The beans are back
Updated: Apr 28, 2020
It's been downright beautiful around here lately.
On a crisp bright day I love to spend my afternoons baking and meal prepping. I will admit that it's 100% the dietitian in me who loves to make even baked goods as nutrient-packed as possible.
You've heard of black bean brownies. You maybe remember last year's maple coffee cake with chickpeas. Well the BEANS are BACK! This time in the form of a super fudgy peanut butter chocolate chip blondie.
I mean, how bad can THAT be, right? The deal with these is that they're technically vegan, grain-free, and dairy-free- that is, if you make sure your chocolate chips are as well. I personally don't care about being vegan, grain-free, or dairy-free, but if that's your thing, then make these! It's a pretty flexible recipe- don't have almond flour? Use regular wheat flour! Don't have brown sugar? Go ahead and use white. I do recommend using a good quality peanut butter, such as my beloved Smuckers®.
Why do I gravitate towards beans so much? 1. Fiber. 2. Protein. 3. Inexpensive! You truly do not taste any hint of chickpeas in these blondies. Instead they lend a rich texture.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
-1 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
-1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
-1/4 cup almond flour
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup dark chocolate chips (can substitute semi sweet), divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor (sorry- blender can't handle it), puree the chickpeas with the peanut butter, scraping down as needed. You really want this to be as smooth as you can get it. If it's crumbly-ish, that's fine- you just don't want whole chickpeas.
If you have a large food processor (I don't), go ahead and add in the almond flour, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. If yours is small like mine, transfer the chickpea/peanut butter mixture to a mixing bowl and combine the rest of the ingredients, minus the chocolate chips.
Stir in half the chocolate chips. Spread the mixture in the baking pan. Top with remaining chocolate chips. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt if you desire- it does make them look extra pretty.
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. These are just as good warm as they are room temperature.
Makes 12 servings. Per serving: 145 calories, 20 grams carbohydrates (nearly 3 grams of fiber), 1 gram fat, 4 grams protein, 189 mg sodium.