Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookie Cups
These chocolate chip chickpea cookie cups are delicious and packed with nutrients. They’re the perfect healthy dessert for adults and children!
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Let’s be real, I’ll take any excuse to dress up, watch festive movies, and enjoy sweet treats.
As a kid, I loved trick-or-treating. My friends and I would go around the neighborhood, get as much candy as we could, and then compare and trade for our favorites.
Back then, I didn’t think twice about what I was eating. Now, as a predominantly plant-based dietitian and mom, I’m much more conscious, and I’ve had to think about how to approach Halloween with my 1½ year old.
To me, eating healthy means listening to my body to guide me toward nourishing foods that fuel health while allowing for the consumption of foods purely for pleasure in moderation.
Not surprisingly, research shows that restricting certain foods only leads to greater consumption of those foods when available, and consequently an unhealthy relationship with food.
So with holidays, rather than restricting and labeling certain foods as “off-limits,” I recommend giving children the option to consume treats, while also setting boundaries to help them learn to do so in a positive way.
For advice on how to navigate a healthy Halloween, check out this post on the Plant-Based Juniors Instagram.
Treats to me don’t always mean candy, chocolate, and sugary baked goods though. I’m also all about more nutrient-dense treats, like the recipe I’m sharing today – Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookie Cups – say that ten times fast ;)
Because if you can add a little nutrition to your treats and have them taste great, why not enjoy the best of both worlds?!
I know chickpea cookies may sound a little weird, but let me tell you — every time I make these, I ask people to guess what’s in them, and no one has a clue!
If you’ve seen some of my other recipes (like these Baby-Led Weaning Muffins), you may not be that surprised that this recipe calls for beans. I love chickpeas. They’re super versatile and mild in flavor. Plus, they’re packed with plant protein, fiber, and other essential vitamins and nutrients. So if I have a chance to throw them in a recipe, you know I’m going to.
I used date syrup to sweeten these chickpea cookies, which you can find online, but you can easily swap it for another sweetener like maple syrup or agave. You can also make your own by blending 1 part simmered, pitted dates with 1 part water.
I don’t recommend swapping fake sugar though. In case you missed last week’s post on Artificial Sugars, I’ll cut to the chase — on top of tasting like crap, they’re not great for your health. I advise using moderate amounts of real sugar instead of the fake stuff.
Last thing, it’s best to use chickpeas with no salt added.
I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as my family does and not shy away from enjoying treats this holiday season!
- 1 (15 oz) can no-salt-added chickpeas or 1¾ cups cooked chickpeas
- ½ cup date syrup** or ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup choice of nut butter
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pulse chickpeas in a blender or food processor until broken down.
- Transfer to a bowl and mix in the baking powder and baking soda.
- Stir in the date syrup, nut butter, and chocolate chips.
- Press into a non-stick muffin pan, and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Let cool before serving.
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Weigh in: Have you ever tried chickpea cookies? Would you try this healthy treat?
Ln says:
I just made these.. great flavour but they did not stick together . Any ideas why?
Whitney E. RD says:
The nut butter has been added to the recipe!
Ln says:
Ah ha ! Will have to try these Again ! Thank you
Lola says:
Good day! Great article, thank you. I just love sweets, especially chocolate. Most of all I like to wrap myself in a blanket with a cup of coffee and a bar of natural chocolate. Good biscuits will work too. I will definitely try to cook according to your recipe, my children will be happy, thanks again!