Flourless Chickpea Afghan Cookies

Afghan inspired cookies made without flour! Instead, make them with chickpeas, nut butter, cacao, and dates finished with a walnut cacao frosting! 

Are you a LOTR fan?

Let me tell you about my level of fandom circa early 2000s.

After purchasing the trilogy on DVD (I had the Director’s Cut–ha!) I watched The Fellowship of the Ring on repeat.

Because, you know, watching Frodo Baggins battle forces of evil on his quest to destroy the one ring as casual background noise is always good fun.

I was really interested in film studies at the time, and the cinematography and overall production of the films totally wowed me.

Not to mention, I was totally crushing on Frodo, er, Elijah Wood.

I mean, those blue eyes, though!

When I found out that the movie was filmed in New Zealand, I immediately wanted to pack my bags and take a trip to the South Pacific Ocean to stand on steep mountains and run across sprawling fields.

Props to my parents for sitting through the entire trilogy, from the long drawn out orc battles to the

You know what else I’m crushing on that has New Zealand roots?

These Flourless Chickpea Afghan Cookies that are made totally vegan and grain-free with less than 10 ingredients!

Have you ever heard of Afghan cookies before?

I stumbled upon them during a google search this year and their presentation had me hooked before I even had a taste.

Their chocolate frosted top with a walnut perfectly situated in the center had me immediately intrigued.

So, the classic Afghan cookie is a traditional New Zealand biscuit made from flour, butter, sugar and cocoa powder, topped with chocolate icing and a half walnut.

Without having ever tried the true original, I decided to make a mock up version that’s vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, oil-free and refined-sugar-free.

If you’re an Afghan biscuit connoisseur, this recipe might make you cringe.

But, if you’re into making delicious creative cookies packed with wholesome ingredients, this recipe has your name on it.

Let’s do it.

The Afghan cookies are based on my staple chickpea cookie recipe.

Here’s what you need:

• chickpeas
• walnut butter
• Medjool dates
• unsweetened almond milk
• raw cacao powder

That’s it!

To get the smoothest dough, add all of the ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until you have a thick sticky dough.

After ensuring the dough is well-mixed, use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

The cookies don’t spread or rise much, so what you see if what you get.

I recommend gently pressing the cookies down with the back of a glass or creating a criss-cross pattern with a fork.

Next, pop the cookies in the oven to bake for 16-18 minutes.

As the cookies are darker chocolate in color, it can be difficult to tell whether they’re “done” or not.

Cookies will appear underdone when first removed from the oven and will firm up as they set up.

Like all of my baking instructions, we start with a parchment lined baking sheet.

I used If You Care Parchment Baking Paper to set the foundation for these Flourless Chickpea Afghan Cookies.

These handy baking sheets are made from unbleached totally chlorine-free greaseproof paper!

If You Care paper products are totally chlorine-free, so no chlorine or chlorine derivatives are dumped into our lakes, rivers and streams.

The paper is sourced from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified forests that promote responsible forest management and rigorous environmental standards.

They’re also vegan, gluten-free, all-natural, non-GMO, and allergen-free so you can be sure that the paper touching your food is 100% safe.

These pre-cut parchment sheets are so convenient because they fit standard metal baking pans.

Using them cuts down on clean up while reducing the need for greasing and oil in your recipes!

In true Afghan cookie fashion, let’s add a clean chocolate frosting, shall we?

To make the walnut cacao frosting:

• raw cacao powder 
• walnut butter
• pure maple syrup 
• walnuts

That’s it!

Simply whisk these ingredients up by hand until smooth, then spread onto the slightly cooled cookies.

Finish your Afghan cookies with a single walnut halve and serve immediately.

These Flourless Chickpea Afghan Cookies make for the perfect healthy dessert or snack.

Try them out with a tall glass of almond milk or your morning latte.

I love to have a couple as my mid-morning snack or after dinner treat.

They’re also excellent for pre/post workout fuel because they’re packed with energy!

These cookies are packed with complex carbs, protein, and healthy fats.

Make a double batch and keep these morsels in the freezer for up to a month!

Enjoy!

If you make these Flourless Chickpea Afghan Cookies, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later.

For more cookies made with chickpeas, try my Blood Orange Chocolate Chickpea Cookies, Chocolate Cherry Chickpea Chewies, and Cashew Butter Chickpea Snack Cookies. 

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XO Lauren

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Photography by Hot Pan Kitchen