These Chocolate Chickpea Brownies are a rich, fudgy chocolate dessert treat. They’re perfect if you love having a daily sweet treat as they are sugar free, quick to make and generously sized.
Blitz/Mash Chickpeas: If you have a food processor, add drained chickpeas and blitz for 30 seconds until they resemble a rough paste. If you don’t have a food processor, use a potato masher (or a fork as a last resort) to press and mash chickpeas to a rough paste.
Add mashed chickpeas to a large mixing bowl, adding melted peanut butter, vanilla essence, water, and oil. Mix together until combined.
Add flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, baking soda, baking powder salt and chocolate chips. Mix into wet ingredients until combined.
Line a square baking tin with baking/parchment paper on base and sides. Spoon in filling and smooth the top with back of a spoon.
Bake in the oven at 160 C (Fan)/320 F (Fan) for 30 minutes.
Let brownies cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out not a wire rack. Let cool on wire rack, covered.
Use a clean sharp knife to cut into 9 even pieces. Optional: Dust with cocoa powder and drizzle with melted sugar fee dark chocolate
Place into an air tight container and store in fridge for 5 days.
Notes
Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas, drained under tap water to remove the brine. Be sure to give them a shake to remove excess water.
Cocoa Powder: Its best to use unsweetened cocoa powder, rather than drinking chocolate powder. The unsweetened cocoa powder is usually in the health food aisle of the supermarket.
Spelt Flour: Whilst I used spelt flour which is wheat free, you can substitute with regular all purpose flour, almond flour, plain flour, or even oat flour. I wouldn’t recommend coconut flour as it uses a different ratio and I have not tested the recipe using that flour.
Peanut Butter: A natural or sugar free peanut butter is ideal for this recipe. I prefer smooth peanut butter, but crunchy would also work.
Granulated Sweetener: I use Monkfruit sweetener in my baking recipes. Either the white or golden varieties will work equally well. Alternatively, granulated stevia that measures will also work.
Oil: Olive oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil will all work in the recipe.
Baking soda/baking powder: Both these ingredients work to give lightness and rise to the brownie.
Salt: helps to balance out the sweetness and to bring out the chocolate flavour
Chocolate Chips: I used the brand “Noshu” sugar free chocolate chips (available from Coles and Woolworths in Australia). Alternatively you could use a sugar free chocolate bar chopped up, or regular dark chocolate chips, or leave them out altogether. However the chocolate does add to the moistness and flavour.