This is my favorite kind of recipe because it tastes like it’s terrible for you, but it’s actually not! The “dough” is made from chickpeas, almond butter and oats so each bite has a good balance of fiber, protein and the good kind of fat. I used semi-sweet chocolate which isn’t too bad sugar wise, but it could easily be substituted for sugar-free chocolate chips. If you have a food processor this recipe is a breeze to make. I don’t have a food processor, but luckily there are many semi-public kitchens on campus and I was able to use one. I got the chickpeas and almond butter from Foco (the dining hall for all you non-Dartmouth readers) and the rest of the ingredients I already had laying around, but you can also find raisins, cinnamon, chocolate chips and honey at Foco.
During my first attempt at making this, I started with a basic chocolate chip cookie dough base inspired by Pinterest. However, after making the first batch I had leftover ingredients so I decided to make another batch using an oatmeal raisin base. Personally I liked the oatmeal raisin variation the best, so that’s the one I decided to write about. If you are more of a chocolate chip kind of person you can easily remove the extra spice and replace the raisins with chocolate chips.
The making of this recipe consists of putting most of the ingredients in a food processor, adding in the whole ingredients, rolling the dough into balls, putting them in the fridge to harden, dipping them into melted chocolate and then letting them re-harden. It’s pretty simple and you can watch Netflix— I mean, do your readings during the waiting times. The little dough bites are perfect party food or you can leave them in the freezer and eat them throughout the week. They make a great nutrient dense snack and are a great way to satisfy a chocolate craving without all the empty calories.
Photo by Daniela Childers
Prep Time: About an hour
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: About an hour
Servings: 32 bites
Photo by Daniela Childers
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained. (Approx. 1 can)
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey (if you’re not opposed to that)
4 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (I like them spicy)
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Dash of salt (to taste, maybe 1/3 tsp)
1/2 cup uncooked oats
1/3 cup raisins
3/4 cup of vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Directions:
1. Blend together the chickpeas, molasses, agave nectar, almond butter, vanilla, spices, baking soda and salt in a food processor until smooth.
Photo by Daniela Childers
2. Scoop out the contents of the food processor into a medium sized bowl.
Photo by Daniela Childers
3. Mix in the oats and 1/3 cup of the raisins, or chocolate if you’re making the chocolate chip variation.
Photo by Daniela Childers
4. Form the “dough” into small balls and place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil.
Photo by Daniela Childers
5. Put them in the fridge or freezer for about 15 minutes until they’ve hardened.
6. In the meantime, melt the remaining chocolate and the coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl at 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth.
Photo by Daniela Childers
7. Take the “dough” out of the fridge/freezer, dip the dough bites into the chocolate and put them back on the baking sheet.
Photo by Daniela Childers
8. Put them back in the fridge/freezer until the chocolate hardens.
9. Take them out and let them thaw a few minutes before eating if you’ve frozen them.
Photo by Daniela Childers