Edwina Clark - Registered Dietitian and Wellness Expert

Healthy PB-Chocolate Cake Bars

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These velvety chocolate cake bars are everything you’d expect from chocolate cake but better for you! However, that’s not the icing on this cake. These flourless, PB-laced cake bars are made with chickpeas, and ready in under 30 minutes. Are you sold yet?

Vertical stack of three chocolate cake bars, surrounded by chocolate chips, on parchment paper with a subway tile backsplash
Chocolate cake bars laced with peanut butter and made from chickpeas.

I am so happy to be back in the kitchen this weekend! I had gum surgery on August 9th so the last 10 days have been all about recovery and I’ve had neither the appetite or ability to tinker with recipes.

As the swelling and pain have subsided, I’ve added more textures to my meals. However, I am still chewing gingerly and staying away from anything crunchy. This recipe doesn’t have much crunch to it, but it does have one of the foods I missed the most last week – chocolate.

I’ve always been wild about chocolate and this recipe provides a high-fiber, protein-rich vehicle for it. I’ve been particularly conscious of my protein intake since having surgery because I’m doing a whole lot of rebuilding and repairing right now!

Truth be told, protein is not the reason I developed this recipe. I needed comfort, and a PB-chocolate thing sounded so delicious after a bit of a rough week. This kitchen-experiment-turned-recipe delivered on all fronts.

Learn more about the benefits of eating chickpeas here. 

Vertical stack of three chocolate cake bars, surrounded by chocolate chips, on parchment paper.
Healthy peanut butter-chocolate cake bars. GF, DF, and vegan.
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Flourless PB-Chocolate Cake Bars

3.6 from 11 reviews
  • Author: Edwina Clark
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 9 squares 1x
  • Category: Dessert, snack, chocolate, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan
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Description

Rich, comforting and velvety, these chocolate cake bars are packed with nourishing ingredients. But that’s not the icing on this cake. These flourless, PB-laced cake bars are made with chickpeas, and ready in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 (15oz/425g) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter (100% peanuts)
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips + 2 tbsp for the top
  • Coarse salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven at 350℉/180℃.
  2. Line a 8in x 8in (20cm x 20cm) tin with parchment paper.
  3. Add the chickpeas, peanut butter, maple syrup, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, egg and salt to a food processor container or a high-powered blender. Pulse 5-10 times to break down the chickpeas, and then process on high until smooth.
  4. Gently mix the dark chocolate chips into the batter with a spatula.
  5. Pour the the batter into the lined baking tin. Spread the batter with spatula so you have one even layer covering the bottom of the tin.
  6. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining chocolate chips and a pinch of coarse salt.
  7. Insert the tin into the oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes until the batter no longer jiggles. Allow to cool, and slice into squares.

Notes

For a fudgier bar, omit the egg!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 square
Easy peanut butter-chocolate cake bars made with chickpeas! @edwinalclark.