Man, I’ve been wanting to try making these for so long. Procrastination, you rascal…
It’s just such a perfect snack food. If we could eat Hippeas* every day we probably would, but that also probably wouldn’t be too good for our bodies in the long run. These bad boys, on the other hand, are pretty simple and pure. Though yea, we also probably wouldn’t want to eat these every day, but we’ll see how that goes...
*they’re like a ‘healthy’ Cheetos; plant based, made from chickpeas. We get them at Costco sometimes.
This admittedly was my first shot making these, but I was able to have just a slight degree of adversity that far from ruined them, and I figured out how to troubleshoot it for next time, which I’ll describe below so you’ll do better than me on your first go.
We made ours out of dry garbanzos** that we soaked overnight, but I think it would turn out pretty similar if you use canned ones. But to cut costs and because we’re aiming to reinforce a ‘whole food philosophy’ (not the juggernaut store but the actual concept that they hijacked their name from), we did it the old fashioned way.
**’garbanzo bean’ and ‘chickpea’ are interchangeable terms for this hero of hummus
I phoned-a-friend prior to this experiment, and I got a hot tip from Megan Elizabeth herself that using oil would help create the crunch factor, so I opted for sesame oil, as it has the right flavor profile (think sesame butter AKA tahini in chickea-based hummus) and a high smoke point (can handle high heat without compromising the nutrition of the oil). Though, I think some other tips that I found on the Minimalist Baker blog after-the-fact would help to create the crunch even if went oil-free. I’ll introduce those soon, and link the article that helped right my wrongs.
As for seasonings, I had so many possible flavor directions coming through my brain for these, but with much restraint, I executed them relatively simply. One thing I did do though – which is based on some valuable experience – is add cayenne because I have learned that spice factor can serve to slow down compulsive snackers that otherwise wouldn’t stop until all that’s LEFT is seasoning at the bottom of the bowl. PRO TIP. ;)
Steps
If using dry beans (if using canned skip to step 3), soak them overnight. I think anywhere from 12-24 hours is good. If they start to get a film on top of the water or if conditions are warm/muggy, you may wanna rinse them once or more during that time. We didn’t though.
Also if using dry beans, after soaking, cook the beans until they’re tender, maybe 20 minutes or so. If they’re still starchy, give them another 10, taste, and repeat if necessary.
Preheat oven to 350º
Drain and dry beans WELL. This is a key step that we overlooked, so not all of ours had the crunch. But next time we will drain them through a colander, then spread them out on paper towels and blot them from the top, so they’re pretty thoroughly dried.***
At this point once beans are cooked or if using canned (canned beans are pre-cooked), toss them in a bowl with enough oil to coat them. Again, we chose sesame oil, because it worked for the flavor profile I was going for. Avocado oil is another high heat oil, and probably has an even more neutral flavor. Choose something with high smoke point, and considering the oil a part of the flavoring will help steer your decision
Add seasonings of choice.**** Salt and black pepper are great to start, or to stay if you want a basic version. I also added some paprika, cayenne ;) cumin, and ginger powder. Stir so the spices distribute.
Spread on a baking sheet. I put down a sheet of parchment paper first to make clean-up easier on myself. If you’re trying this oil-free the parchment paper will be even more necessary so that they don’t glue themselves to the pan.
Bake for 40 minutes, then check the crunch level. If they are there at this point, take them out. If they still have some chew, keep checking every 5 minutes until you get your desired crunch. It shouldn’t take more than 2 or 3 rounds of this.
Let them cool on a window sill like the old days, or wherever you feel comfortable leaving a hot pan that wreaks of spiced glory. :P
Consume. :)
***I’ve read that peeling the skins off helps produce greater crunch. I don’t know that this step would be worth it for me, but it’s your call if you want to experiment at that length.
****I’ve also read (same source) that adding most of the seasoning after will help them crisp. I like the idea of the seasoning and chickpeas melding together a bit during the cooking process, rather than just being a coating, but you can try this too, if you like.
Results
So as I hinted above, ours didn’t come out purrfectly crunchy, but… they were really good, and 3 of us ate the whole bowl with ease in place of dinner as we watched The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes on Netflix (also really good).
I baked them at 450º for 25 minutes rather than 350º for 45 minutes, but I learned for next time and above I gave you the seemingly-correct directions.
We did have a small percentage of the beans turn out with the right crunch factor and show us the potential of how good this snack can be. So that was nice.
The seasoning was on point. We are certainly going to be making these more and experimenting with other flavor directions, so stay tuned for that.
Until next time, thanks for checking us out! And leave a comment if you have any thoughts or queries regarding this post. Or write us at our email for anything else.
Blog post #2 in the books! Love ya bye!!