Chickpeas in a dessert? That is SO not me. I have never been one to morph desserts into something more wholesome and nutritious. Wholesome, to me, means they’re made from scratch with real ingredients, by someone I know. And as far as nutrition is concerned, my feet are firmly planted in the “decadence in moderation” camp. However, after my pal, Meg, posted these delicious looking morsels, I thought “Ooh, those look yummy and chocolatey!” And also, “Geez, I’m hungry.”
I decided to give ’em a go since I have many readers who ARE interested in healthier desserts, and because I am always looking for new things for us all to try. Besides, I hadn’t taken the food processor out for a spin in a while, and I wouldn’t want it to get rusty 😛
Casey watched as I tossed the ingredients into the food processor. Brown sugar, peanut butter, egg, vanilla. All good. Then he eyed the empty can of chickpeas. “You’re making them with these?” He popped one in his mouth. “Those are wretched,” he said calmly, to which I replied, “Okay. Now go put a spoonful of flour in your mouth, and tell me what you think, since that is the ingredient the chickpeas are replacing.” He politely declined, and held any remaining opinions until taste-testing time 🙂
After beating the ingredients smooth, then stirring in the chocolate chips, we all had a finger-taste of the batter. That’s when we knew. These were going to be awesome. (Really, you can’t go wrong with a peanut butter/chocolate chip combo, at least in my world.) They cooked up in less than a half hour, and we eagerly devoured them. Moist and lightly sweet with a fudgy crumb, dotted with chocolate chips and a hint of peanut butter flavor, they were the perfect ending to our meal.
What’s truly different about these than regular blondies? First, the chickpeas entirely replace the flour, and, therefore, provide the necessary substance and a means to bind everything together. What do you get by replacing the flour with chickpeas? Half the calories, triple the fiber, and double the omega-3’s. Another difference is that this blondie recipe has no added fat, the only fat coming from the small amount of peanut butter and one egg yolk. That’s a far cry from the half stick of butter you’d typically use!
So, yeah, these are healthy blondies — definitely lower in fat and calories, with a ramped up nutrition scorecard. But don’t let that stop you. They went seriously fast at our house. So fast that I had to quick hide a few just so I could snap some pics of them the next day in actual sunlight.
And then I ate another 🙂
Chickpea Chocolate Chip Blondies
adapted from Meg’s Food Reality (*original version is gluten free – this is not)
Make 16 squares
Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
1-16 oz can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup oats (quick cooking or regular)
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare an 8×8 inch pan with spray oil.
Put all ingredients EXCEPT chocolate chips into the food processor bowl. Process until smooth; 3-4 minutes. Remove bowl from unit, and take out the blade, scraping any batter from blade back into bowl. Stir in most of the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Because there is very little fat in the batter, it will not “spread” as it heats up. So smooth the batter evenly around the pan then sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted near the center will come out mostly clean. Let cool before cutting into squares.
ENJOY, WITHOUT ONE IOTA OF GUILT 🙂
…SOME MORE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS DESSERTS….
Snickerdoodles – Lightened Up!
crisp/chewy and packed with cinnamon; you will not miss the butter!
Heart-healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
these make it ok to have cookies for breakfast 🙂
Lowfat Cinnamon Chip Streusel Muffins
cinnamon, chocolate, and a secret ingredient that makes them oh so moist!
I made these with an attempt to reduce the sugar– I used 1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp. I’ve never had the real recipe, so didn’t know what I was missing! But they were good enough to disappear in one day. I think next time I might add another tbsp of sugar, and also up the peanut butter for more flavor.
Glad they worked for you, even with less sugar. Thanks for letting me know!
Yum! Finally had a chance to make these and a hit with everyone in the house. Yum!!!
Woohoo!!!!! I had a cupcake made with tofu today. Think they’d go for that?
Trying the chickpea blondies with some adjustments. Put in 1/8 c Stevia as part of total sugar to cut down on that a bit and used Whole Foods ground peanut/ dark chocolate butter instead of regular peanut butter. Will let you know how the experiment works. Still WAY too many carbs but a small piece as a snack might fill the bill. Trying them out on a friend who is a good sport.
You could probably do more Stevia next time, swap out more of those carbs. Impressed with all your healthy baking attempts!
Awesome blondies!!! Meg helped make them today and she was the first to test drive one. She loved it! Thanks!
Woohoo!! Another winner!Thanks for stopping by to let everyone know. These babies are GOOD.
I just made the chickpea blondies and they are ridiculous! So good, who would have thought? I had trouble not eating all the raw batter and getting them in the oven. You’re a genius! Thank you so much!
Margie, thanks so much but I can’t take much of the credit, except for making them myself and reposting my version of the recipe 🙂 Next time snap a photo and send to me!! Would love to dedicate a post to reader-approved recipes!!