Chickpea Peanut Butter Biscuits

PART OF CHEAP & EASY — MAX’S KITCHEN STARTER

These biscuits start with a tin of chickpeas and a potato masher, and that’s about as complicated as they get. No food processor, no flour, one bowl. Mash, stir in peanut butter, an egg and a little honey, fold through some dark chocolate chips, scoop and bake. They come out rustic and a bit chunky, cost next to nothing, and use things that are probably already in the pantry.

 

Pxl 20260927 005931872.mp

Squashed up chick peas – these were done with a rolling pin

10 min prep · 15–20 min in the oven · Makes 16 · Pantry staples

Ingredients

  • 1 x 400g tin chickpeas (about 240g once drained)
  • 1 egg
  • 130g peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
  • 60g honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 55g dark chocolate chips

Pxl 20260927 024721228.mp

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C without fan). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Tip the tin of chickpeas into a sieve over the sink and allow to drain.
  3. Put the chickpeas in a mixing bowl and mash hard with a potato masher for a minute or two, until most are crushed. A few lumps are fine. If you don’t have a potato masher then put on a pair of latex gloves and squish between your hands.
  4. Crack in the 1 egg. Sit the bowl on the scales, press zero and weigh in the 130g peanut butter. Press zero again and weigh in the 60g honey.
  5. Add the 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp bicarb soda and a pinch of salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until it comes together as a thick, sticky dough.
  6. Stir through most of the 55g chocolate chips, keeping a small handful back for the tops. Too sticky to scoop? Put the bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  7. Scoop approximately 16 even balls onto the tray with a small ice cream scoop or two spoons. They don’t spread, so wet a finger and press each one flat to about 1cm thick. Press the saved chocolate chips on top.
  8. Bake 15 minutes, then check — the tops should look set and feel firm to a light touch. Still soft and shiny and wet looking? Give them another 3–5 minutes and remove from the oven.
  9. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes (they’re fragile while hot), then move to a wire rack to cool. They firm up as they cool.
Notes: Mashing by hand gives a rustic, chunky biscuit — for smoother, buzz the chickpeas with a stick blender first. Any crunchy or smooth peanut butter works, but the ones with oil on the top are a bit healthier. Use real dark chocolate chips; cheap compound choc bits melt into puddles. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months — they’re good straight from the freezer.

More from Cheap & Easy — Max’s Kitchen Starter