We're still early in the new year, so many are still trying to stick with the healthy eating and new year's detox after all the sweetness of Christmas. Today's recipe is a healthy-ish sweet treat to try and keep with that theme.
I was always one of those people who scoffed at the idea of using a can of beans in baked goods. It just seemed wrong--and kind of disgusting. It also seemed like a direct insult to butter!
So, I gave these a try. In my food processor, I added a can of drained garbanzo beans, some cashew butter, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla. I pureed it for a about 3 minutes so that it was really smooth. I did a taste test, thinking that I would be tasting maple flavored hummus. Au contraire! It tasted like a blondie batter, and it did have decent sweetness from the maple syrup.
While it may seem like baking blasphemy, I added in some dark chocolate chips that I brought back from France and then sprinkled with sea salt.
The result? A delicious blondie that satisfies the sweet craving but is still healthy with fiber and protein...and the dark chocolate chips give some anti-oxidants! ;-)
Flourless Blondies with Chocolate Chips
Yields 1 pan
Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup natural nut butter, your choice (I used cashew butter)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. dark chocolate chips
Sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray or grease a 9x9 baking pan and set aside.
In the bowl of the food processor, add all ingredients except the chocolate chips and sea salt. Process until smooth. (I ran the food processor for about 3 minutes.) Then, stir in 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp. chocolate chips on top
Bake for 25-30 minutes until light golden brown or a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt.
Source: The Comfort of Cooking
Just think of that- garbanzo beans in a 'Blondie.' How unique! I have eaten sweet things with red bean curd in them- must now find my can of garbanzo beans in the cupboard!
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