I love eating chickpeas, whether that’s just plain and cold on top of a salad, or whirred into hummus, or in a soup or stir fry, or in chocolate chip cookies (this is better than it sounds, trust me!). But my new and absolute favorite way to eat them is roasted.

I had seen a few recipes for this years ago and had given it a try, but they didn’t turn out very well, which I now realize was because I didn’t actually roast them long enough. Instead of turning crispy, they were just soggy and mediocre.

A few weeks ago, I decided to give roasted chickpeas another go and this time the results were far above what I was expecting. Now I just can’t stop making them!

Curried + Roasted Chickpeas 

1 – 15 oz. can garbanzo beans/chickpeas
1/2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Drain and rinse the chickpeas; lay out to dry (they need to be pretty dry before roasting).

Combine chickpeas, oil, and spices until evenly coated. Spread onto a baking sheet in an even layer and bake at 400 degrees until browned and crisp, about thirty minutes (shake pan occasionally for even browning). Remove the pan from oven for ten minutes, lower temperature to 350 degrees, and return pan to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes (roasting time will vary based on how dry the beans are to start with) until crispy. Store in an airtight container.

Notes:
Any combination of spices can be used, and the amounts listed here are a bit conservative. I tend to just pour in until it feels right.

I usually leave the pan in the oven after the final roasting (after turning off the oven), if the chickpeas need just a tad more crisp.

I really like to put these on top of a salad…it’s like a crouton! We’ve also sprinkled them on soups and just eaten them by the handful. Enjoy!

PS. I’m running an online closet sale via Instagram starting today! If you want to join in, follow this account.

What about you: do you eat chickpeas, and how do you like them?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

You know how you stumble across that recipe, have it saved for months and months, and then finally decide to make it…and then you pull it out of the oven and sample a bite and you just want to eat the entire pan right then and there? Yeah, that’s what this recipe did to me. I refrained from eating the entire pan, but it’s not taking long for them to disappear around this house.

Ben loves Fig Newtons (the store kind), and I had made some homemade ones for him when we were dating that I think were maybe what pushed him over the edge in deciding I needed to be his wife (hehe!). I like this recipe better than the original because its easier (the original version called for rolling out the dough, layering on the filling, and folding over the dough) and tastier. I feel like you get less dough and more filling with this recipe, which is awesome in my opinion considering I ate the filling straight up on top of waffles yesterday morning.

Fig Oat Bars
adapted from here

1 1/4 cup spelt flour (or flour of choice)
1 3/4 cup oatmeal (I used mostly rolled oats but also some quick oats)
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
2 T. butter
1 1/4 cup fig preserves (see below)

Preserves
Dates
Dried figs
Orange juice/apple cider/water

For the preserves – I don’t have a solid recipe for this, but I took roughly a cup and a half total of chopped dates and figs, simmered them in splashes of orange juice + apple cider for thirty minutes or so, and then mashed them together with a potato masher once the fruits were soft. I did need to add additional liquid towards the end of cooking, so keep your eye on it. You could also just use fig preserves from the store.

For the bars – Whisk together flour, 1 1/2 cups oats, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Whisk together brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and applesauce (I also threw in a spoonful of molasses which lended some tasty flavor). Mix wet + dry ingredients together – it will be thick like cookie dough.

Line a 8 x 8 baking pan with foil or parchment and grease. Press two-thirds of the dough into the pan and spread preserves on top. I added dark chocolate chunks to one half of the pan as well (i highly recommend this), although why I didn’t add this to the entire pan I do not know.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup oats and 2 T. butter to the remaining dough and mix well with your fingers. Crumble on top of the preserve layer – it will be messy and sticky but no worries because it is worth it.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until top is browned.

Let cool, cut into bars (easiest is to lift out of the pan using foil lining and then cut), and try not to eat them all at once.

What about you: what are you baking this holiday season? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts + recipes!