I really love Hannah Kaminsky’s blog, Bittersweet.  Her photography is always beautiful and I have full confidence in her recipes.  Even when she says bizarre things like, “beans, they’re what’s for dessert.”

I was so intrigued and inspired by the idea of a sweet chocolate hummus spread, that I put it on my to-do list and ignored it for a couple years… hehe.  Ah but I never forgot about it!  I’d really been meaning to try the recipe for soooo long… and I finally have!

Chocolate Chickpea Spread

I could have eaten it right out of the jar, but I thought it would feel a little more nutritious if I shmeared it on a whole wheat bagel thin, comme ci:

Chocolate Chickpea Spread on a Bagel Thin

Part of this complete breakfast!

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Of course, I didn’t follow her recipe exactly… when do I ever?   I use recipes more as inspiration and jumping off points, rather than blueprints.

Without further ado, voila! La recette:

Chocolate Chickpea Spread

1 15-Ounce Can Chickpeas
1 Tablespoon Almond Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder (I used Raw)
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 shots Espresso
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Directions: Drain and rinse the chickpeas.  Throw everything into a food processor.  Process until smooth!  Could it be easier?

I used Almond Butter because it has a milder flavor than peanut butter and wouldn’t be competing as much with the chocolate.   I used the raw cocoa powder because that’s what we have, and because it’s better for you than the processed kind.  I would have used agave instead of sugar, but it looks like we’re out.  Sad face!  So, I decided that I would at the very least cut the sugar in half, and then if it needed any extra sweetening, I would add a bit of stevia.  However, it was really plenty sweet for me with just the 1/4 cup of sugar, so I think next time I’ll reduce it down to 2 tablespoons and then add a sprinkle of stevia if necessary.   I subbed espresso for coffee powder because we happen to have an excellent espresso machine chez moi.  Also, using shots of espresso instead of the powder made the water at the end of her recipe completely unnecessary.  Finally,  I doubled the vanilla because pretty much everything is better with extra vanilla…

In the end, it tastes somewhere in between a mocha and my mom’s chocolate cake.  Basically, it’s delicious.   And full of all the goodness, fiber, and protein that you’d want from chickpeas… not to mention the antioxidants from the raw cocoa!

I’m going to go ahead and call it a healthy breakfast.

I can’t wait to cover everything with it.  Nothing is safe from the chickpeas now!  I’m going to get apples at the farmer’s market today, and you’d better believe I’m going to smother at least one apple with chickpea spread.  I also think it would be a delicious way to top my oatmeal, so I’m looking forward to that as well.  Heck, I could even use it to top some whole wheat muffins and call them cupcakes!

Om nom nom!