Chickpea & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 12

These chewy and chocolatey cookies are a great dessert to have on-hand. They get their wonderful texture from coconut oil, have just the right amount of sweetness, and use protein-rich chickpea flour.

• 2 tbsp ground chia seeds

• 120ml (4oz) gently melted coconut oil • 100g (3.5oz) coconut sugar or soft light brown sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 185g (6.5oz) chickpea flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• 50g (1.7oz) dark vegan chocolate chips

or roughly chopped chocolate

• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top (optional)

1 Combine the ground chia seeds with 6 tablespoons of water in a large bowl and whisk to combine; this should form a gel-like consistency. Add the melted coconut oil to the bowl with the chia seeds, along with the sugar and vanilla.

Whisk with a hand-held electric whisk until well combined.

2 In a separate medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, baking powder and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine everything using a rubber spatula. (Your cookie batter will be slightly wetter than a typical cookie batter, but don’t worry.) Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly dispersed. Place the batter in the fridge to firm up for 30-60 minutes.

3 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.

4 Scoop the chilled mixture into ping pong-sized balls, using a spoon, and space evenly apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press each cookie gently using a piece of parchment paper and your hand to flatten them slightly. Sprinkle each cookie with a small pinch of sea salt (if using).

5 Bake in the preheated oven for 11-12 minutes (if they look a little underdone, that’s okay). Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Recipe from The Mighty Chickpea published by Ryland Peters & Small (£9.99). Photography

© Ryland Peters & Small.