Matcha Chickpea Snowball Cookies

Soft, tender and oh so green you wouldn’t believe these snowball cookies are actually made from canned chickpeas! They’re also so easy to make and suitable for gluten-free, vegan diets.

Matcha is one of my favorite flavors (and I’m not saying this just because I’m Asian!). Matcha’s distinct earthiness, as well as its sophisticated bitterness, is just like coffee and perfect for dessert. You may have heard a lot about matcha ice cream, tea, or custard, too. A lot of cool, trendy Asian restaurants have been popping up around my town these days and I’ve noticed them combining matcha and dessert in the most unexpected ways. Today, we are going to do the same.

But you might be thinking that why chickpeas? Chickpea has a reputation of being savory, but today I will defy this concept for sure.

Believe me, when I say matcha and chickpea go so well together that you will be surprised. Chickpea has that beautiful nutty flavor that perfectly fits the bitterness of matcha, and the dusty powdered sugar coating on these balls makes it taste heavenly. They are very easy to make, just put every ingredient in the blender, roll into balls and BAKE! It’s really that simple.

On top of it, you wouldn’t believe that this recipe is also vegan, gluten-free, and has a good amount of protein content due to chickpeas.

Ingredients Used to Make This

_{**I’ve linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂}

• Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans) – Rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals such as folate, iron, phosphorous, chickpeas have a satisfying nutty flavor and great additions to a healthy diet. I used canned chickpeas but you can also use chickpeas you’ve cooked yourself.
• Coconut Flour – like this one. Note that coconut flour does not substitute well, and I can’t recommend swapping coconut flour with other ingredients unless you absolutely had to (2 Tbsp coconut flour = ½ cup almond flour). Unfortunately, you probably won’t get the same texture or mouthfeel as the original recipe.
• Peanut Butter – You can also use other natural nut butters like almond, pecan butter, walnut butter, cashew butter, mixed nut butter, or even seed butter like sunflower. So many choices!
• Maple Syrup or Honey – I used honey for this recipe but you can use other liquid sweeteners of choice like maple syrup, agave syrup, or liquid stevia that would make this vegan-friendly.
• Matcha Powder – I used culinary grade, like this one
• Almond Milk – Preferably unsweetened
• no baking powder/ baking soda was used in this recipe

How to Make

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Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:

• You can also use other canned beans such as white beans
• Feel free to experiment with using different nut butter. Instead of peanut butter you can also use almond, pecan butter, walnut butter, cashew butter, mixed nut butter, or seed butter like sunflower or pumpkin seed butter.
• Add mini chocolate chips or nuts and seeds to the batter before rolling

How to Make the Cookies Healthier

• Make this even healthier by adding a handful of nuts, seeds and old-fashioned oats to add texture and nutrition.
• Want to increase fiber? Add a Tablespoon of ground flaxseed
• For a protein boost, you can also add 1 scoop of protein powder of your choice. I’ve tried using an unsweetened plant-based protein powder. Just note that this results in a slightly tougher cookie texture.
• You can also reduce the honey by half (to make this less sweet), or substitute the sugar with a sugar-free substitute.

How to Store

• You can store these chickpea cookies covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can place them in the fridge for up to 7 days, or freeze up to 4 months.

Final Tips

• Blend or process the chickpeas multiple times if necessary (until you achieve a very smooth consistency). This is the secret to the melt-in-your-mouth cookie texture!
• Baking time (as well as serving size) will vary based on the size of your cookie, the material (silicone vs metal) of the pan. Bake until the color of the avocado cookies are slightly golden on the top.

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