After going for a few months (several years in kitchen prep time) without a food processor, I can finally say that my kitchen is Food Processor equipped!
To break in my new toy, my man, Chickpea, decided to help out! Inspired by nothing but the season and the chocolate chips hiding in the back of my cupboard, we got to work. In went the pumpkin and the homemade cashew butter, but instead of adding flour, the chickpeas jumped in instead! The food processor didn't even bat an eyelash.
I folded in the chocolate chips and chilled the dough for awhile to get it to firm up a bit and then into the oven they went. Because they are a little moister and have no flour, they do take a while longer to cook that your average cookie. They are worth the wait, though! I almost burnt my mouth trying one of these beauties as soon as they were out of the oven, but boy, were they worth the pain!
Slightly crisp on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside, pumpkin goodness throughout, chocolate chips in every bite... Is there anything else you could possibly desire from a cookie? What's that? You want them to be healthy, gluten-free, and high in protein? Well, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies have that too! Maple sugar, pumpkin, and cashews are all nutrient dense ingredients that just so happen to also be delicious. No flour means no gluten (make sure your chocolate chips are certified gluten-free, if this is a concern), and all of those chickpeas ensure that each cookie is protein-packed. These are cookies that your tastebuds and your body will love.
If you don't have a food processor, don't let that stop you from enjoying these cookies. Just use a masher to thoroughly mash all of the chickpeas before adding the other ingredients. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 15oz can will have roughly 1.5 cups, so if using canned, you may need 2 cans. Be sure to rinse and drain them first)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup cashew butter (or other nut butter)
- ½ cup maple sugar (or other vegan sugar, don’t sub with a liquid sweetener)
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse a few times until mostly ground, but not pureed. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips and process until smooth.
- Pour the dough into a bowl, fold in the chocolate chips, cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. After the dough has set, use a tablespoon to scoop heaping spoonfuls on to the baking sheets. Use the back of a large spoon or measuring cup to lightly flatten each cookie.
- Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes (just keep an eye on them after about 20 minutes), until edges are slightly browned and the cookies have firmed up. Let cool on the baking sheet. Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
First time here? Check out the rest of my Chickpea Love Affair Vegan MoFo Entries!
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Photography by Chris Miller
jd
Congrats on the new food processor - it's hard to imagine living without one, once you have one!
Also: Those cookies look aaaa-mazing! I'm really excited to try them, especially since I've never tried making flourless baked goods before!
keepinitkind
Thank you! The last few months, my kitchen really felt the absence of the FP. I am so thankful to have one again! I hope you like the cookies, JD! 🙂
Caitlin
wow, lady, i'm super impressed by these cookies! NO flour? not even chickpea flour?! these are magical. i'm making these for dayv.
keepinitkind
Thanks, Caitlin! Let me know how Dayv likes them! 🙂
Sarah S.
Awesome! I haven't found a pumpkin cookie recipe that I really love, mainly because they often end up very cakey. These don't look cakey at all, very cookie-y like they should be! Who knew chickpeas were the answer? Looking forward to trying.
keepinitkind
Thanks, Sarah! Here is one reason why I love you: You say things like "cookie-y." I am always turning nouns into adjectives by just adding "y" to the end. 🙂
I agree with you about the cakey-ness of pumpkin cookies, though I can't say I don't like them. I like cakey cookies but I like cookie-y cookies even more.
emily
perfect timing! we are going to visit my mom tomorrow.. she has celiac, and i'm going to make these for her 🙂
thanks so much!
keepinitkind
Oh, I hope she likes them, Emily! Have a great visit! 🙂
emily
she loved them! thanks!!
keepinitkind
Yay!
Annie
Amazing, Kristy!! That little bean is something else.
keepinitkind
Thanks, Annie. Isn't he, though?
Michelle Micci
YUM.. these look great... What kind of Food Processor.. I really dislike mine its like Betty Crocker ... I want a new one for Christmas...
keepinitkind
Thanks! I got a Cuisnart Premier Prep 9-Cup. So far so good. If you want, I can send an anonymous hint to your husband to let him know. 😉
Michelle
Lol he knows but I m
Michelle
Were trying to go to Hawaii that would be the present so maybe ill ask MIL
keepinitkind
Sounds like a plan. 😉 I'm so jealous- a trip to Hawaii sounds so good right now!
Richa`
i need some pumpkin puree in my life soon 🙂 TGIF indeed. congrats on the food processor. i had a cuisine art one which was so bad that i had to throw it away. most of my small jobs are now done by the magic bullet. have a great weekend Kristy!
Caitlin
my cuisinart was horrible, too! it made SO MUCH noise and did a terrible job!
keepinitkind
The new one is a cuisinart and so far, I have no complaints. What kind do you use?
keepinitkind
This time of year is all about pumpkin puree and finding new things to put it in. I had a mini cuisinart before and it worked well until it didn't. I got a new cuisinart that I really like so far. It makes the old one look like a child's toy. 😉 Have a good weekend, Richa!
Somer
Ha! Love this I totally had pumpkin chocolate chip cookies planned as a MOFO post! Teehee, I'll hold onto it for a bit, plus yours is more awesome cause it's gluten free! Is there anything your man garbanzo can't do? 😉 xoxo!
keepinitkind
I can't wait to see your pumpkin cookies- all of your baked goods looks so mouth-wateringly decadent. Those bars of yours, ooooh boy! Just one look at those guys and I'm drooling. I hope you're having a good weekend, Somer! xoxo
Andrea
Got to try these, especially since I have a huge stash of chocolate chips begging to be used!
keepinitkind
Chocolate chips will do you no good being stashed away like that. Break 'em out, Andrea! 🙂 I hope you're having a great weekend!
Lysa
They look so delicious...! Flourless cookies, This is just amazing!!!
keepinitkind
Thanks, Lysa! I hope you're having a great weekend!
P.S. Your new kitten is ADORABLE!!!
Sarah
as a big fan of chocolate covered katie's cookie dough dip I WILL try these. yummy!
keepinitkind
Yay! I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Gabby @ the veggie nook
Wow these look amazing! Probably the best looking chickpea-based dessert I've seen 🙂 Love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate too! Basically love everything about this post!!
keepinitkind
Thank you Gabby! There are a lot of really great chickpea-based recipes out there, so that's a huge compliment! 🙂
Shadé @ oneveganfatty
Ahhh-mazing! I have all these ingredients...I MUST TRY THIS!
keepinitkind
Yes! I hope you like them! 🙂
Tamar Genger @joyofkosher
I would love to make these for my son to take to school, but he can't bring anything with nuts. Any thoughts on a substitute for the nut butter? I know it is already gluten free, which I don't need, but I love that it is high in protein and vegetable. If anyone has a thought I am all ears.
keepinitkind
That's a good question. My first suggestion would be sunflower seed butter, but if seeds aren't allowed, then that wouldn't work. Soy nut butter would also be a good alternative, since it's made from soy beans. I hope that helps and I hope your son enjoys them! 🙂
Tamar Genger @joyofkosher
I tried it with the soy nut butter and everyone loved them, but my son said they tasted more like a muffin than a cookie, they were a little soft I guess. Still they were gobbled up so I would say there were a winner.
Leaf
I actually used a quarter of a ripe banana -- I figured that it has the same thick sort of consistency. I cut down on the sugar to make amends for the sweetness of the banana. I don't know how it changes the overall flavor of the cookies but mine turned out well. I should like to try it with the nut butter though 🙂
keepinitkind
I'm so glad you liked them! I would have used banana as well because I'm sure it added a great richness to the cookies, but I'm finding that bananas and I don't mix well. Thank you for letting me know- I love that! 🙂
Leaf
Thank you! Yes they were very good. The genius of these cookies is that they are a satisfying treat that doesn't make you feel like a stick of butter, pound of sugar or lethargic lump of flour. 😉
I hope, if your body allows it, you can find joy in bananas as you do in chickpeas, which I am coming into a deeper appreciation of, thanks to your love affair postings ...haha 🙂
Thanks again!
keepinitkind
Any time, Leaf! 🙂
Gail
These are really delicious with a nice texture. This recipe is a keeper. I brought them to work, had so many requests for the recipe. No one suspected the cookies are vegan, much less made from beans. Be patient while they cook and cool, it will smell so good in the kitchen.
keepinitkind
Gail, you don't know how happy this comment made me! I am so happy that you and your coworkers liked the cookies, and you're so right, they are totally worth the wait. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen
Wonderful idea! I'm all about pumpkin lately, and I am trying to cut back on my gluten. Thanks for the recipe.
keepinitkind
Thank you, Sarina! 🙂 Enjoy!
Heather
Its the perfect cookie Kristy- chewy/crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, healthy with chocolate and pumpkin- YES!
keepinitkind
Thanks, Heather- that's totally my idea of the perfect cookie too! 🙂
ChiCindy
I have been gluten free for about 6 months now and miss cookies most of all. These are the absolute BEST I have made (and I have been trying cookie recipes at least twice a week). Not only are they delicious, but they have a great nutritional profile....except when I eat half a pan in one evening. Maybe they shouldn't be quite so delicious (or I should be more disciplined). Thanks for your great recipes and posts.
keepinitkind
That absolutely made my day! Thank you- I am so happy that you like them! 🙂
Dani
These are so good. They're the only cookies I don't feel guilty eating.
keepinitkind
Yay for guilt-free cookies! 🙂