Peanut Butter Chickpea Blondies
A sweet treat of a snack bar that manages to pack in a little nutrition, too. Be sure not to over bake the bars. Pull them out when they're still a bit soft in the center. They will set up as they cool!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chickpeas (drained well and rinsed)
- 1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, spooned and leveled (or GF all-purpose flour blend)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (or any nut flour or GF all-purpose flour blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 heaping cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that it drapes over two sides.
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Put the chickpeas, peanut butter, and butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Run until very creamy and smooth. Add the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla and run again to blend. Add the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, and run until combined with no obvious streaks of flour. Scatter in the chocolate chips and mix them in with a spoon (it's a little awkward, but will save you cleaning another bowl).
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Transfer to the baking pan and press with your hands to fill out the pan so the batter is smooth across the top. Alternatively, you can lay a piece of parchment on top and use the bottom of a measuring cup to press it down to fill out the pan.
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Bake until the edges just begin to brown lightly and it's still a little soft in the center, about 14 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut into 16 bars. Store in an air-tight container.