Chocolate Chi(ck)p(ea) Cookies

I do love a good challenge, and making things that are a) vegan, b) gluten-free, and c) still delicious is one of my favorite challenges out there.  I originally started adapting this recipe so I could bake for a vegan colleague, but then I found out that he's allergic to both peanuts and chickpeas, so that's me back to the drawing board for him, but as a nice side-effect, I now have a recipe for AMAZING chocolate chip cookies that are approximately 200% less a pain in my ass than regular chocolate chip cookies.

And they're full of chickpeas and peanut butter, so they're ... actually sort of good for you?  Will wonders never cease.

The only real difference between these and the usual chocolate chip cookies of the world is that they're not at all improved by dipping them in milk (I personally like them better with a cup of unsweetened green tea than I do with a cup of milk) and they're better cooled than warm straight from the oven.  They're also irresistible and I end up eating a quarter of the batch in each sitting, so ... yeah.  I become round.

No regrets!

Chocolate Chi(ck)p(ea) Cookies

Ingredients
15 oz chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract (the fake stuff works fine here)
2 tsp water*
1/3 cup of something sweet.  This can be:
--- 1/3 cup white sugar PLUS 1 tsp molasses
--- 1/3 cup brown sugar
--- 1/3 cup honey*
--- 1/3 cup maple syrup*
--- 1/3 cup agave*
--- you get the idea

1 cup chocolate chips of your choosing (I use dark chocolate because that's what I have in the house)
*Omit the water if you're using a liquid sweetener.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. In a food processor, combine everything EXCEPT the chocolate chips. Blend it until it's very smooth; this always takes longer than I want it to.
3. Dump the mixture into a medium mixing bowl and add the chocolate chips, stirring them in until they're incorporated.
4. Now it's time to decide if you want cookies or cookie bars.
1. If you want cookies:
1. Scoop them out in tablespoon-size balls and drop them onto a silpat on a cookie sheet.  Do not expect to be able to handle them; they are too sticky for that.
2. Mine made around ... 30 cookies, I think?  They don't spread out, so you can put them pretty close together.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine wanted 23 minutes) or until they look dried out and are maybe juuuuuuuuuust starting to brown around the edges.
4. Remove from the oven and IMMEDIATELY flatten them out into a cookie shape, using a spatula/turner/flat thing.
5. Let them cool 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
2. If you want cookie bars:
1. Grease a 9x9" baking dish.  I use coconut oil for this, but butter would work.
2. Dump the whole mess into the pan and smooth it out so it's even.
3. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the edges have browned.
4. Cool COMPLETELY before cutting into them.  This makes 16 servings, but I eat 4 of them in one sitting each time, so it hardly matters.

For a laugh, give them to That One Asshole who likes to say vegan food isn't any good, and then tell them it's vegan.  The spluttering is seriously funny, no lie.  Especially when they ask "when'd you go vegan?" and you tell 'em you're not vegan.  "So why're you making vegan food, then?" they'll say.  The truth is that I want to have vegan/gluten-free recipes up my sleeve for those who need that kind of dietary consideration, but answering, "Just to mess with you, love :)" is so much more fun, and highly recommended.

More than enough out of me.  Enjoy the recipe!