Contents
Banana Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookies 🍌🥜
Soft baked cookies made with chickpeas, ripe banana and smooth peanut butter. A simple and filling toddler snack with plant-based iron from chickpeas.
Chickpeas create a soft, dense cookie texture, while ripe banana adds natural sweetness and smooth peanut butter adds flavour and richness.
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 banana
- 1 tbsp honey (about 21g)
- 1½–2 tbsp smooth peanut butter (about 24–32g)
- 1 tsp baking powder (about 4g)
Metric conversions may vary slightly depending on the brand.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas well.
- Add the chickpeas, banana, honey, smooth peanut butter and baking powder to a blender.
- Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and well combined.
- Spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking tray in your preferred shape. Make small rounds or flatten into little fingers.
- Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until set.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving.
Toddler Serving Guide
12–23 months: The finished cookies should be soft rather than crunchy and easy to squash between your fingers.
Small flat cookies, little finger shapes or manageable pieces can work well for toddlers.
Check the centre as well as the edges before serving. The cookie should be set but should not become hard or dry.
Always check the texture again after refrigeration or thawing.
Toddler-Friendly Tips
- Peanut: Peanut is a common food allergen. Use smooth peanut butter with no large nut pieces.
- Honey: Honey must never be offered to babies under 12 months. This recipe is intended for toddlers 12–23 months.
- Chickpeas: Blend thoroughly until completely smooth so no firm chickpea pieces remain.
- Texture: These cookies should stay soft. Avoid baking until crunchy or hard.
- Always serve your toddler seated upright and under adult supervision.
Recipe Tips
- Drain the chickpeas thoroughly before blending.
- Use ripe banana for more natural sweetness.
- Use smooth peanut butter rather than crunchy varieties.
- Cookie size and thickness can affect baking time. Check that they are set while still remaining soft.
- The source also suggests shaping the mixture into small rounds, finger shapes, flattened discs or piping it onto the tray.
- Chickpeas provide non-heme plant-based iron. These cookies can be served alongside berries, kiwi or another vitamin-C-rich fruit.
Storage
- Fridge: Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze individually or with baking paper between layers for up to 2 months.
- Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or allow to thaw at room temperature.
- Check that the cookies remain soft before serving.
Nutrition Information
View estimated nutritional values
Estimated for the entire recipe (all 10 cookies combined)
Calories: ~620 kcal | Carbohydrates: ~99g | Protein: ~23g | Fat: ~21g | Fiber: ~20g | Sugar: ~39g | Vitamin A: ~8 µg RAE | Vitamin C: ~11mg | Calcium: ~170mg | Iron: ~4mg
These estimates cover the entire batch of 10 cookies, not one cookie. They assume one standard can of chickpeas yielding approximately 240g after draining, one medium peeled banana (about 118g), 1 tbsp honey (about 21g), 1¾ tbsp smooth peanut butter (about 28g) and 1 tsp baking powder (about 4g).
The original recipe does not specify the chickpea can size or drained weight. The 240g amount is only a nutritional calculation assumption and is not a new ingredient measurement. Actual values will vary with the can size and chickpea brand.
Peanut butter is listed as 1½–2 tbsp; the midpoint was used for these estimates. Sugars include the naturally occurring sugars in the banana and chickpeas and the added sugar from honey. Vitamin A is expressed as micrograms of retinol activity equivalents (RAE).
Honey is not safe for children under 12 months. This recipe is intended for toddlers 12–23 months. Values are approximate ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory measurements.