Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies are soft, egg-free, and ready to bake without chilling. Sweet, salty, and secretly healthy, you’ll be amazed they’re made from chickpeas!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This salted caramel chocolate chip chickpea cookies recipe comes straight from the heart. I wanted that guilty pleasure combo of chocolate and caramel, but balanced out by a healthy base.
Inspired by my chickpea blondies that wildly exceeded my expectations, these chickpea cookies are softer than regular cookies but they totally make up for it with melty toppings.
Best of all, they’re effortless! No eggs, no dough chilling, no nut butter, and no room temperature butter or eggs, which has always been my cookie‑making nemesis.
The chickpeas add fiber, protein, and a fun “wait, seriously?” moment – my teenagers had friends over and they all were shocked when I revealed the secret ingredient.
Ingredients for Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies
- Canned chickpeas: Don’t use home cooked beans! Canned chickpeas have a mild flavor that chocolate and caramel easily cover. Use a 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained.
- Maple syrup or honey: For natural sweetness. I used pure maple syrup.
- Butter: Melted butter keeps the cookies soft and chewy with crispier edges.
- Almond flour: Go with superfine blanched almond flour, it makes the cookies melt in your mouth. Almond meal might work too.
- The essentials: Pure vanilla extract and salt for flavor balance and a little extra depth.
- Soft caramels: Store-bought caramels work perfectly, just chop them into small pieces before adding. I used Werther’s, cut into thirds, but any brand works.
- Chocolate chips: Add melty, chocolatey pockets throughout the cookies. You can use semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate, whichever you love best.
- Flaky sea salt: A little sprinkle on top makes the chocolate and caramel pop and gives that perfect sweet-salty kick.
How to Make Salted Caramel Chickpea Cookies
These chocolate chip chickpea cookies with caramel are made entirely in the food processor!
Preheat your oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Blend it: Blend the chickpeas, maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Scrape down the sides once or twice.
- Make the dough: Add 1 1/4 cups almond flour and pulse until it’s thick enough to scoop. If it’s feeling a bit wet or sticky just add a little extra flour.
- Add some chocolate: Pull out the blade and stir in 1/4 cup chocolate chips by hand.
- Shape them: Scoop, roll, and flatten the dough onto the baking sheet, then press 3 chocolate chips on top each cookie.
- Bake and top: Slide the cookies into the oven and bake until the edges are golden, about 17-20 minutes. While they’re still warm, gently press caramel pieces on top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Cool down: Let the cookies sit for 15 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack for another 45 so they finish setting.
Tips for Best Results
Here are my little hacks to get these salted caramel chickpea chocolate chip cookies just right.
- Don’t use home cooked chickpeas: The bean flavor is more prominent, nutty and earthy. Canned chickpeas are cooked in a lot of water and canning makes them taste mild.
- Dry the chickpeas: Pat them really well with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. This helps keep your cookies from getting too mushy.
- Remove skins for more mild flavor: You can peel the skins if you want. It’s a bit tedious, but will make a difference. Pinch each chickpea to loosen and peel off the skin so it feels smooth with no white bits left.
- Pulse chickpeas with texture left: Pulse just enough so there’s still a little texture left. You can test by rubbing some between your fingers.
- Don’t add caramels before baking: They will melt, crisp up, and lose the flavor and gooeyiness we all crave.
Variations
- Nutty: Stir in chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds for extra crunch.
- Spice it up: Add a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, or pumpkin spice for a cozy flavor.
- Pretzel twist: Stir in some broken pretzel pieces for a sweet-and-salty crunch.
- Peanut butter: You can mix a few tablespoons directly into the dough for a subtle peanut butter flavor throughout, or swap some chocolate chips for peanut butter chips for little nutty pockets.
- Chocolate heaven: Mix and match dark, milk, or white chocolate chips for an extra hit of chocolate.
How to Store
Store: Keep your caramel cookies in a container or a dish covered with a towel for the first 3 days. Don’t seal airtight or they’ll get soggy.
Freeze: Place extras in a Ziploc or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them sit on the counter for a few hours to thaw.
More Cookies Recipes to Try
- Healthy cookie dough
- Air fryer chocolate chip cookies
- Almond flour chocolate chip cookies
- Oat flour chocolate chip cookies
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 15 ounces can low sodium chickpeas, rinsed, drained & dried with paper towel
- 1/3 cup maple syrup, or honey
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 12 soft caramels, cut into 3 pieces each
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips, divided
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a food processor, add chickpeas, maple syrup, butter, vanilla extract and salt. Process on high speed until smooth, pausing and scraping the walls.
- Add almond flour and process on low speed until thick dough that you can roll forms. Start with 1 1/4 cups and add more, if needed. Remove the blade, add 1/4 cup chocolate chips right to the bowl of a food processor and stir with a spatula.
- Using a medium trigger scoop, scoop the dough, roll into a ball, place on a baking sheet and press down to flatten. Cookies do not spread. The more you press, the crispier cookies will be. Repeat with remaining dough. Then insert randomly 3 chocolate chips on top of each cookie.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven. While cookies are warm, gently insert 3 caramel pieces on top of each cookie and chocolate, not breaking it. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Let cool for 15 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for another 45 minutes.
Notes
- Store: Store cookies first 3 days in a container or dish covered with a towel. Don’t keep in an airtight container because they will get soggy.
- Freeze: Freeze in a Ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for a few hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
