Chickpea Chocolate Chunk Bars

Dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo 

I am the queen of justifications, especially when it comes to desserts. I always find a time or reason to eat something sweet. My sweet tooth knows no bounds and, since I am trying to be a responsible adult, I want to boost the nutrition in some of my favorite treats. 

Hello chickpeas, they are not just for hummus. After I made aquafaba brownies, I had chickpeas in my fridge. I could have made hummus, but my sweet tooth had other ideas. I have made chickpea blondies before and they were delicious. You would not know that they had chickpeas as the main ingredient. Those blondies were a little bit more cake-like that I usually like my blondies, so I wanted to try to make a new version that was dense, chewy, fudgy and loaded with extra chocolate. These bars meet all of those criteria. They are super easy to make in a food processor and then you have a little protein-packed snack or treat whenever you want. 

Chickpeas 

I always have a can of chickpeas in my pantry. They are a great source of protein and fiber to add to a weeknight meal. I always buy the unsalted version. I cannot handle a lot of sodium so that’s just what I usually buy. For these bars, you definitely want unsalted (no one wants a salty blondie). 

Once you drain the chickpeas, keep the liquid! That liquid is aquafaba and can be used as an egg substitute in baking. You can even make meringues out of aquafaba! Aquafaba aside, make sure that you rinse the drained chickpeas well. 

Maple Syrup 

Maple syrup is nectar of the gods in my opinion. The flavor is unparalleled and is perfect in these bars. The caramel-like flavor helps to give the buttery, sweetness that I love in blondies. The moisture inherent in maple syrup ensures a dense, soft center to these bars. 

Liquid sweeteners, like maple syrup, have an inherent acidity to helps to activate the leavening as well as giving tenderness to the crumb. Maple syrup is my preferred for this recipe, but if you don’t have that, you can use agave nectar or honey. 

Almond Flour 

Almond flour makes these bars grain-free but also adds to the super moist center. Since almonds are mostly fat, almond flour is an inherently moist flour. Using just almond flour can make baked goods crumbly, but the natural starch in chickpeas helps to bind the resulting bars together, even with just almond flour. 

Make sure that you are using superfine almond flour, not almond meal. I have only tested these with almond flour; you could use other flours, but I would not be able to say which flour could work. 

Chocolate

I am a chocolate fiend. I will add chocolate to anything. I added chocolate in 2 ways to these bars: chunks mixed in and melted chocolate swirled in. Why the two ways? Adde chocolate flavor and getting a bar that is almost a blondie and a brownie at the same time. 

I used Taza’s Paleo Almond Milk chocolate, but you could use your favorite paleo chocolate or any chocolate (if paleo is not a concern for you). 

Enough talk, let’s get to the good stuff! Tag me (@yespleasebakes) in your recreations! 

Recipe

1 can (273g) unsalted organic chickpea, drained and rinsed 

150g (1/2 cup) almond butter 

40g (~3tbsp) olive oil (you can use melted coconut oil) 

14g (1 tbsp) molasses (optional, I think that it adds nice flavor) 

60g (1/4 cup) maple syrup 

45g (1/4 cup) coconut sugar 

1 extra-large egg 

70g (1/2 cup) almond flour 

1/4 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt

10g (2 tbsp) collagen peptides 

120g (about 1 cup) chopped paleo dark chocolate

Preheat your oven to 350F, liberally grease an 8in square baking dish (or line with aluminum foil). 

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chickpeas, almond butter, olive oil, maple syrup, molasses (if using) and coconut sugar. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and blend again to incorporate, about 2-3 minutes. 

Add the almond flour, baking soda, salt and collagen peptides to the food processor, blend again on high for 3-4 minutes to combine. Add half the dark chocolate (60g, about 1/2 cup) and pulse the mixture just to incorporate into the batter. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Before baking, melt the other half of the chocolate in the microwave (heat in 15-second intervals until it is melted). Pour over the top of the batter and use a butter knife or offset spatula to swirl it into the batter. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges pull away from the side of the pan. It will be super soft when it comes out of the oven. Let cool completely (you’ll have to wait an hour or two) before removing from the pan and slicing. 

Tip: throw these in the fridge to cool completely to make these even easier to slice. Make sure you are using a sharp knife, cleaning it after each slice. 

These babies aren’t too sweet, but will hit the spot as.a dessert, a protein-rich snack when topped with a little almond milk yogurt, or just on its own. 

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for a week; store in an airtight container in the freezer for 1 month.