Ok, so these chocolate chip/chunk power cookies are a bit amazing. For the past few years I have seen a host of recipes on the internet from various sources for chickpea chocolate chip cookie dough. cookies, blondies and cookie pies but for some reason I never got on board with the trend. Possibly because I was worried that I would make a batch and end up with chocolate chip hummus. Pass. 


Luckily for me I got past my hesitation and created my own spin on the mighty chickpea chocolate chip cookie last week. I took some time before diving in though -- I read a ton of different recipes looking for patterns and flaws, trying to see if I could prevent any shortcomings in these cookies. I noticed many versions (possibly all) insisted on using a fair bit of nut butter. I imagine this is common because cookies need both a binder and a fat source but if I wanted a chocolate chip cookie to taste like peanut butter I would make a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. Many recipes called for loads of sugar but I knew I could easily cut back on it if I used dates and wouldn't need as much nut butter if I used the dates in combination with some virgin coconut oil as they would act as a binder as well. Many recipes recommended rinsing and drying the chickpeas thoroughly before blending them -- probably to avoid overly mushy or hummus-like soft cookies. By using the dry chickpea technique, and by adding some virgin coconut oil to my cookie dough, I was confident that I could make some nice and dense cookies. Several recipes called for eggs but a flax egg tends to work instead and adds a nice nuttiness to most baked goods so it would be a great addition to cookies. I wanted these cookies to be vegan so flax eggs were essential to my recipe. Many recipes involved oats or flour (again to avoid creating hummus) but I wanted these to be grain-free cookies so I decided I would use quinoa flakes instead (quinoa is not a grain, it is a seed from a grass) since they work so nicely in my breakfast cookies which also would turn to mush without them. All the recipes I found called for chocolate chips but I decided to step my version up a notch with my homemade chocolate chunks (recipe included below) which I usually have in my freezer. They are delicious and naturally sweetened with coconut sugar (a low glycemic sweetener) and a bit of maple syrup. But don't worry if you don't have the time to make your own (though it takes very little time!), just go ahead and substitute store-bought chocolate chips or chunks to make this recipe.

My homemade chocolate chunks

With all these assumptions and interpretations in hand, I set out to make some seriously high protein, naturally sweetened chocolate chip cookies with a nice sturdy texture. Guess what -- it totally worked! These are hands down some of the best healthy cookies I have ever made and I highly recommend giving them a try.

Chocolate Chunk Power Cookies hot from the oven

These cookies are pretty virtuous. They don't involve any flour, refined sugar, butter or eggs. They are high in protein thanks to the pumpkin seed butter I used and the can of chickpeas that make up the bulk of the cookie dough. They are sweetened with a few dates and unsweetened pear butter (both are fruit), a little coconut sugar (a low-glycemic index natural sweetener), and a touch of maple syrup (a natural sweetener) rather than cup after cup of white sugar. They use virgin coconut oil which is a medium chain triglyceride fat (which is easily converted to energy by your liver and stays stable in high heat cooking rather than becoming a trans fat). They are grain-free, gluten-free and totally vegan (I didn't even sneak any raw honey into this recipe as I tend to most of the time). I am so convinced of the benefits of these cookies that I ate two for breakfast today -- no grains and no regrets.



These cookies offer a pretty perfect cookie texture. Hot out of the oven they are a bit soft for my taste but toss them in the fridge to cool and they come out as sturdy as any butter-overload chocolate chip cookie I've encountered, and in the cool of the fridge their flavor gets better and better. 

My husband loved these little cookies so much he ate the leftovers for his breakfast today as well. That's how I know this recipe is a keeper as he and I don't always agree that a healthy dessert is sweet enough or reminiscent of a classic dessert enough. He agrees that they have great texture -- almost like Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies after they cool down a bit.  Their texture reminds me a lot of the delicious Monsieur Felix and Mr. Norton cookies and the enormous cookies sold at Second Cup (if you're Canadian!).



The cookie dough could easily be made into blondies by baking it in a baking pan like a brownie. The dough (minus the quinoa flakes which add a bitterness before baking) is delicious too and could be used as a cookie dough dip or snack, or whizzed into a vegan ice cream base for chocolate chip cookie dough flavor. I plan to try all of the above and report back. For now, go bake yourselves some cookies, pronto! 

These fantastic little morsels were inspired by one of my favourite things -- black bean brownies. like so many people I have a very low tolerance for sugar these days. I am unfortunately a skilled baker with a sweet tooth, so over the past few years I have been scouring the Internet universe for alternative desserts of all kinds.

Last year one of my obsessions was perfecting the bean brownie. Perfection required tasting a lot of bean batter. My rule was that the batter always had to taste like real chocolate cake batter. I quickly realized, this thick chocolate batter could, and should, be transformed into truffles.

I have since done some research to see if this had been attempted. Sure enough, it had. But the recipes I found involved far too much sugar or stevia for my taste. I rarely want a sugary treat these days, I instead opt for a sweet nutritional powerhouse whenever possible. These truffles fit the bill. Full of protein and potassium, these little gems make a fantastic post workout bite. They are easy to prepare and you can even store them in your freezer.


1 large can organic black beans
1 tbsp organic vanilla extract
2 frozen bananas
2 tbsp organic maple syrup
1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder
1 dash fine sea salt
Splash of espresso or coffee (optional)
2 tbsp vanilla rice milk (I like Natura)

Coating

1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder
2 tbsp maca powder

Blend all ingredients except for casting ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop small balls of the mixture and drop onto a non-stick baking sheet. Cover lightly with cling film and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Combine coating ingredients in a large bowl. Once balls are firm to the touch, roll to coat each in the dry coating mixture. Chill balls in fridge or freezer until ready to serve.