Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans in a colander. Use a paper towel to pat the beans dry. They don’t have to be perfectly dry but the goal is to remove any excess moisture. There's no need to peel off the chickpea skins as they will become soft when blended up.

Transfer the chickpeas to the food processor (or high speed blender), along with the peanut butter (or almond butter, cashew butter, etc.), pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, protein powder (if adding), and sea salt. Note: if your peanut butter has been sitting in the refrigerator for a long time and seems very stiff or dry, microwave it for 10 to 20 seconds, or until it has softened and is easily pliable.

Secure the lid on the food processor and process until a thick dough forms. This may require you stop the food processor several times to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula.

The end result should be a thick dough that presses together easily and doesn’t stick to your fingers.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Form cookie shapes out of the dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a large plate. If you prefer balls over cookie shapes, make chickpea cookie dough bites by rolling the dough into balls. You can also use a small cookie scoop to form round balls.

If desired, press extra chocolate chips into the tops of each chickpea cookie. I do this in order to ensure all of the no-bake cookies have enough chocolate chips.

You can enjoy the chickpea chocolate chip cookie dough now, or store them in the refrigerator to chill.

Transfer the no-bake peanut butter cookies to the refrigerator and allow them to chill and set up. To store the chickpea cookie dough long term, transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 10 days. You can also freeze these cookies in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.