Surprisingly Delish.

I tried a new recipe over the weekend that I stumbled across whilst browsing Facebook.
A friend had shared a cookie recipe that she had posted from Pinterest, and as soon as I saw it, I had one of those "stop whatever you are in the middle of doing and change course" kind of moments.

I saw the recipe.
I walked away from the computer.
I told Kev about the bold move that I was about to make.
I got out the ingredients.
And I dove in.
Post haste.

And now I shall share said recipe with you.
With just a few disclaimers.

My body tends to get sick towards the end of my pregnancies.  Something about high uric acid levels, high blood pressure, failing kidneys - that sort of thing.  I never feel sick, and that's what makes it potentially dangerous.  My midwives don't know exactly how to fix the issue - it tends to be one of those "if you're going to get it, there's not much you can do about it" sort of thing.  However, if I can manage upwards of 80-100 grams of protein per day, and if I take these crazy expensive, somewhat crunchy and organic, aloe-y, seaweedy liquid food products...it seems to keep this issue at bay.

The 80-100 grams of protein is the tricky part.  And it's supposed to be "real" food - not the protein type drinks.  Thank the good Lord above for the two deer in our freezer is all I can say.
And for Chobani yogurt.
And my girlies' eggs...
And...food...in general.  I really like food.

Also, Kevy has some belly issues that we've been working on for about a year now.  So, we've been dabbling with ditching gluten, ditching all things processed, trying to eat as clean as possible etc. etc.  We are slowly finding things that settle and things that don't.  We are learning when it's worth it to cheat, and when it's not.  You know - good times like that.

So, anyway.....
Enter these babies.
They work for both of us - on so many levels.

And after that long and oh so wordy introduction aren't you just dying to know what this recipe of delish is?
I knew it.  I just knew you were.
So, here you have it:

Grain-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.
Yeesh.  Whoever thought up that title is way too wordy for my taste.
I am all about just getting right to the point of whatever it is you want to say.
Just state what your topic is and then dive right in.
That's what I always say.
Don't go beating around the bush and flapping your jaws just for the sake of flapping.

Yep.
That's what I always say...

Okay, so where was I?
Oh yes.  The long-winded cookie recipe.
And why they work for us...

All right.  Here's why:
A.  They are completely gluten free.  Great for Kevy's belly.
B.  They are crazy high in protein.  Great for me and what's in my belly.  I like what's in my belly better.

Here are the ingredients.  And don't freak out.  Remember the title of my post.
If you can.
I wrote it a long time ago....

1 15oz. can of chickpeas, well-drained and patted dry with a towel
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 TBlsp. natural peanut butter (do NOT use regular.  The Pinterest lady said so)
1/4 cup honey (or 1/8 cup honey and 1/8 cup pure maple syrup)
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn't have any in it
1/2 cup chocolate chips (Said Pinterest lady also says to NOT omit the chocolate chips.  They are a must)
20+ grams of protein.  Right here.  Glorious.

Process everything but your chocolate chips in a food processor until very smooth and completely combined.
Put in chocolate chips and stir a bit - or pulse once or twice to blend.
The mixture will be very thick and sticky.
Mmmm.  Baby food!

(We also added a handful of oatmeal.  And I think next time, I may add a bit of coconut and some cinnamon.  I think they needed cinnamon).

With wet hands, form into 1 1/2" balls.  Place on parchment paper and bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  They won't look much different when you take them out of the oven, and they will somewhat have the consistency of cookie dough.

Hence, the name, I guess.
And I guess that title might grab people a little more than "Chickpea Cookies."
Maybe she was onto something after all.
Excuse the nasty old cookie sheet.
Sounds crazy and maybe a little freaky.
But, I'm telling you what - don't knock it until you try it.
We ALL actually quite loved them...except for Kaden who's not a fan of chocolate.
Seriously, they really are surprisingly delish and tasty.  Very dense and fudgy.

And just so you know, the Pinterest lady does not - under any circumstances - recommend eating them cold.    
She says they are ONLY good when they are warm.  I'm going to take her warning very seriously, and eat them all while they are still piping hot from the oven.  One can never be too sure of things, you know...
See - they kind of look exactly the same as they looked on the cookie sheet.  But yummy.  I promise.

And besides, I need the protein.
My midwife says so...and one should always listen to their midwife...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If you are going for high protein and gluten free, I have a recipe for you. Mix one part peanut butter (or other nut butter), one part almond meal (basically ground almonds) and one part honey (creamed honey is best because it is thicker, but regular is OK too). Mix well and roll into balls. You can roll them in chocolate chips, crushed peanuts, etc. Sometimes I add flax to them also to make them extra healthy. Store in the fridge.