Chickpea blondies, you ask? WTF? Let me explain the method to my madness, and how we got here.
I took what I'm calling a social media hiatus/sabbatical/hibernation for the past 4 months, and much like Punxsutawney Phil emerging from his burrow and seeing his shadow, I emerged from my Luddite-cocoon and saw these chickpea bars on TikTok from Baked by Melissa. I immediately whipped up a batch, replacing the coconut milk with yogurt (because I didn't have any coconut milk) and adding a banana (because why not?). My entire family gobbled them right up, as did our guests who were over for a playdate. But the original recipe called for almond flour, meaning my daughter couldn't bring them to school with her, much to her chagrin.
So I did what any mother would do — procrastinate on all the other various household tasks that needed tending to and made another batch a few days later to be more school-friendly and amp the protein up even more with some Greek yogurt. The result is what we now call Chickpea Blondies, and they're toddler and grown-up-approved by a landslide. I can barely keep them in stock in the kitchen now. Keep an open mind, and give these a try! Fair warning: they're not the cloyingly sweet blondies you're probably used to. After all, the only sweetener is a bit of maple syrup and the natural sweetness of a ripe banana. They are, however, a fantastic treat with just enough sweetness to feel indulgent, while also chock-a-block with fiber and protein.
📖 Recipe
Chickpea Blondies
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- ¾ cup 0% Greek yogurt
- 1 banana
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line an 8'x8' pan with parchment paper.
- Combine all ingredients, EXCEPT chocolate chips, into a blender and mix thoroughly until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth it out with a spatula. Sprinkle in half of the chocolate chips and press into batter, swirling to push them down a bit. Sprinkle remaining half on top evenly.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine come out perfectly at 45 minutes — you are going for golden brown color, and if you insert a toothpick it should come out clean. Let cool before slicing and dig in! Store leftovers in fridge.
Notes
- No Greek yogurt? Use whole milk yogurt. Or coconut milk, as Baked by Melissa calls for. Be sure to scrap some of the coconut cream off the top to add, too.
- You can leave out the banana, if you don't have one. It will be slightly less sweet, but doesn't affect the consistency much since it's only one, unlike banana bread when you're using 3-4.
- Feel free to omit the chocolate chips! Or use peanut butter chips, or sea salt caramel chips. Or chopped up chocolate pieces. Go crazy!
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