YEP. Chickpea superfood cookie dough balls.
HEAVEN ON FREAKING EARTH. And I don’t say that lightly.
These babies are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, low glycemic, and chock full of nutrient-dense and protein-rich superfoods.
I have been having so much fun playing around with using pulses in my cooking & baking lately, thanks to my partnership with USA Pulses as an International Year of Pulses Ambassador.
FYI: Pulses are all types of dry peas, lentils, chickpeas, and beans. Who knew? They are some of the easiest, most affordable and most commonplace ingredients to work with — and they make a delicious gluten-free flour alternative as well as a plant-based protein alternative.
I legit cannot get enough of using chickpeas in my baking. I like to ground them in a food processor or blend them in a blender (a big one like a VitaMix or heavy duty NutriBullet) and then use them as a flour substitute and binding agent.
They are the PERFECT addition to the “nutty banana cookies” I have been making for years (you can find that recipe in my book), and they can even replace the banana as a low-glycemic and protein-packed substitute.
This recipe kind of came together on a whim. I wanted to make chickpea chocolate chip cookies, but I was out of chocolate chips and didn’t feel like going to the store to buy eggs.
Once I realized I was egg-less and chocolate-chip-less, I noticed that every single thing I had on hand was a superfood — so why not make the cookies jam packed with superfoods and taste bud bursting low-glycemic sweetness + flavor?
BTW, just so we are all clear, a “superfood” is classified as a food that is bursting with nutrients, vitamins & minerals and will give you the fuel and energy you need to live your best life. When you hear the term “food is fuel,” people are usually referring to superfoods. 😉
Basically, it’s the anti-junk food. If you work on incorporating more and more superfoods into your life, you’ll probably find that you have a lot more energy, feel better overall, and glow from the inside out.
Over the years I’ve noticed that I pretty much ONLY eat superfoods, because that’s what my body gravitates to. I CHOOSE superfoods because they make me feel good after I eat, versus feeling bogged down or heavy from food.
Now, let’s do the damn thing! Recipe time. You will devour these — fair warning. They are SO GOOD. And let them set for a few hours or better yet, a few days — because while they are delish after you first make them, they’re EVEN BETTER when the flavor soaks in & they have some time to take their shape!
In other words — eat some now, eat some later. Best of both worlds.
CHICKPEA SUPERFOOD COOKIE DOUGH BALLS!
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup vanilla plant-based protein powder
1/2 cup cacao nibs (or dairy-free choc chips)
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup rolled gluten-free oats
1/3 cup almond butter
1/3 cup goji berries
1/4 cup maple syrup or agave
1 tsp vanilla (I like to use vanilla stevia, to keep it even lower on the glycemic index)
Method:
Blend or process chickpeas in a blender or food processor until they are silky smooth, and then transfer to a large bowl.
Add all of the dry ingredients: protein powder, oats, cacao nibs, and coconut flakes.
Mix well and then add the wet ingredients: almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.
Mix well to combine all ingredients, and then roll into balls using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each ball (about the size of your palm).
Refrigerate to set them, and then plate to serve! They are a delish, nutrient-dense, on-the-go snacky snack!
*They last for about a WEEK & A HALF in the fridge, yee baby. And they get crunchier as the days go on… which I happen to love.
There you have it. Heaven on earth. On the go, protein packed, nutrient dense, pre workout, post workout, dessert or breaky or both, pulse-happy, plant-based, low sugar, win win WINNNN.
Try these and let me know what you think! What do y’all think of the whole pulses thing? Isn’t it awesome how versatile they can be? And who knew what pulses were — bonus points if you knew before January of this year… Because that will mean you knew about it before I did!! XO
PS — all of my go-to brands for this recipe are below! Knock yourselves out on the superfood train!
