Want to know the alternate title? It’s chocolate hummus. Did your nose just wrinkle up? Probably, as that’s what mine did when I read a recipe for chocolate hummus in a newspaper at least a year back. I read his review but couldn’t get on board – I eat a lot of hummus and when I hear that word, my brain thinks garlic. But then Heather forcibly changed my mind. She is a healthy foodie and we often chat recipes; frequently our thoughts line up and our kitchens churn out similar dishes. On a Thursday morning at Bible study she put a small container in my hand that looked to hold something chocolate-y; she said, “go find an apple slice at the breakfast buffet table and try this”. No apples, but I was hungry and ate it straight from the container with a spoon. I knew by now what it was and I’ll be honest, I did my most careful tasting, searching for chickpea flavor. It wasn’t there. It just tasted like a thicker chocolate mousse.
I set out to make my own version and my mom happened to be over as I blended it up; though I love her dearly, she can be a health food skeptic. I knew if she was a fan then it would be shareable on the internet, and as she went back for her third and fourth bites and incredulously exclaimed how delicious it was, I knew I had a keeper recipe. The kids are another story; I’m writing this up during naptime so they haven’t tried it, but we have a playdate this afternoon so I’ll have a nice full audience. You better believe I won’t be telling them what’s in the “chocolate dip” (at least until I see if they like it), but I know I can feel good about them digging in.
*This just in – the kids loved it! Chickpeas FTW!
Healthy Chocolate Dip
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
1 (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times. Blend for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend another 30 seconds.
2. Transfer to a bowl and serve with pretzels, strawberries, apple slices or graham crackers.
Best eaten within 48 hours
Yay Chickpeas!!