Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let’s see if I can sneaky-mom my way into Purim with these incredible chocolate chip cookies that are packed with protein from chickpeas. Yup, that’s right: one of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes I make has chickpea purée it. And I all but promise you the kids are clueless. Now, these cookies are by no means dietetic; the best version of them uses real butter and chocolate chips that are dairy. But the pareve version is also excellent, if not as crispy around the edges as I love. The chickpeas just add that protein you love to see your kids eat, and if they are going to have cookies and junk anyway that day, it’s nice to see something that has some nutritional value. But my real Purim joy is knowing these kids have no idea what they are eating, and watching them thoroughly enjoy it.

Directions

Prepare the Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or Gefen Parchment Paper.

2. In a food processor, mix sugar and butter until smooth. Add in the egg, vanilla, and chickpeas. Process until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, ground almonds, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on dough setting until a thick dough forms.

5. Remove from processor into a bowl, and then gently add the chocolate chips with a spatula. (You can also add raisins or nuts or oats if you want to really make this a whole different kind of “healthy” cookie.)

6. Using a small ice cream scooper or a large spoon, add big dollops of batter to your baking sheet. Leave a good amount of space between each cookie for spreading.

7. Using a fork or the palm of your hand, gently flatten the tops of each dough ball.

8. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Do NOT overbake. In my house we actually love them very under-baked, just crispy edges so we can add cold ice cream and have a hot, delicious mess of cookie to indulge in.

9. Let cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Tips:

The chickpeas make the cookies spread more and are a bit more delicate than a regular chocolate chip cookie might be, but they are well worth it.