Chickpea Blondies with Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate (v, gf)

As someone who has greatly extolled the virtues and deliciousness of the black bean brownie, I’m sorry to report that I had to read it in a magazine before making the connection that if black beans made brownies, chickpeas could make blondies.

Once that lightbulb went on, I felt rather foolish for not having thought of it before. The world of baking with beans, strange as it sounds, is actually really full of options – when I saw the recipe for Peanutty Blondie Bars in Alive Magazine, I knew I had to make them.

The blondies are vegan, gluten-free, totally free of flour, contain dark chocolate, and are naturally-sweetened. Check, check, and check. And check and check. I mean, what more can you ask for in a snack recipe?

I’ve chosen to make my blondies in a muffin tin because I think it makes for a neater dessert in the end, and it makes the blondies look like cute, short cupcakes, and quite frankly, everybody loves things shaped like cupcakes. Having also made the recipe as squares, I found they held together better when made in the muffin tin, which is kind of important if you want to pack these in a kid’s lunch or for that matter, in your own lunch.

So there you have it – tender, moist, tasty, and packed with peanut butter, dark chocolate, and shredded coconut. And made of chickpeas.

Enjoy while mumbling to yourself, ‘I can’t believe these are made of beans.’ Feed them to your friends and watch them do the same. All hail the garbanzo.

Chickpea Blondies with Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate

• Author: Alive Magazine (view original recipe for Peanutty Blondie Bars here)
• Recipe Notes: vegan, gluten-free, naturally-sweetened, high in fibre, high in protein
• Yield: 12 blondies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (cooked) chickpeas
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Whirl chickpeas, maple syrup, and vanilla in a food processor until very smooth.
3. Scoop into a large bowl, and stir in peanut butter, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
4. When well-mixed, stir in chocolate chips.
5. Divide batter between 12 muffin cups (ungreased, unless your muffin tin is a known ‘sticking’ offender).
6. Sprinkle with shredded coconut.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until blondies are firm and coconut is lightly browned.
8. Let cool, then remove from muffin tins and store in an airtight container, either in the fridge or freezer.

© Eat Well, Live Vibrantly