with a different texture that's more soft versus crisp! Sorry you didn't love these.
Katie says
This is delicious. I've made the recipe 3 times, and varied it up a bit. The second time, I used chai spices, and it wasn't really any better than just the cinnamon. The third time, though, I was thrilled with how it went substituting dried figs for the dried dates. I just had to add a splash of oat milk to make everything come together, since figs are drier than dates. The seeds in the figs added a bit more of an interesting texture to the cookie. Overall, these are delicious and versatile, if you like playing with recipes and changing things up. My kids and spouse loved them, too.
Alexis Joseph says
I'm so happy to hear that, Katie! I haven't made these in ages so I'll have to give them another try 🙂
Jaime says
Question!!
What can I substitute the dates with?
(Have none on hand, don’t live near any stores)
What can substitute the nut butter (Kid’s school is nut free)
Virginia L says
Has anyone calculated the nutrition for these? I would like to know the calories...
Regina says
These are amazing!! I am a pregnant vegan and have been having a really hard time eating processed food - it just makes me sick. But a girl can seriously only eat so many carrot sticks and apples - sometimes I need a little junk in my life! These are a perfect sweet treat that don't upset my belly and they're not even junk! Even better!
Lindsay says
Can this be made into bars? So I can just dump it in a pan and throw it in the oven?
Alexis says
Hmmm never tried it but worth a try!
Dee says
Just made them. Wanna eat them....all!!! Even the raw dough tastes so good!
Grete says
Tumbs up from Norway! I will make these tomorrow at work 🙂 Tank you for a very nice and delicious blog, you`ve got som many yummi-recieps 🙂
Naomi Ben-Yehuda says
I made my own applesauce in the crockpot because I love doing that, but I don't have dates! Can I substitute some other sweetener like brown sugar or something w/o messing with the texture too much? (In other words, do I have to go buy dates?!)
Ang says
Has anyone ever tried leaving out the nut butter? Looking to make a nut/seed-free version
F says
How about using pumpkin butter or apple butter? They usually don't have nuts/seeds.
Alexis says
Hahah I'm so glad you liked them, Emily! They are slighty addicting.... eeeeeek!
Emily Eby says
Just made these last night and had to stop myself from consuming half the batch in one sitting...absolutely amazing! Tastes like apple pie in a bite-sized portion. Will definitely be making these again. Great recipe!!!!
Alexis says
You're on a roll, girl! Agreed--I always eat mounds of the batter. Not sorry.
Leah says
These unfortunately didn't work for me--they came out about the texture of play dough and got really mushy in the fridge. The flavor is fine, the texture just didn't quite do it
Alexis says
RIGHT?! You would be a master at beany cookies, I just know it.
Alexis says
They're def soft and dense as opposed to crispy...but they have a nice lightness to them, too!
Laura says
These look soooo yummy, can't wait to try. Great idea!
Alexis says
Enjoy dear!
Ann says
What is the texture of these cookies like? They don't really look like cookies, crispy or anything, but soft and dense... Anyway, I love chickpeas too and I was already thinking about what to do with the next can!
Lesq says
These look awesome and I love all the meals and snacks you eat. Just a question, you don't suffer bloating from all the veggies, beans and grains you consume all day long? Unfortunately, I am forced to follow the FODMAP Diet and it limits the things I can eat as well as the amounts. Years ago I did not need to, but for the past five years it's a must and when I don't I suffer drastically.
Alexis says
Thanks! I had a bout of bloating about a month ago and I found that if I eat smaller amounts frequently rather than a ton of broccoli and sweet taters all at once, it really helps!