Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Oh man, these Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are goooooooooood.  It took everything I had not to eat the entire 16 bars in one sitting.  Even the batter is amazing.  Since it's vegan, it's perfectly safe to eat in dough-form.  My toddler thought she won the lottery when I handed her the cookie dough covered spatula. 

Like almost everything I put on my blog, these cookie bars are deceptively healthy.  They contain no eggs, oils (except to grease the pan), or even flour.  In fact, the bulk of these cookies are...chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans).  You'd never know it just by taste though.  I urge you to give it a try!

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip

Cookie Bars

Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp Coconut Oil (or cooking spray of choice)

15 oz Chickpeas, drained & rinsed

1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter

1/3 Cup Maple Syrup (or Honey)

2 Tbsp Unsweetened Applesauce

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp Almond Extract

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/3 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I like Ghiradelli)

DIRECTIONS

1. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish with coconut oil (or cooking spray).  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Put all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor.  Puree for a few minutes.  Scrape sides with a spatula, and puree again, until completely smooth.  Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spoon batter evenly into the baking dish.  Bake for 20-22 minutes, being careful not to overcook.  It may not look completely done, but that's okay, take it out anyhow.  Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into 16 bars, and serving.  Store covered in the fridge.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size: 1 Cookie Bar 

Calories: 116

Fat: 6

Carbs: 14

Protein: 4

TIPS

* You can omit the applesauce and/or almond extract if you don't have it.  Those are my additions; the original recipe didn't call for either.  I personally think both additions add to the taste though.

* If you want to reduce the calories and fat content, use can use PB2 or Better n' Peanut Butter instead of natural peanut butter.   Keep in mind though that natural peanut butter contains healthy fats, that can actually help weight loss, provided you indulge in moderation.