How to Make Vegan Blondies with a Can of Chickpeas
Beans in desserts? Don’t knock it ’til you try it! When cooked and rinsed well, beans can add moisture and fudginess to baked goods like brownies and blondies while cutting back on the amount of fat and flour needed. As an RD, I'm always looking for ways to add more nutrition to every bite, and these blondies are a great way to do that.
Chickpeas and other legumes are a great way to add nutrients such as plant protein, B vitamins, and fiber, making this another dessert with benefits. While I prefer using chickpeas in this recipe, white beans would work as well. Here I show you how to add all this goodness into one of my favorite treats, blondies. It even saves you money at the grocery store!
How to Make Vegan Blondies with Chickpeas
These blondies call for chickpeas instead of brown sugar or flour, a healthier option. When chickpeas are blended, they form a fudge-like, dense texture that's easy to mold into a blondie. Because chickpeas don't have tremendous flavor on their own, they easily absorb other flavors like vanilla and coconut sugar. Flaxseed meal is used to bind the wet and dry ingredients and replaces an egg.
- Flaxseed meal
- Water
- Chickpeas
- Rolled oats
- Coconut sugar
- Coconut oil
- Pure vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Dark chocolate chip
Are Blondies the Same As Brownies?
Blondies and brownies both have chewy textures and are usually cut into squares, however, blondies have a softer, lighter texture and a less-rich taste than brownies. The main ingredients in a blondie are different from a brownie. Blondies use vanilla extract and brown sugar for a sugary, fudge-like taste, and brownies use chocolate and cocoa for that dense chocolatey taste.
What Does a Blondie Taste Like?
The Vegan Blondies have a cakey, fudgy with a dense, chewy filling and crisp edges. When you bite into these soft brownie-like vegan blondies you'll taste hints of vanilla, textured oats, and sweet dark chocolate bits. These melt-in-your-mouth dessert squares are warm and delicious, perfect to enjoy in colder weather. Enjoy them with your coffee or hot chocolate.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Buttery Vegan Blondies
Makes 9 blondies (1 per serving)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 (15-ounce) can of no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed well, or 1½ cups of cooked chickpeas
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
- Make a flax egg by combining the flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl; allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
- Place the flax egg along with the rest of the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, in a food processor and blend until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan using a rubber spatula, smooth the top, and bake for 30 minutes. It will look a little underbaked when you take it out of the oven but will firm up as it cools.
- Let cool completely before slicing into 9 squares.
(Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.)
For more great plant-based recipes and healthy ideas follow me on Instagram, @NutritionbyMia, and for 100 easy recipes, check out my cookbook, Mostly Plant-Based: 100 Delicious Plant-Forward Recipes Using 10 Ingredients or Less.
More From The Beet
