Peanut Butter Chocolate Chickpea Bars

Steps

1. Rinse the chickpeas and then place in a large bowl. Cover with 2" of water and stir in 1 teaspoon of the baking soda. Let sit overnight, or for at least 6 hours. Drain and rinse.

2. Transfer the chickpeas to a medium-sized pot and cover them with 4" of water. Add the remaining teaspoon of baking soda and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high and let cook at a vigorous simmer until chickpeas are extremely soft and beginning to fall apart, about 1 hour. Drain.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

4. Transfer the warm chickpeas to a food processor and add in all of the remaining ingredients except for the dark chocolate chips. Process until completely smooth. While the mixture is still warm, add in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. Mix well to combine, until the chocolate is beginning to melt and swirl into the chickpea batter.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the batter with the back of a spoon. Top with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake until crackly and browned, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

6. Let set for 10 minutes before removing and cutting into bars.