Vegan Cookie Dough Recipe

As a kid, eating unbaked cookie dough was a forbidden pleasure. Your parents probably told you not to do it because there was a risk of getting sick from the raw eggs. Time to bring it back, this vegan cookie dough recipe contains no eggs, so you can enjoy all of the pleasure without fear. Two of the most significant features of this recipe are the chickpeas that serve as its base and the agave nectar that lends it sweetness.

Chickpeas
A member of the legume family, chickpeas go by many different names, including garbanzo beans and Egyptian peas. Regardless of what you call them, they are significant in Middle Eastern cuisine. They are also extremely popular in India, which produces the most chickpeas of any other country in the world. The high protein content of the chickpea makes it extremely healthy and filling compared to processed white flour.
This recipe calls for canned chickpeas that you process in a blender after first draining and rinsing them. There is also chickpea flour available, as well as dried chickpeas that you can cook yourself.

Agave Nectar
The agave plant is a succulent, similar in appearance to aloe vera, that grows in hot, arid climates such as in Mexico and the southwestern United States. There are over 200 different species, but the one used to make agave nectar or syrup is the blue agave, which is also used to make tequila. The taste of agave syrup has been compared with caramel and honey, for which it is often used as a substitute. There are different forms of agave syrup ranging from dark to light and varying in the intensity of flavor. Opinions are mixed as to the health benefits of agave nectar. Some point to its low glycemic index and argue that it is healthier because it does not cause blood sugar to spike. Others observe that its fructose content is much higher than ordinary table sugar, making it almost as bad as high-fructose corn syrup. The facts are that agave syrup is less processed than its corn-based cousin and sweeter than processed white sugar, so that you don’t have to use as much.