Cheesy Spicy Hummus Roasted Chickpea Bites

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Dump rinsed chickpeas onto a paper towel and dry well. Remove any of the papery skins that fall off the chickpeas, and then place them into a medium bowl. Drizzle olive oil, cumin and smoked paprika onto the chickpeas and toss to evenly coat. Spread them onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake chickpeas for 15 minutes, stir, and then bake another 15 minutes until they are golden brown and crunchy. Let cool for a few minutes.

Once cooled, put the chickpeas into a small food processor (mine is 3 cups) and process until crumbly.

In a large bowl, mix together hummus, grated cheddar cheese and cilantro. Whisk egg in a small bowl, and then add it into the hummus mixture. Finally, add in the chickpea crumbles. Stir until evenly mixed. Your mixture will be quite wet.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and drop 16 heaping tablespoon-sized balls of the hummus mixture onto the prepared pan. You should have a little bit left over to help seal the bites after you put the cheese in.

Press one of the cheese cubes into the center of a ball, use your fingers to press the hummus batter around it, and seal the hole. Additionally, form the balls into a circle with a small spoon. Repeat for all the bites. It will be messy. I found it helps to wash your hands every few bites. If any bites have some visible cheese, use the remaining mixture to press on top.

Spray the bites with cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes. Then, spray them again and bake an additional 6–8 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Serve immediately with guacamole to dip. Devour!