April Choc Chip Cookie: Chickpea Version

This month you get two for the price of one!  Two very different Chocolate Chip Cookies that contained Chickpeas caught my eye.  I couldn't decide which one to make, so I baked both of them!

The first recipe I tried was the  Deep Dish Cookie Pie from Chocolate Covered Katie.

This recipe is like a giant cookie baked in a springform pan.  The recipe calls for a 10" springform pan, but I only had a 9" pan.   I baked the cookie for 35 minutes as the recipe stated.  The top looked dry and crumbly, so I figured it was done. 

The inside was quite gooey.  I'm sure if I had baked the giant cookie for 10 minutes more it wouldn't have been.  Blockette and I happened to love the gooey, almost cookie dough-like consistency, but Mrblocko did not.

 If I ever make this cookie again I'd bake it for just a bit longer to please Mrblocko.

So, the question you are probably asking is, "Can you taste the chickpeas?"

People who have commented on Chocolate Covered Katie's post on this recipe swear up and down that you cannot taste the garbanzo beans at all.  Maybe this is true if you don't know that they are in there.  I could taste them.  I didn't think the taste was unpleasant, but then again I've discovered that I really like chickpeas as long as they are not from a can.  If you think the taste of chickpeas is disgusting than this is probably not the dessert for you.

Deep-Dish Cookie Pie from Chocolate Covered Katie
2 cans white beans or garbanzos (drained and rinsed) (500g total, once drained- feel free to use soaked, cooked dried beans)
1 c quick oats
1/4 c applesauce
3 T oil (canola, veg, or coconut)
2 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1 c chocolate chips

Blend everything (excep chips) very well in a good food processor (not a blender). Mix in chips, and pour into an oiled pan. Cook at 350F for 35-40 min. Let stand at least 10 min before removing from pan.  Store leftovers in the fridge.

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Now for the second more traditionally shaped cookie: Chickpea peanut butter cookies/dough from Eat Good 4 Life.

Mrblocko liked this chickpea cookie version.  I think I liked the unbaked dough better than cooked version.  At the very end of baking, there wasn't enough dough for a full sheet of cookies, so I just placed the remaining dough in the fridge.  I ate it by the spoonful as a mid morning snack the next day!

These cookies did not spread at all for me, so be sure to flatten them out to ensure that the centers are fully cooked.

At first, I thought the texture of the cookies was a bit off.   They were very chewy and almost gummy.  Then, I had the idea to store them in the freezer.  These babies were amazing eaten ice cold, directly from the freezer.  Once they thawed, they got gummy again.


Overall, these were a good snack.  I felt better about eating them than a regular chocolate chip cookie.  I also didn't feel a big sugar crash like I do with most sweets.  Maybe that was because of the lack of starchy flours, and all the protein from the chickpeas and peanut butter.

Now for the chickpea question...Could I taste them in the cookie?  Sort of. 
They were less beany than the jumbo deep dish cookie.  This was probably because the peanut butter.  That is such a strong flavor that it masked the bean taste.  However, once you finished the cookie there was this slight aftertaste that hinted at garbanzos.  Again, it wasn't unpleasant, but not for the bean loather.

Chickpea peanut butter cookies/dough from Eat Good 4 Life.
1 15.5 oz can chick peas, rinsed and patted dry (or 250 g - feel free to use soaked, cooked dried beans)
2 t vanilla
1/2 c + 3 T peanut butter
1/3 c honey
1 t baking powder,
1/2 c dark chocolate chips (I used chopped Dove dark chocolate Promises as I had no dark chocolate chips at the time)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In food processor place ingredients (except chips) and pulse for 2 min til smooth. You may have to scrape down sides a few times. Add dark chocolate and pulse for 5 seconds. The mixture will be very thick and sticky. With med cookie scoop place balls in cookie sheet and flatten them slightly with hands.

Bake 15-20 min. (I baked the first sheet for 15 minutes and they were underdone.  20 minutes seemed like the perfect time for me.) Cool on a rack and store in freezer.