SRC – Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookie Dip for Chocolate Monday!

Today is this month’s Secret Recipe Club reveal day and always a fun one for us! This month I was assigned the wonderful site, Veggie Grettie, written by Gretchen, the founder and Editor-in-Chief, as well as a Certified Nutrition Specialist in Plant Based Nutrition through Cornell University. Gretchen caught my attention (and my heart) when she disclosed her own struggles with a debilitating disease and the challenges she had getting the correct diagnosis and, after surgery, choosing a natural path for self-healing. In addition to her own condition, her daughter is allergic to dairy and eggs. As a result, Gretchen has adapted her cooking to be plant-based and gluten-free.

If you are looking for healthier menu options, have dietary limitations or prefer a vegan life-style, Veggie Grettie is a wonderful blog for you to follow! Gretchen is passionate about sharing her knowledge of nutrition and is also active on the following sites where she acts as Editor, Columnist, Brand Ambassador and/or freelance writer:

Chic Vegan, GoodVeg, Culinary.net, and NEXT by Athena. For more information about the Secret Recipe Club, click here.

Chickpeas in the Food Processor

While you all know that I am about as far from following a vegan or plant-based diet as possible, I am very empathetic to dietary limitations. At times I am also lactose-intolerant and gluten-sensitive. I am very lucky that these are now limited occurrences and I can eat pretty much anything I like, but I am always looking for ways to cook healthy meals that are just as delicious as anything that we grew up eating.

Because Secret Recipe reveals are on Mondays, I always search for recipes that contain chocolate on my assigned secret blogs. When I get a vegan or gluten/dairy-free blog, it can be frustrating because there are usually tons of incredible vegetable dishes that I would love to make. This month I found both in one recipe, a sweet hummus!

The original recipe is made with chickpeas, peanut butter, dates, and chocolate chips. But, of course I wanted more chocolate in my version, so a few adjustments later and voila! We have today’s decadent and slightly healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dip! I do love Gretchen’s suggestions for things you can use this dip with – especially if you have children who you want to eat more fruits and vegetables. I noshed on this with cookies and Teddy Grahams, but it would be absolutely delicious with fresh fruit slices (such as apples or pears) or vegetables like carrots, celery, or jicama.

I used Nutella and chocolate syrup along with the peanut butter and chickpeas. If you need a dairy-free version, you could leave out the Nutella and just increase the amount of chocolate syrup. Make sure that you grind the chickpeas really well or you may wind up with a grainier texture than you like. The texture will also vary depending on the type of peanut butter you use. If you are using organic or “natural” peanut butter, make sure you mix in any oil that may have risen to the top of the jar before you measure it out.

I liked this best when it was served warm. It has a more luxurious consistency when heated in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. This isn’t necessary, and if you are taking this to a party or picnic, it can certainly be served at room temperature. If you want, you can also add chocolate chips for a nice crunchy bite. As Gretchen warned, with the chickpeas in it, this is quite filling. The great thing about that is that we can get our chocolate fix but not overeat. See, I told you this was kind of a healthy treat – and a diet aid to boot, LOL!

I had a blast making today’s recipe and if you are looking for something really unusual and addicting, give it a try! Happy Chocolate Monday everyone and make sure you check out the other amazing recipes in the blog hop below!!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookie Dip

2015-07-07 10:13:38

Yields 3

From Veggie Grettie

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Ingredients

1. Nutty Chocolate Dip
2. 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), salt-free if possible, rinsed and drained
3. 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, organic if available
4. 1/4 to 1/2 cup Nutella (replace with additional chocolate syrup if you need dairy-free)
5. 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6. 1/2 cup chocolate syrup
7. 1/4 cup chocolate chips, optional
8. Suggested Items for Dipping
9. Sturdy cookies such as Animal Crackers, Chocolate or Vanilla Wafers, Chocolate Chip cookies, Gingersnaps, etc.
10. Apple, Pear, or Banana slices
11. Carrot, Celery, or Jicama sticks

Instructions

1. Rinse the garbanzo beans well in running water and drain thoroughly. Place in the bowl of a food processor and blend for about 1 minute, knocking it down from the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. You can add a splash of water if needed to get the chickpeas to break down.
2. Add the peanut butter, Nutella, vanilla, and chocolate syrup. Continue processing for 2 to 3 more minutes until the mixture is very smooth. Taste it and continue to process until it gets to the texture you like. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything gets blended thoroughly. Add more syrup or even a little water if you want to thin it slightly.
3. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the chocolate chips, if using. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature at least 20 to 30 minutes to warm up before serving.
4. Serve this dip with cookies, apple slices, celery sticks or other items of your choice. It is a delicious and fun option for your kids or any casual gathering.

Notes

1. Yield: about 2 to 3 cups

The Heritage Cook ® https://theheritagecook.com/

Thank You!

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