The struggle is real when it comes to finding delicious desserts that I can eat. Not only am I pretty strictly gluten free, I have also cut back on eating sweets as of late. You see, I have a bit of a sweet tooth and fall into the bad habit of consuming excess amounts of cookies and candy during the holiday season. This past year was no exception and with everything going on in my body right now I made the decision to cut out unnecessary desserts. Smart plan, right? Sure, until I’m hit with a major craving and give in to it.
Knowing that I would inevitably cave to the urge to eat sugar at some point, I began searching for ways to satisfy my cravings in a healthier way. I initially tried replacing cookies with fruit but that didn’t quite do the trick. Enter chickpea blondies. Yes, you read that right. Chickpea blondies.
I know the concept of a dessert made from chickpeas sounds far fetched, but I promise you that the addition of peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and chocolate cancels out the majority of the taste of beans. You’re left with a slightly sweet and spongy cake-like dessert that satisfies your sweet tooth and is chock-full of health benefits.
The powerful little chickpeas provide important daily doses of fiber and protein and even aid in lowering blood pressure when consumed on a regular basis. Yep, you heard it here first…eating these chickpea based blondies on a daily basis actually qualifies as good for you. Who knew?
Vegan blondies fresh out of the oven.
Confession time…when I first tried the recipe I’m sharing with you today I was NOT a fan. I think I actually said, “bleh!” and proclaimed that I would never eat such a thing, let alone put it on my blog. Then a funny thing happened after the blondies set overnight; they became edible. Not only did they become edible, they became really GOOD! Rich, moist, buttery…you’d never know the primary ingredient was beans.
Golden and moist vegan chickpea blondies.
This delicious “dessert” is definitely going to become a staple in my house. Not only do these blondies keep my sugar cravings at bay, they also provide me with crucial health benefits and actually aid my body in healing!
- 2 15 oz cans of chickpeas/garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup all natural peanut butter - I used homemade
- 2/3 cup maple syrup - I used Trader Joe's organic.
- 4 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Coat 9x13" dish or pan in olive oil or cooking spray.
- Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a blender or food processor (I used my blender).
- Mix in 2/3 cup chocolate chips.
- Pour batter evenly into dish or pan and sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 25-40 minutes or until edges start to brown and toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for several hours or overnight.
I began checking the blondes at 25 minutes to determine whether they needed to cook longer. Ultimately I kept mine in for 40 minutes.