Triple Chocolate Chickpea Brownie Bites (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Fudgy brownie bites that offer three chocolate souces, are easy to make, and practically guilt-free! Made with protein-rich chickpeas, vegan chocolate, and natural sweeteners, these are the brownie bites you'll keep in the permanent rotation!
Equipment
- 1 mini muffin tin substitute with 8x8 inch baking pan, or bread loaf pan for traditional brownies
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips I use the Guittard brand
- ⅓ cup unsalted organic cashew butter may substitute with nut butter of your choosing, choose an oil-free version if avoiding oil (see notes)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅛ cup cacao nibs
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened organic applesauce
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 flax eggs
Flax Eggs
- 2 tablespoons flax seed meal do not substitute with whole flax seeds
- 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
Flax Eggs
- Combine flax seed meal and water in a small bowl and stir until evenly distributed. Allow to rest for a few minutes; preferably, while compiling the rest of your ingredients. The flax eggs will gel faster if refrigerated during this time.6 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons flax seed meal
Chocolate Chickpea Brownie Bites
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the rinsed and drained chickpeas, cacao powder, pure maple syrup, unsweetened applesauce, flax eggs, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.1 15 ounce can chickpeas, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, 2 tablespoons unsweetened organic applesauce, 5 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 flax eggs
- Process the ingredients until well combined. The batter will look mostly smooth.
- Add the cashew butter and pure vanilla extract. Process again until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl, if needed. Make sure the food processor is off when scraping the sides.⅓ cup unsalted organic cashew butter, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Remove the blade of the processor, scraping off any batter clinging to the blade and set aside. Now, add gently fold in the chocolate chips.¾ cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Divide the batter evenly between the mini muffin cups, using a cookie scoop, spoon, or your clean hands. Sprinkle the cacao nibs over the top of the brownie bites. Gently press the nibs into the batter.⅛ cup cacao nibs
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- After cooling for a few minutes in the tin, gently twist the brownie bites out and transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy immediately, or store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
**If following a no-oil diet, be sure to use a nut butter that has no added oil. If the nut butter is dry, consider adding a little plant-based milk or extra maple syrup until the batter achieves a creamy consistency.
I used a non-stick mini muffin pan, so did not use liner or even grease. I just gently twist the brownie bites out of the cups after they are cool enough to handle. Adding a liner or coconut oil to the cups before baking is an optional step.
If you do not have a mini muffin tin, you can either make larger brownie bites in a traditional muffin tin or create square brownies using the same recipe in an 8x8 pan. Adding the batter to a bread loaf pan will create extra thick brownies. Adjusting the container size will alter cooking time, so add a few minutes to the recipe and check regularly for doneness.
Though you are welcome to use the nut butter of your choice, note that each nut butter will have a slightly different flavor.
Cacao nibs have a more bitter flavor than chocolate chips, so these triple chocolate chickpea brownie bites have great depth of chocolate flavors. However, children might not prefer the bitter taste and you are welcome to omit the cacao nibs altogether. Instead, consider adding a few more semi-sweet chocolate chips to the top!
I have successfully made this recipe using vanilla bean paste, but if you are conscious of diet, remember that vanilla bean paste varies by brand and contains added sugar, might not be vegan, etc.
Nutrition
Serving: 2brownie bitesCalories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 8gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 153mgPotassium: 364mgFiber: 8gSugar: 12gVitamin C: 50mgCalcium: 370mgIron: 150mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!