dark chocolate chunk peanut butter blondies (gluten free & vegan option).

If you're looking for a gluten free and/or vegan dessert, you're at the right place! Oh and don't be scared of the chickpeas- I promise you won't even taste them. They are hidden by the sweetness of the honey and chocolate and by the creamy, nuttiness of the peanut butter. 

The first thing I love about this recipe is how easy it is to make. It took me all of 5 minutes to whip up! The second thing I love is the natural sweetness and general natural-ness of the recipe- there's no butter, oil, flour, OR granulated sugar. The third thing I love about this recipe is the nutritional value (especially for a dessert). The beans and peanut butter give this dessert some fiber and protein. Being a type 1 diabetic myself, it's always nice to actually have a dessert with fiber/protein to balance out the simple sugars. 

These bars are awesome so don't wait to make them...seriously, get baking now!

 

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup peanut butter* (or another type of nut butter)
• 1/3 cup honey (or pure maple syrup or agave nectar for vegan option)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt (I used between 1/8-1/4 tsp)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar, chopped or broken into chunks (OR 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp chocolate chips [regular or vegan])

*In addition to pb, I added about 1/4 cup Trader Joes Speculoos Cookie Butter which would make these NOT gluten free.  Sadly, it didn't add much to the bars so I will probably leave that out next time anyway.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat 8×8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray or shortening and line with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor (or blender or magic bullet), add all ingredients except chocolate and process until batter is smooth. Fold in chocolate. 
3. Optional step: eat some batter...you won't be disappointed or feel guilty for eating raw dough because there's no eggs :) Happy day! 
4. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then stick some chocolate on top. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny (key word: tiny) bit brown. I took mine out at 18 minutes. The blondies may look underdone, but it'll be gooey and delicious and will not make you sick!
5. Cool pan for at least 20 minutes on wire rack or trivet. Cut into squares or just eat out of the pan with a fork like I did.  Makes 9-16 servings, depending on how big you slice them.

Recipe Source:

http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2013/04/flourless-chocolate-chip-chickpea-blondies-with-sea-salt-vegan-gluten-free-healthy/


More Gluten Free Recipes:

http://boilerbaker.blogspot.com/2014/02/gluten-free-fudge-brownies.html

http://boilerbaker.blogspot.com/2014/01/gluten-free-brownie-cookies.html

http://www.yammiesglutenfreedom.com/

http://thepajamachef.com/2014/01/24/flourless-peanut-chocolate-cookies/