Blood Orange Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
Blood orange seems to be having a moment. This juice of this slightly bizarre citrus fruit may make it look you’re in the process of murdering someone, but it’s a bit mellower and sweeter than its regular-orange cousin.
And it makes these delicious blood orange chocolate chip chickpea cookies (whew, is that a mouthful?!) pretty delicious!
I’m always on the hunt for a great new healthy dessert that meets my current dietary restrictions (which are legion), and this one gets bonus points for not being chocolate. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate, I just needed a bit of variety.
It’s also a major plus when I can just chuck everything in the blender and call it a day. Side note…the batter was delish. I licked the spoon and was like mmMMMM!
You might also like: Tips to Thrive on a Detox or Anti-Inflammatory Diet
It’s hard to go wrong with this recipe, it’s fairly foolproof. The main thing to know is that it’s easy to underbake them, and not in a good way.
Typically I love gooey, slightly underdone cookies, but you don’t want that with chickpea batter. These need longer than you think, don’t be afraid to go a couple minutes over.
Whipping these bad boys up is super easy. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips to a blender and mix until well combined and creamy, pausing and scraping down the sides to ensure a smooth consistency.
You can do this right in the blender, but I usually transfer the batter to a bowl and then stir in the chocolate chips, because it’s hard to dip up the cookies straight from my Vitamix (but you do you).
Scoop the batter onto the parchment paper, about 1 1/2 tablespoons per cookie (I truly just eyeball it, and it’s a lump vs. a nice shape). This should make between 13 and 16 cookies.
Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine often need 5 or more extra minutes to “dry out”, see notes), until golden brown on the bottom and firm to the touch.
Let them cool slightly before serving (they need to set up) and refrigerate the leftovers in the fridge for up to a week. I’m told you can freeze them, but I haven’t tried it…I find it hard to believe that the texture would still be good after defrosting, but let me know if you try it!
If you’re looking to mix things up from chocolate desserts, the citrus kick in these blood orange chickpea cookies is a lovely change of pace!
Adapted slightly from Flora & Vino
Other healthy gluten-free desserts you’ll love:
- Amazing Dark Chocolate Tahini Cookies (GF, vegan, nut-free)
- Easy No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote (GF, vegan, almond-free)
- Chai Spiced Tahini Cookies (GF, vegan, dairy-free, nut-free)
- Creamy 5-Minute Peanut Butter Pudding (dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan)
- Super Healthy Fudgy Date Brownies (GF, vegan, nut-free, no refined sugar)
- Easy & Awesome Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies (also vegan & nut-free)
Pin for later!
Blood Orange Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF, dairy-free, vegan, nut-free)
These blood orange chocolate chip chickpea cookies are full of citrus flavor and packed with fiber and protein...an easy, delicious gluten-free and vegan dessert or snack option!
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup of seed or nut butter (I use tahini)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
- Zest of 1 blood orange
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of fresh-squeezed blood orange juice
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder (makes them rise, but can be omitted)
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Sprinkle of cloves
- Zest of 1 blood orange
- 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (I like minis) or chopped chocolate bar (refined sugar free if possible)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips to a blender and mix until well combined and creamy, pausing and scraping down the sides to ensure a smooth consistency.
- I transfer the batter to a bowl and then stir in the chocolate chips, because it's hard to dip up the cookies straight from my Vitamix blender (but you do you).
- Scoop the batter onto the parchment paper, about 1 1/2 tablespoons per cookie (I truly just eyeball it, and it's a lump vs. a nice shape). This should make about 16 cookies.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine often needs 5-10 minutes more to "dry out", see notes), until golden brown on the bottom and firm to the touch.
- Cool slightly before serving (they need to set up) and refrigerate the leftovers in the fridge for up to a week. I'm told you can freeze them, but I haven't tried it.
Notes
- How wet your chickpeas are and slight variance in the amount of the blood orange juice can make a fairly significant difference in the moisture level of your batter. These are not the kind of cookies you want to take out when they're fairly underdone...trust me, way too mushy. Don't be afraid to give these another 5-10 minutes to make sure they're drying out and really baking solid.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
