Happy 4th Advent everyone! Soon it’s Christmas and probably the most reflecitve time of the year will already be over. Have you already got all your Christmas presents? Luckily I have.

And if you still need something, you could quickly bake these delicious chickpea biscuits in the shape of a heart for your sweethearts, as you don’t need many ingredients and they are very quick to prepare. And who now thinks: chickpeas and cookies? That’s possible? Sure! Chickpea flour is perfect for baking sweet and savoury dishes. So I modified the classic shortbread recipe a bit and created a very nutritious version! Chickpeas provide above-average amounts of minerals and around 20 percent protein. They are also super healthy for our digestion and great for diabetics.

You’ll find more information about chickpeas below.

Happy Baking!

VEGETARIAN
GLUTEN-FREE
DAIRY-FREE
WITHOUT REFINED SUGAR

Chickpea Shortbread Cookies

Natalie Lutz

Print recipe Pin recipe

prep time 30

Dish sweets

servings 30 pieces

ingredients

For the dough:

125 g plant margarine
80 g 80 g coconut blossom sugar
250 g chickpea flour
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground tonka bean (optional vanilla powder)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt

For the garnish:

1/2 bar of organic dark chocolate/couverture (without refined sugar)
Toppings of choice (e.g. poppy seeds, coconut rasps, puffed quinoa/amarant, cacao nibs, etc.)

instructions

Stir the margarine to a creamy consistence.
Stir in the coconut blossom sugar, tonka bean and salt. Add the egg and stir it in as well.
Mix the chickpea flour with the baking powder and sift over the top, mix well and knead with dough hooks until homogeneous. Then knead again briefly with your hands.
Preheat the oven to 200°C top and bottom heat.
Line two baking trays with baking paper and fill the dough into a piping bag with a wide nozzle. Pipe shapes of your choice (e.g. stripes, hearts, rings, etc.) onto the baking tray at larger intervals, as the biscuits are rising with the heat.
Bake the biscuits in the oven on medium stage for about 7-10 minutes until golden brown. Do not let them get too dark and take them out a little earlier, as they will harden a little more when they cool down.
Melt the dark chocolate/couverture in a hot water bath and decorate the biscuits as desired. Garnish with desired toppings. Seal airtight and store in a cool place.

This recipe is

vegetarian / gluten-free / dairy-free / without refined sugar

Keyword Eat Your Minerals

GOOD TO KNOW

The chickpea – the “chicken” in the empire of vegetables
They are far more than inconspicuous legumes with a funny name. Chickpeas contain an above-average amount of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and iron and around 20 percent protein. Thereby they provide a particularly high proportion of essential (vital) amino acids. Just one portion of cooked chickpeas (approx. 220 g) provides 20 grams of protein and can therefore easily compete with typical animal protein sources.
But they offer much more. For example, the oil of the chickpea lowers the blood cholesterol level and can thus prevent arteriosclerosis (hardening of the blood vessels) (of course only if eaten regularly!). The potassium and magnesium content strengthens the heart muscle, the relatively high amounts of calcium and phosphorus are valuable for the skeleton and prevent osteoporosis (increased risk of bone fractures). In Ayurvedic medicine, poultices prepared from chickpea flour and honey are placed on canker sores.
Furthermore, they are super healthy for our digestion as they contain a lot of fibre, especially insoluble ones, and help stimulate bowel activity and cleanse the intestines.
Chickpeas are also great for diabetics as they can contribute to both healthier pancreatic function (increased insulin secretion) and a reduction in insulin resistance.
They are extremely diverse and can be used in many dishes. They can be used to conjure up delicacies such as hummus, falafel or a fine curry, as well as sweet dishes such as these delicious shortbread cookies or pancakes.

Nice To Know:
Chickpeas do not giggle a bit. As cheerful as the name may sound, it has nothing to do with giggling. Instead, it derives from the Latin word “cicer”, which originally means pea.

References:

Course book healthy nutrition from Ingeborg Münzing-Ruef
https://www.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de/artikel/huelsenfruechte/kichererbsen

Chickpea Shortbread Cookies