Instant Pot Chickpeas PLUS Healthy Cookie Dough

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This recipe is a two for one: Instant Pot Chickpeas and the best fakeout Healthy Cookie Dough, AKA Dessert Hummus, you'll ever eat.  Get ready to eat cookie dough with carefree abandon!

This recipe is just downright huggable!  Let me tell you why.

My daughter gets teased quite often by her friends for items she packs in her lunch box and it burns me to no end.

I've made it loud and clear at my table that they don't have to like everything I make, but saying “eww” or “that looks disgusting” is grounds for immediate dismissal from dinner with the added bonus of dish duty.

Yet time and again my daughter gets “eww”s and “yuck”s from her friends at school over things like dried mangos, bean quesadillas, baked potato with ham and cheese, bread that's not bleached white, etc.

She recently watched a kid cooking competition on the Food Network where one of the girls had been bullied for bringing salads, tuna, spring rolls, etc.  The girl won the competition and now makes a lot of money cooking on her own show.

I wish I could give that girl a big hug and thank her for showing my daughter that being different and being yourself is what makes you a warrior.  Know what you know, love what you love, and darn it, be proud of it because it's those little things that are gonna build you up to be the remarkable person you have the potential of being!

Okay, so you're wondering, what does this have to do with Chickpeas and Cookie Dough, Marci?

I have a clipped recipe from years and years ago of an April Fools Recipe for Cookie Dough.  The “fool” part being that the base of the recipe is chickpeas.  Yep, the healthy cookie dough is primarily a vegetable and my kids LOVE this stuff.

Their favorite way to eat it is to spread the “cookie dough” on a round slice of apple and top that with another slice of apple to make an “apple sandwich.”

It's seriously shocking how delicious this is.

Anyways, my daughter put her brave face on, made herself 2 of these Apple Sandwiches for her school lunch, all the while being secretly terrified that her friends might discover her secret.

Well, she came home that day beaming because she had told her friends what the dough was made of, let them try it, and they all thought she was a total rockstar and begged her to bring them some too.

Was she ever proud of herself!

The struggle isn't over by any means, peer pressure is alive and powerful in every step of kid's lives, but my greatest joy comes from seeing my kids trip, stand up again, and crush those barriers along their journey.

I try and make a big production out of every success so they know time and time again, “I can do hard things.”

So yes, when I think of Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough, I'm taken back to a memory of an incredible role model: my 8-year-old daughter.  That's the power of food my friends 😊

Back to the food!  We've essentially got two recipes to chat about, so let's get started.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT CHICKPEAS

• Cheaper, better tasting, superior texture, and less salt than the canned version
• So easy to cook in the pressure cooker!  No babysittting, just set the timer and walk away!
• Great reason to eat more Meditteranean Quinoa Bowls (as if I needed a reason)

WHY YOU WILL LOVE HEALTHY COOKIE DOUGH MADE WITH CHICKPEAS

• High in protein and fiber, low in sugar and fat, and it looks just like Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie dough!
• Whole oats get stirred in at the end for that delicious oatmeal cookie dough chew
• Great fruit dip for a variety of fruits, pretzels, and graham crackers
• Great for packing in lunch boxes or as a quick pick-me-up snack

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHICKPEAS

1. Add beans, water, and salt to the pressure cooker pot
2. Cook to desired tenderness (see recipe notes) and allow for a natural pressure release
3. Stir, strain, rinse, use

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY COOKIE DOUGH

1. Drain and rinse beans
2. Add beans and other cookie dough ingredients to a food processor
3. Process until very smooth
4. Scrape into a bowl and add oats and chocolate chips
5. Stir in oats and mini chocolate chips
6. Serve with fruit and crackers

TIPS FOR MAKING A SMOOTH CHICKPEA PUREE – 3 OPTIONS

This is an important skill to master because it will apply to all your homemade hummus needs as well:

• Use a food processor and scrape down the sides a few times to make sure it's very smooth
• A high speed blender works pretty well with a little extra liquid and scraping of the sides
• An Immersion Blender might also get the job done, although I have not tried this one.  I'll report back if I try it

MORE WAYS TO SERVE HEALTHY COOKIE DOUGH

• On open face apple rings.  Top with granola, cranberries, and/or crushed nuts and an extra drizzle of honey
• Break into small bites and stir into Homemade Yogurt or frozen yogurt
• Between slices of banana – this was a HUGE hit with my kid's friends
• Spread on hot toast

VARIATIONS OF CHICKPEA COOKIE DOUGH

• Swap the peanut butter for almond butter and the chocolate chips for cacao nibs (warning, my kids didn't like this one, the cacao nibs were too bitter for them.  More for me!)
• Swap peanut butter for almond butter, honey for maple syrup, and add cinnamon and yogurt covered raisins.  Think cinnamon roll
• Swirl jelly or Triple Berry Chia Jam through the dough for a PB&J like experience

As you can see, the possibilities are endless!  If you want it thinner, add more milk; want it sweeter, add more sweetener, want it for yourself, hide it behind the jar of sauerkraut.

Be sure and let me know what crazy flavors you come up with and how many people you fool.  This has been a favorite in my house since my kids were babies, I'm so happy to pass it on to you all now!

Enjoy!

EXTRA TIDBITS

CHICKPEAS VS GARBANZO BEANS – WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE

Short answer, not a darn thing.  There's no difference, they are the exact same thing and you can refer to this yummy little bean by either name.  However, the theory behind how one bean got itself two names is quite interesting.  See this article if you're a fellow food nerd.

TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHICKPEAS AND HEALTHY COOKIE DOUGH

• Instant Pot
• Food Processor or
• High Speed Blender
• Dried Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans

Instant Pot Chickpeas PLUS Healthy Cookie Dough

Turn healthy Instant Pot Chickpeas into a delicious Healthy Cookie Dough treat!

• Author: Marci
• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 90 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Pressure Cooker
• Cuisine: American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 pound chickpeas beans, rinsed and sorted
• 6 – 8 cups water (enough to cover the beans by about 2 inches)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For Healthy Cookie Dough

• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• 4 – 6 tablespoons brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup
• ¼ cup natural, unsweetened peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 tablespoon milk (any kind)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1/3 cup quick or old fashioned oats
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Place beans and water into the pressure cooker pot.  
2. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.  Cook at high pressure for 50 minutes (this cook time will make them very soft, perfect for this cookie dough dip or hummus).
3. When cooking is complete, use a natural release.

To make Cookie Dough

1. Strain and rinse 1 ½ cups of garbanzo beans.
2. Place beans in a food processor.  Add sweetener of choice, peanut butter, milk, vanilla extract, and salt.  
3. Blend until mixture is very smooth, stopping to scrape it down 1 – 2 times if needed.  Add extra milk for a thinner consistency.
4. Transfer mixture to a bowl.  Place in the fridge to cool it to at least room temperature (so the chocolate chips don't melt when they're added)
5. Add oats and mini chocolate chips; stir to evenly combine.
6. Chill completely in the fridge for best texture and flavor, about two hours.
7. Serve in a bowl with fruit and graham crackers for dipping.  
8. To make apple sandwiches, core apples and cut crosswise into ½ inch thick rounds.  Spread half of the slices with the cookie dough dip then top with remaining apple slices to make a sandwich.  Serve immediately

Notes

• Cooking the chickpeas for 50 minutes will make them very soft, perfect for hummus and this cookie dough.  Cook for 45 minutes for less soft and 40 minutes for firm
• Store leftover garbanzo beans in some of the cooking liquid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days  
• For longer storage, freeze them in a flat layer in freezer safe ziplock bags
• I leave the cookie dough quite thick for spreading on fruit and toast.  I add extra milk if using it as a dip
• Canned chickpeas can be used in place of the homemade
• Cookie Dough freezes well
• Nutrition Facts are for the Cookie Dough

Keywords: instant pot chickpeas, healthy cookie dough, garbanzo beans

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