Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars feature the comforting flavors of your favorite cookies with a healthier gluten-free chickpea base.
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I was recently thinking about my Black Bean Brownie recipe (one of the first recipes on my blog to “hit it big”), and thought it was high time to make another legume-laden dessert.
This time I wanted to use chickpeas (or another white bean) so that I could make a Chocolate Chip Cookie version. I started scouring the internet for inspiration, but all of the recipes I found (which were all basically the same) had flour in them. I wanted to make them flourless, so I hit the kitchen to start experimenting.
Luckily, after a couple of trials with cornstarch vs none (adding cornstarch won out), and various cooking times, I narrowed down the recipe right away. My kids were sceptical. My teenage daughter helped me make them, but she wasn’t keen on actually eating them. She tried one, and right away said it was gross.
However, I immediately caught her sneaking a second one from the tray right after finishing the first. I say actions speak louder than words. My son loved them and admitted as much. Mr. Dreamboat too, who also usually isn’t a huge fan of “healthy” desserts. So if you’re in the mood for a healthier dessert that’s gluten-free with some added fiber, give these Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars a try.
How to Make Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
To make these bars, you will need a food processor. I made do with an immersion blender when I made mine (I couldn’t get my elderly food processor to work that day), but it really wasn’t the right tool for the job. The batter was just to thick for it to work well.
You’ll simply add the chickpeas, sugar, oil, egg, cornstarch, vanilla, baking powder, and salt to the food processor bowl and mix until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Spread the batter into an 8×8″ baking pan that’s been lined with parchment paper, and sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips onto the top of the batter, if desired. Bake until the top is completely set and the edges are starting to brown (about 35-45 minutes).
Set the pan on a wire rack to cool, and avoid the urge to cut them up until they cool. They’ll be very soft and messy to cut until they’ve cooled for at least half an hour. Once they do cool, cut them into squares (remove them from the pan first to avoid damaging the pan) and serve.
Note that these squares are best served warm. If they’ve cooled completely, warm squares one at a time in the microwave for just a few seconds (no more than about 5) to avoid them overheating and possibly scorching. Store leftovers in an airtight container or zipper bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for a longer period.
Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Ingredients
- 19-ounce can of chickpeas – Either regular or low-sodium/no-added-salt versions are fine. Make sure they have no additional seasonings added. I suspect using canned white kidney beans or navy beans would work too, but I haven’t actually tried.
- Brown sugar – I used light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will yield a stronger molasses flavor.
- Large egg
- Canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil – You could also substitute melted butter if you don’t need the bars to be gluten-free (this will result in a higher saturated fat content).
- Cornstarch – I found that adding cornstarch to the batter helped to make the batter thicker, which was easier to work with, and added a bit of chewiness to the squares.
- Vanilla – I used a generous amount of vanilla extract because that’s what I like in my chocolate chip cookies. Feel free to reduce to as much as 1 teaspoon if you’re not a huge vanilla lover, or if you’re simply trying to conserve the expensive ingredient.
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Chocolate chips – Semi-sweet chocolate chips are the traditional choice for chocolate chip cookies (and the most commmonly available) but you could also use milk chocolate chips, or any other type of chocolate chips if you prefer. Make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips to make these cookie bars dairy-free.
Want more gluten-free dessert recipes?
Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Nutrition Notes
The nutrition notes in the recipe below are for a small bar, if you cut the recipe into 16 squares. If you cut your bars into fewer (or more) pieces than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
This recipe is gluten-free as written. To make the bars dairy-free, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.
Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Prepare an 8×8" baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Drain and rinse a 19 ounce (540 ml) can of chickpeas, reserving the aquafaba for another use, if desired.
- Add the rinsed chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor, along with 3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar, 1 large egg, 2 Tablespoons canola oil, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Process until smooth. Stir 3/4 cup chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing it into the corners with a spatula. Sprinkle the top of the batter with up to 1/4 cup additional chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is completely set, the edges are beginning to brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack before cutting.
- Cut into 16 squares, and serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container or zipper bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for an extended period of time.
Nutrition
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