Preheat your oven to 330°F. While it heats, grease an 8x8 inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper for easy removal. This gives you time to prepare your ingredients while the oven reaches temperature.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear—this removes excess starch for a better texture in the brownies. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, both cocoa powders (regular and dutch-process), baking powder, baking soda, salt, espresso powder, and sugar. I like using both cocoa types because the dutch-process adds depth and richness that regular cocoa alone can't quite achieve.

Add the rinsed chickpeas, plant-based milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla essence to a food processor. Pulse until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed—this creates the base of your batter. Then add the dry ingredient mixture from Step 2 and blend until everything is fully combined and the batter is uniform in texture. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand at the end so they stay intact throughout the batter rather than breaking apart.

Pour the batter from Step 3 into your prepared pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Bake at 330°F for 14 minutes—the brownies will look slightly underdone but will continue to set as they cool. I find that slightly underbaking keeps them fudgy and prevents them from drying out, which can happen easily with chickpea-based brownies.

Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool completely in the pan on a wire rack—this prevents them from cracking and allows the crumb structure to set properly. Once cooled, refrigerate until firm, about 1-2 hours, before cutting into squares. The cold temperature will give you cleaner cuts and a better fudgy texture when you bite into them.