Banana & Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies

Banana & Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies with Walnuts

Did you know that the chocolate chip cookie is more than 80 years old?  We can thank an accomplished American by the name of Ruth Wakefield for this classic creation! I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies, but do you know the history? Check it out!

 Ruth Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie in the late 1930’s and that very recipe ended up on the Nestle chocolate chip bag (how cool is that?) Someone I would consider a total boss by today’s standards, Ruth was a dietitian, lecturer, author, chef, server and restaurant/inn owner who originally studied household arts (known today as home economics). That cookie recipe was developed to offer a unique dessert to patrons at the famous Toll House Inn in Massachusetts and originally contained chopped Nestle chocolate bars. It eventually became the North American favourite that it is today. Thanks Ruth!

So, this recipe is a healthy take on the traditional recipe. Banana chocolate chip chickpea cookies are a great choice for a healthier “sweet treat” throughout the week. Thanks to chickpeas, these cookies also have a soft and chewy texture. Chickpeas lend themselves quite well to cookie baking, impart a slight nutty flavour to the batter AND if no one told you they were in there, you might not even notice! Draining and rinsing canned chickpeas with cold water will reduce the sodium content and make them easier to digest. 

These cookies are a great lunch bag item for busy weeks and go famously with a cup of coffee. They’re also a great option for serving at children’s birthday parties or family gatherings (Omit nuts or substitute with sunflower or pumpkin seeds for the allergy conscious version).This recipe is packed with potassium, fibre and plant based protein and has less sugar than most traditional cookie recipes. 

If I have the option, I like to use 70% cacao dark chocolate chips in most of my baking because dark chocolate chips have 40-50% less  sugar than semi-sweet chocolate chips. Keep in mind, they are a bit more expensive and come in smaller packages. Semi-sweet chocolate chips are also a healthier choice for regular baking than milk chocolate chips due to the lower sugar content.

This recipe is:
 >Vegan

*See end of recipe for celiac friendly, dairy free and nut free options

Prep Time: 5min
Cook Time: 25min
Total Time: 30
Yield: 18 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas (400g) – Drained and rinsed well
• 1 cup oats (large flake oats or rolled oats will work)
• 2 medium bananas (ripe are ideal)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
• Optional: ¼ cup chopped nuts or seeds of your choice (I usually add walnuts)

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare ingredients: drain and rinse chickpeas well, chop nuts/seeds

Set aside chocolate chips and nuts.  Place all other ingredients excluding the chocolate chips and nuts into the food processor.

Blend on high until the batter is smooth (1-3 minutes depending on your food processor)

Carefully remove the blade from the processor. Using a spatula, scrape down excess batter off the blade and sides of the container. Add chocolate chips and nuts, stirring them in.

Using a tablespoon, spoon out heaping tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheet (you can wet the spoon or use clean wet hands to handle and this will prevent batter from sticking)

You can press each cookie down with the back of the spoon or your hand (these cookies don’t spread out much during baking)

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25mins (Bake until outer edges feel dry to the touch and the surface begins to crack a little)

Remove from the oven and cool before serving. 

Storage:

Store in sealed container for one week

Fridge: In a sealed container or sealed plastic bag for up to 10 days
Freezer: In a sealed container or sealed plastic freezer bag for three months.

 

Make this recipe dairy free: Use dairy free chocolate chips instead of regular chocolate chips

Make this recipe nut free: Use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds in place of nuts.

Make this recipe celiac friendly (gluten free): Use certified gluten free rolled oats instead of regular oats. Purchase all other ingredients for this recipe in pre-sealed packaging. Purchasing non certified gluten free ingredients or  bulk ingredients at stores such as Bulk Barn may put those with celiac at risk of exposure to gluten from processing at its original facility or accidental contamination in store.