Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've come across several gluten-free/vegan dessert options that incorporate beans of all types, and I've recreated several of those recipes. For the most part, I am not a fan. It's a difficult task to balance health and sweet delectable chocolatey desserts. This recipe is one of those recipes that I tried and actually liked. Actually, I loved it. I've made some changes and some variations and they've all been great!

My vegan sister and brother-in-law love them. In fact, if I plan a visit home, my brother-in-law  asks whether I have time to bake some cookies or not and I'm more than happy to oblige! Food is one of my love languages, and it makes me so happy to sit around the kitchen table with my family sharing a dozen cookies between us. As we savor the cookies, we recant old stories and new ones. Forming memories, one bite at a time.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Yields 18 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 14.5 oz can of chickpeas
• 1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup PB2 powder or equivalent amount of nut butter
• 1/4 cup water or almond milk (only if you use the PB2 powder)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (or 1/4 cup honey)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (substitute vegan or carob chips if desired)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a food processor, process the chickpeas until they form a grainy paste. Add the PB2 powder, water (if using), sweetener, vanilla, and baking soda, and process until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips*. 
2. Roll the dough into golf ball sized pieces and arrange on the cookie sheets. If you prefer your cookies to be more disc-like, then flatten the balls slightly on the sheet, if not, then they will cook into small mounds. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies retain their shape but are still soft when you press on them.

Notes*
If you add the chocolate chips to the food processor and pulse to incorporate them, then your cookies will have chocolatey fudge swirls in them. Yum!