CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH BITES

Cookie dough is one of those foods that reminds me of my childhood. It also reminds of that sickly feeling I got every time I ate it. I’m not sure if it was the thought of getting Salmonella from all the raw eggs or simply the decadence of having all that sugar, flour, and butter sitting in my stomach, but every time I ate cookie dough, I felt sick!

That’s why I love these cookie dough bites. They give me all the nostalgia without any of the ill-feeling side effects. They have no raw eggs, no flour, and no butter. And the only source of sweetness comes from the dates and dark chocolate. You may even convince yourself that you’re eating them for the protein and fiber since you’re basically just eating chickpeas with a few extra ingredients added in. ;)

Joking aside, these are a great sweet treat to keep in the freezer for an after-dinner night cap, or to give your kids when they’re asking for cookie dough but you really don’t want them eating all that raw egg and sugar.

The best part is, this recipe is beyond simple and requires zero baking. It actually reminds me a lot of my Chickpea Blondies, so if you like these, you may want to check those out next.

INGREDIENTS (yield: 30 balls)

• 4 Medjool dates, pitted

• 1/4 cup warm water

• 1 15-oz can low sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak dates in warm water until soft and plump.

2. Once dates are soaked, blend dates and water with chickpeas, peanut butter, vanilla, and sea salt in a high speed blender.

3. When the mixture is smooth and homogenous, put it in a bowl and fold in chocolate chips.

4. Refrigerate batter for 2 hours or more to set .

5. Using a tablespoon or a mini ice cream scoop, form batter into little balls.

6. Freeze to keep fresh and hard until you are ready to eat.