Simple Cinnamon-Caramel Dip or Spread for a Wholesome Summer Snack

Alisa Fleming ~ As much as I love nut butter, it can weigh a little heavy if you rely on it too much for creaminess and thickening in recipes. To mix thing up, I've been experimenting quite a bit with other ingredients, and was intrigued by the basis behind many of the “cookie dough” recipes I have seen on blogs recently. They use chickpeas, of all things, as the anchor for this sweet treat. Truthfully, many of these recipes are a bit "beany" for my taste buds. So I tinkered with the concept to come up with a nice, thick dip that meets my standards for flavor. It uses a combination of nut or seed butter (just a bit!) and garbanzos for a wholesome spread that you need not feel guilty about.

Truth be told, I can still taste the garbanzos in this dip, but the flavor just works. I've given a range of 3/4 cup to 1 cup of beans to use, depending on your tastes. I prefer it with less, but also devoured the entire batch that contained more chickpeas as a spread on toast. In other words, I enjoyed both.

Since my original purpose of this recipe was something to go with sliced apples for an afternoon snack, I decided to use caramel as my theme. For this recipe, you create a lightning fast caramel for the sweetener. Of course, this isn't a traditional caramel dip, but rather a thick, fiber-rich treat that you could literally eat with a spoon. I did. Enjoy …

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon + extra to sprinkle on the dip if desired

Water, as needed

Add the sugar, water, and maple syrup to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat while whisking. Allow it to simmer, while whisking, for 1 minute. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt. You should have a dark syrupy mixture, that will thicken as it cools.

Place the chickpeas, nut butter, cinnamon, and the above syrup in a blender or food processor (I used a little personal blender), and whiz until smooth. If it is too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. I use an extra tablespoon to get my desired consistency.

Spoon into a dish, optionally sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon, and serve with apple slices or crackers. You can also use it as a spread on toast.