Chickpea Chip Cookies

Ah yes, another chickpea cookie recipe.  The last one I made was great--if you want a sweeter more melt-in-your-mouth version, check out this one I created a couple years ago.  The one below I threw together recently is also very filling (and easier for me to resist) as well as not quite as sweet.  I like it without the additional honey, but if you are used to more traditional desserts, either keep the honey in, or add additional chocolate chips.

This is a good protein cookie to have a few as breakfast and keep you satisfied until lunchtime, or as a little energy snack or dessert.  I enjoyed them most warm almost right from the oven, and the husband appreciated them with a little more chocolate.  As he pointed out, if you hand him something that looks like a chocolate chip cookie, but tastes very healthy, it's a bit of a letdown.  For me though, cookies like these still seem like a decadent dessert--just customize it to your sweetness preferences!

Chickpea Chip Cookies
yields 15 little cookies

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup coconut or almond milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons sunflower seed butter* or almond butter
2 tablespoons raw honey (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
sprinkle sea salt
1-1/4 cup gluten-free quick oats**
3 to 4 tablespoons mini nondairy chocolate chips (or more to taste!)

*I used Wild Friends Organic Maple Sunflower Seed Butter, which lends a little sweetness already, allowing me to skip the honey.

Directions:

1.  Rinse and drain the chickpeas, and take a little time to rub off most of the skins.
2.  Heat oven to 300 degrees and continue prepping the cookies as it warms up.
3.  Puree the beans with the vanilla and nondairy milk, scraping down the sides of your processor or blender as needed until mostly smooth.
4.  Add egg whites, sunflower butter, powder and salt, and honey if using.  Pour this mixture into a bowl.
5.  Stir in quick oats into the mixture, or **make your own by food processing regular gluten-free oats until coarse and chopped.  Stir in chocolate chips.
6.  Spoon into cookie-size of choice (cookies won't spread) onto a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper.  Bake at 300 for 18 to 20 minutes, turning the cookie sheet around halfway through.  It may take closer to 20 minutes if you added honey.  Serve warm or melt additional chocolate and drizzle on top if preferred!