RECIPE: Chickpeas turn decadent truffles into a not-guilty pleasure
Swapping healthier ingredients for those that aren’t so nutritionally fabulous is an easy way to improve your go-to recipes. The challenge is finding better ingredients that taste as crave-worthy as the original. Fortunately, “The Healthy Swaps Cookbook: Easy Substitutions to Boost the Nutritional Value of Your Favorite Recipes,” by Danielle Davis (Page Street Publishing Co., $21.99), is here to help.
In this new book, you’ll find approachable swaps, like ground turkey for ground beef. There also are some unexpected suggestions, like using pureed chickpeas to mimic the texture of cookie dough in Davis’ Chickpea-Oatmeal Cookie Dough Truffle recipe. This decadent dessert is absolutely delicious, and the fact that it’s made with protein- and fiber-rich chickpeas is nothing short of nutritional brilliance. My people couldn’t detect the sneaky legumes, and they’ve been relentless detectives ever since I pulled a fast one with chocolate zucchini cookies.
The only change I suggest is to reduce the size of your truffles. Because they are so rich, a scant tablespoon is all you need for each sweet treat. Davis gets 16-18 truffles with this recipe; I stretched it to 20-22, and we promptly ate them all. Unfortunately, there’s no swap for self-control.
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- ½ cup peanut butter or almond butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2½ tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1½ cups mini dark chocolate chips, divided
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, peanut butter, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Process the ingredients until they form a thick paste. Add the oats, and pulse until they are incorporated throughout the cookie dough mixture.
- Transfer the cookie dough to a medium bowl and gently fold in ½ cup of the chocolate chips. Use a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop the dough and form a small ball. Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all of the cookie dough is used. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.
- Microwave the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl at 50% power in 45-second increments, stirring the chocolate between each increment, until the chocolate is melted. Dip each cookie dough ball into the melted chocolate, return it to the baking sheet, and repeat. Freeze the truffles for 10 to 15 minutes, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes 20-22 truffles.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per truffle, based on 20: 142 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 4 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 8 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 125 milligrams sodium.Adapted from “The Healthy Swaps Cookbook” by Danielle Davis, Page Street Publishing, Co.
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