I am always looking for the healthiest alternatives to my favorite foods. One of my favorite things to do with friends is bake. You know… typical girls! Most of my “girls baking nights” used to consist of Funfetti cake mix, a package of break and bake cookie dough, and more “sampling” than actually baking. I love doughs and batters, in fact I cannot get enough! When my sister and I used to make cookies and cakes with my mom, we would both argue over who got to lick the bowl and who got to lick the spoon. So glad we never ended up with salmonella! Yikes!
I have come to the conclusion that I love vegan baking because it’s challenging and fun, but really because you can eat all the batter you want without getting sick from raw eggs! On top of using only plant based products for baking (with the addition of natural salt), I try not to use any refined sugar, making my treats pretty much guilt-free.
While eating hummus the other day, something struck me. Why not use chickpeas as a base for a sweet treat? My friend and I made cupcakes from chickpeas before, so I thought it was worth a try to master another dessert. Not only is this a fun appetizer or dip for a party, but these fabulous little legumes are a great source of fiber and protein to keep you full and satisfied.
Now let’s talking about some dipping action!
Apple slices, whole-grain pretzels, graham crackers, toast, the possibilities are endless!
Question: What would you use to dip into your bowl of Chickpea Cookie Dough?
My recipe is an adapted version from Chocolate Covered Katie’s Cookie Dough Dip. To make the dip as healthy as it could possibly be, I made a few adjustments to the original recipe:
omit baking soda
only 3 Tbsp almond butter
2 Tbsp rolled oats
no extra milk
Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip
Makes about 2.5 cups of dough
keep servings to 2Tbsp per person/snack
1 15oz can of chickpeas
1 + 1/4 cup pitted medjool dates
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chocolate chips (of your choice, you could use carob chips for a vegan option)
3 Tbs almond butter
2 Tbsp rolled oats
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
Remove pits from the dates and place in a bowl or jar with 1/2 cup of water. Cover the bowl or jar and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (or overnight). Strain and rinse the chickpeas. After dates have soaked, combine the chickpeas, dates (including their soaking liquid), almond butter, oats, vanilla, and salt in a food processor, excluding the chocolate chips. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Remove dough from the for processor and gently mix in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate and serve cold.
Larissa
June 14, 2012 at 3:52 pm (12 years ago)This looks so delicious! I have such a sweet tooth and I love cookie dough so much. I’m definitely going to give this a try.
Catherine
June 14, 2012 at 3:57 pm (12 years ago)Thank you! Let me know what yo think! Health & happiness xo
Lauren Stewart
June 27, 2012 at 1:03 pm (12 years ago)Just found your blog and loving these recipes!
Just FYI — vegans can have chocolate chips too; we just buy dairy-free ones 🙂
Have a great day!
Phoebe
June 29, 2012 at 7:27 pm (12 years ago)isn’t this the recipe from chocolatecoveredkaties blog?
Catherine
June 29, 2012 at 10:03 pm (12 years ago)Yes it is adapted from her original recipe 🙂 she’s fantastic!
Bianca
July 2, 2012 at 8:49 am (12 years ago)Catherine! I’m so glad I came across your blog. I can relate so much to your weight loss story. You’re recipes are awesome! & I’m definitely going to be eating more ‘rabbit food’ more often 🙂
Catherine
July 2, 2012 at 10:07 am (12 years ago)That’s great! I am so glad you found my blog! Health & Happiness xo
Lauren
July 3, 2012 at 12:58 pm (12 years ago)Can you use canned chickpeas for this?
Catherine
July 3, 2012 at 1:51 pm (12 years ago)Yes, I use 1 can (rinsed and strained) for the recipe 🙂
Jennifer Dougherty
July 20, 2012 at 5:59 am (12 years ago)I just tried it using canned chickpeas. It had a very strong taste of chickpeas, so I added two packets of Splenda. It sweetened it right up and it is delish! Thanks!
Catherine
July 20, 2012 at 4:04 pm (12 years ago)Hi Jennifer! I’m so glad Splenda did the trick! xo
Rach
August 1, 2012 at 5:49 pm (12 years ago)So, this is the dish I settled on to bring to a food party. It was a huge success!
This recipe ROCKS (as does your whole blog. As do you.)
I blogged about it here…
http://gloriouslyarranged.blogspot.com/2012/08/saturday-food-party.html
Catherine
August 1, 2012 at 9:13 pm (12 years ago)Love your post!!! So happy you enjoyed the dip! xo
Katie
February 7, 2013 at 1:55 pm (12 years ago)Question: What would you use to dip into your bowl of Chickpea Cookie Dough?
My spoon.
Catherine
February 7, 2013 at 2:45 pm (12 years ago)Hahaha katie! Good answer!!!
Dana
February 9, 2015 at 11:56 am (10 years ago)most excellent answer and exactly what i would do!
Kelly
January 12, 2014 at 12:11 pm (11 years ago)Not a fan of peanut butter do you think I could replace with cream cheese?
Anna
July 3, 2014 at 8:14 pm (10 years ago)Just omit the pb, I replaced it with a mashed banana and reduced the sweetener in turn. Bam! Delish.