Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

I am so excited about this recipe, which I made earlier this week!!! I was inspired by a recent post by The Gluten Free Vegan. Until seeing this, I had absolutely no idea that cookies could be made using garbanzo beans instead of flour. I tried a modified version of the recipe on the same day I saw it, and the cookies were delicious! The best part is that Zander thinks he is getting a really special treat when he has these, and I have the peace of mind of knowing that they aren’t bad for him.

I am going to make more cookies tonight for Zander’s classmates–tomorrow is our day to provide the school snack. Cookies are typically not allowed, but I received special clearance from his teacher to bring these once I listed the ingredients. 🙂

I am planning to make one batch of the ones pictured here and one batch inspired by a post by The Joyful Pantry that uses white beans instead of garbanzos and includes gluten-free oats–what a neat idea! I will be using maple syrup in tonight’s batch instead of agave nectar, because I think it will provide a richer flavor.

At a later date, I will probably experiment by adding coconut flakes; using almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter; or substituting raisins or cranberries for chocolate chips. There are so many variations and possibilities, which is what makes this concept of baking with beans so exciting. I feel as though a whole new world has been opened up to me!

Anyhow, without further ado, here is the recipe:

GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry (the recipe called for a 19 oz can, but I only had a 13 oz can on hand, so I just used a little less peanut butter)
¾ cup natural peanut butter (I used about 1/2 cup, maybe slightly more)
¼ cup maple syrup or agave nectar (I used agave nectar, but I think that maple syrup will be even yummier)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of sea salt
¼ – ½ cup vegan chocolate chips (I omitted these and opted instead to do traditional criss-cross peanut butter cookies using a fork to flatten and press the design into the cookie dough balls)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In the work bowl of your food processor combine all ingredients (except chocolate chips–if you are using those). Blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. (I used my Vitamix to combine the ingredients. I think that next time, I will blend only the chickpeas and maple syrup in the Vitamix, then stir in the other ingredients by hand in a bowl for more even mixing.)
3. Add in chocolate chips (if using) and pulse a few times.
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. You don’t need to leave a lot of room between the cookies as they don’t spread out or rise up much at all.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 – 10 minutes before removing from baking sheet.
6. Cookies can be frozen.

Here are the cookies before baking:

And here they are after baking: