Chickpea Cookie Dough

By
Kristina Vanni
Kristina Vanni
Kristina Vanni
An internationally recognized culinary authority, Kristina Vanni is well-known for her recipe development, food photography, and experience as a TV show host.
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Updated on 01/26/23
Chickpea Cookie Dough

Kristina Vanni

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 1 mins
Chill: 30 mins
Total: 36 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
171 Calories
8g Fat
22g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 171
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 186mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 34mg 3%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 145mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Everyone knows that sneaking a nibble of raw cookie dough is irresistible, but it's not exactly safe, thanks to the raw eggs and flour. This recipe for chickpea cookie dough, though, is a gluten-free, fun, and safer way to enjoy a taste of raw cookie dough (so long as you don't have peanut allergies). You can get your chocolate chip cookie fix without even turning on your oven!

For the recipe, we blend chickpeas with brown sugar, peanut butter, and ground flaxseed to create the perfect edible cookie dough texture. Then we fold in some chocolate chips for the full experience. Chickpea cookie dough tastes great; with all the fun ingredients mixed in, you would never guess you are eating pureed legumes!

What makes this edible cookie doughs different from regular cookie dough is that it doesn't contain raw eggs, uncooked flour, or a leavening agent. As a result, you can't bake it (sorry), but you can eat it raw (yay!). You can store this dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. It does not freeze well, however.

A little reminder for shopping: Chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the same thing.

Ingredients

Cookie Dough:

  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup peanut butter

  • 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Dippers:

  • Graham crackers

  • Pretzel sticks

  • Sliced apples

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Chickpea Cookie Dough

    Kristina Vanni

  2. In the bowl of a food processor combine the chickpeas, brown sugar, peanut butter, ground flaxseed meal, vanilla extract, and salt. Pulse to combine.

    Chickpea Cookie Dough

    Kristina Vanni

  3. Process until a thick, even dough forms, scraping the sides of your device as necessary.

    Chickpea Cookie Dough

    Kristina Vanni

  4. Transfer the dough into a large bowl and fold in the chocolate chips.

    Chickpea Cookie Dough

    Kristina Vanni

  5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The dough will thicken as it chills because the flaxseed meal will absorb some of the moisture from the chickpeas as it sits. This will help the mixture achieve the consistency of raw, edible cookie dough.

    Chickpea Cookie Dough

    Kristina Vanni

  6. Simply enjoy the cookie dough on its own or as a dip using your favorite foods as dippers. Pretzel sticks, graham crackers, and sliced apple all work well and taste great.

    Chickpea Cookie Dough

    Kristina Vanni

Chickpea Cookie Dough Variations

This basic recipe for chickpea cookie dough can be customized to suit your taste.

  • Instead of 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, try white chips, peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruit.
  • Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the dough to make a double chocolate chip cookie dough.

Recipe Substitutions

  • Nut butters: Instead of the peanut butter, you could use the equivalent amount of almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter to suit your personal preference or dietary needs.
  • Meal: Instead of the ground flaxseed you could use oat flour or almond meal.
  • Sweetener: Instead of the brown sugar you could use honey or maple syrup. Or, you could decrease the amount of sweetener added to suit your own tastes.