Million Dollar Treasure Cookies – Chickpeas & Chocolate

Believe if or not, you can make cookies with chickpeas & chocolate! Do you remember the Neiman Marcus cookie phenom back in the day? It was crazy! For about five years, I made them for everyone.

I baked them for study groups, dorm parties, and late-night heart-to-hearts. If you were lucky, you got a warm batch straight from the oven. Full of chocolate and fat and gooey yumminess. Those cookies were legendary.

Oh I still crave them from time to time, believe me! But now I need to make them a healthy version of golden, nutty, chocolate chip perfection.

So I set out to recreate the magic in a way that’s plant-based, oil-free, and just as decadent.

The result? Million Dollar Treasure Cookies. They’ve got that same melt-in-your-mouth richness, but they’re made from chickpeas & chocolate, dates, and maple syrup instead of butter and sugar. Crunchy walnuts and gooey chocolate chips make them taste like the real deal — the kind of cookie that brings back memories and starts new ones.

🍪 Highlights

• Better-for-you ingredients with chickpeas & chocolate!
• This is naturally sweetened with dates and maple syrup, no refined sugar or dairy, yet still soft, rich, and gooey.
• Wholesome & satisfying with around 130 calories each, with 3g protein and 2g fiber — about 35% fewer calories and double the fiber of a traditional cookie.
• A full batch costs under $6 — just $0.32 per cookie compared to $0.80 at a bakery.

☀️Pro Tip

Chill the dough 30 minutes before baking for that bakery-style chew. Want to level it up? Toast your walnuts first — they add a caramel-nut crunch that makes these taste truly million-dollar.

Final Thoughts 🌻

These Million Dollar Treasure Cookies are proof that comfort food can evolve right along with us. They’re soft, rich, and nostalgic — a cookie that bridges college memories and plant-based living, one delicious bite at a time.

Stay sunny!

Million Dollar Treasure Cookies

These are inspired by the legendary Neiman Marcus cookie that went viral before we even called things "viral." I loved them but need a version that is just as soft, chewy but secretly healthy — these Million Dollar Treasure Cookies reinvent with chickpeas, dates and walnuts for rich, plant-based sweetness that’s half the calories and twice the comfort. 🍪

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 16

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 130

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 5 Medjool dates soaked 10–15 minutes in hot water, then drained
• ½ cup natural peanut butter
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
• ⅓ cup chopped walnuts

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, combine chickpeas, soaked dates, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
3. Sprinkle in baking soda, baking powder, salt, and oats. Pulse to combine.
4. Transfer dough to a bowl and gently fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.
5. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly (they won’t spread much).
6. Bake 12–14 minutes, until the tops are golden and set. Let cool 10 minutes before removing.