Remember back in 2012 when putting chickpeas in cookie dough and in blondies were all the rage? Well, the chickpea trend is happening all over again and I can’t say I’m mad about it. They’re actually my favorite legume.
This particular recipe just so happens to be an Ambitious Kitchen reader favorite recipe and one of my most popular. Basically, these little blondies are amazing bites of peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bliss. I swear, it’s true. After all, there are HUNDREDS of comments on this recipe from readers who just can’t get enough.
I remember the very first time I made them too! I was with my mom and we kept eating the dough straight from the bowl because we couldn’t believe how addicting it was. Kid you not, it tasted like peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough.
And well, to be honest… you *could* just skip the whole baking thing and just eat the dough (it’s vegan!). YUMMMMMM. COOKIE DOUGH DIPPIN’ PARTYYYY.
Before you get to the recipe, let’s talk about ingredients!
These healthy chickpea blondies are made with:
chickpeas
peanut butter (or your favorite all-natural nut butter)
pure maple syrup
chocolate chips
baking soda
baking powder
salt
These are so easy to whip up and can be in your belly in less than a half hour! Plus, they’re fudgy, packed with chocolate chips, and so wonderfully chewy. The sea salt really takes it over the top though; they reminded me of my favorite peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
I mean just LOOK AT THAT FUDGY STACK. I’m drooling, are you?
The best part about these blondies is that there are zero weird ingredients involved. They’re good for you and surprise everyone by how delicious they are. Plus these healthy chickpea blondies are vegan and gluten free, so pretty much anyone can enjoy them! I hope you love them as much as I have throughout the years. xo.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe! You can also snap and picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. And of course be sure to follow Ambitious Kitchen on Instagram. xo!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Grain Free Salted Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt {vegan, gluten-free & healthy}
Ingredients
- Cooking Spray
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar (you can also use honey if you're not vegan)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup vegan (or regular) chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoons
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray 8x8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a food processor, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth.
- Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, I like to use dark chocolate because it has less sugar but it's up to you. Note: Batter will be thick and super delicious, so you could actually just eat it on it's own!
- Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top. (The batter may stick to your spatula, so I like to spray my spatula with nonstick cooking spray first.)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny bit brown. The batter may look underdone, but you don't want them to dry out!
- Cool pan for 20 minutes on wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt then cut into squares. Makes 16 blondies. Store covered in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
I made these after I left a pot of chickpeas on the stove too long (LOL). They were very good, I made a few modifications: I used almond/pistachio butter and 1Tbsp of vanilla, And I accidentally used BAKED baking soda. Still had a nice rise, and they browned nicely. Possibly because the chickpeas were VERY soft, the batter was very thin. More like cake batter than cookie dough. So I added almond flour and flaxseed meal until I got the consistency I wanted. A total of 1-2 cup almond flour and 2 Tbsp. Flaxseed meal. Finally, I sprinkled about 3 Tbsp slivered almonds on top, along with the chocolate chips.
Sounds like you were able to pull together a great snack or treat!!
This recipe is ADDICTING!! I ate the whole pan within 24 hours… proceed with caution lol. I will definitely be making these again, hopefully with a little more self control! 5 Stars!!
They really are that good! Glad you loved them!
Made them for my kids. Made them again for myself because they were so delicious!
Love that!
Ignore the previous message, I just reread the recipe and figured it out!
Perfect! Enjoy!
I am about to make these. Wondering why the chocolate chips are laid on top and not stirred in? Is that just preference? Do you see any reason why it would not be OK to stir them in.
You are supposed to stir them in them it’s optional to save 2 spoonfuls to sprinkle in top before baking.
I make these all the time. Add the aquafaba, aka the liquid from the beans. Works perfectly! May need a couple more minutes to cook with the aquafaba.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
I’ve been following this recipe for a decade. Totally recommend for a gluten-free nonrefinded sugar free snack!
Amazing! It’s an AK classic 🙂 Glad you still love it!
Delicious! I used mint chocolate chips and I think that really elevated it. The only problem is that I can’t just have 1… they’re just too delicious.
That sounds amazing!
I’ve made these so many times over the years and they always are perfect. Just made with my toddlers yesterday and they loved it as much as me! A classic.
Soo good. I used less maple syrup and placed mini peanut butter cups on the top.
Will certainly be making this again 😋
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
They taste pretty good but they did not rise at all. Did anyone else have this problem? I know my baking powder and soda are good because I’ve made other things with them recently. I do wish I had seen the note at the end of the recipe about adding an egg, I would’ve done that.
Adding an egg would make them rise more to be more cake-like!
These were delicious but mine did not hold together well. They weren’t dry but they broke apart easily. Any ideas on what I could do differently to get them to keep a bar shape?
likely because they are vegan. If you store them in the fridge, they hold together much better 🙂
These are SO good. I’ve made these 3 or 4 times since finding this recipe. I use a combo of honey, light agave, and SF maple syrup for maximum sweetness. I’m obsessed and I don’t feel guilty eating them.
Perfect! So glad you love them!
Hi,
I baked for 25 and then another 9 minutes on a 180C. The edges are perfect and yummy! But the center feels gooey. I used honey and unsweetened peanut butter. Any tips or suggestions? Thanks!
These were so delicious. Perfectly sweet with a delightful texture. I followed the recipe as it was and was pleasantly surprised by how well these satiated by sweet tooth as a nutritionally dense snack. I will definitely be making these again soon!
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed!
These are so good!! You would never believe that there’s a can of chickpeas & no sugar in these
Absolutely! Such a great treat!
These Blondies are amazing! Yummy and so much healthier than other recipes on the net.Thank you!!!!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
So happy to find this recipe as I am trying to eat more WFPB. Definitely going into my permanent rotation. Just ate one after they cooled and now it is all I can do to not devour the whole pan.
Love it! Glad you found these!
These are so good I make them weekly. I use only a 1/4 of maple syrup and it turns out great. I add cinnamon and coriander (mostly because I love coriander so much). I will say I don’t think this makes 16 realistic servings! I usually get half that or less.
Such a great treat! The bars themselves are relatively small 🙂
These look delicious! I don’t have any chickpeas at the moment, but do have chickpea flour. Do you think I could sub that and if so, how to adjust? Thank you!
Look for a different recipe. The chickpeas form the fudge body of these blondies with no flour.
This recipe has been a family favorite for a decade now! Thank you so much for all your hard work in creating healthful and delicious recipes like this one.
So happy to hear that!
Made exactly as listed and at 25 min toothpick and as clean and edges were barely brown do I took out to avoid over baking as warned but they never crisped up at all. Thankfully I did use parchment paper (rather than greasing) so I was able to lift still soft mixture out. All that said, I cut bars and put in fridge and they taste delicious. Just not sure why the didn’t bake. I make flourless pb cookies often w no problem. Make parchment impeded the bottom baking properly? Anyway, review is to say even if they don’t bake thru still a tasty healthy treat. Thx!
How much sugar and added sugar per bar?
Hi! There are 6.9g of sugar per bar.
Love this recipe and have tried it twice. On my second go, I did 2x the portion and baked it for 28min. However, it feels like the blondies are a little wet and soft on the inside though the exterior has crack lines on it. Should I continue baking or take it as it is? I’ll definitely try to refrigerate it and see if it tastes better when it’s cold.
Hi! These will be soft, but should fully bake in the oven. Feel free to cover your pan with foil and continue to bake them so that the tops don’t get burned!
Came out deLISH. I added some cocoa powder & choc protein powder n then added a lil more maple syrup! Came out moist & no 1 would have a clue chick peas were the basic 1st ingredient!!
Love that!!
These were so easy to make and so delicious! I ate them as a post workout snack for days!
Love that! Glad you enjoyed 🙂