Bready or Not Original: Chickpea Almond Butter Blondies
No one will be able to tell that chickpeas form the base of these healthified blondies, but the truth is right there in the name.
A food processor is necessary for this recipe as the chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) must be utterly pulverized. Weirdly enough, a lot of health cookbooks and blogs have discovered chickpeas end up eerily like bland cookie dough once they are mashed up.
I know, it sounds crazy, but I’ve tried out a few recipes like this and it’s the truth. And these blondies WORK. They taste good. The sweetness is just right, not hardcore, but it doesn’t taste at all like ‘health food.’
I found the base recipe in an issue of Cooking Light and significantly modified it into something new. The original had tahini (which I do not like, so I subbed almond butter) and dark brown sugar (which I usually don’t have).
The pecans add a wonderful texture to these blondies. If you don’t like pecans, I would suggest still using some kind of nut or seed for a mild crunch.
Bready or Not Original: Chickpea Almond Butter Blondies
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 15 oz unsalted chickpeas aka garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 Tablespoons almond butter
- 2 Tablespoons milk or half & half
- 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- Using a small saucepan, brown the butter, stirring often. Transfer to a bowl to cool for 15 minutes. Whisk in brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- Place chickpeas, almond butter, and milk in a food processor, and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides often. Stir the chickpea mixture into the butter mixture.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl and whisk together. Stir dry mix into the chickpeas. Fold in the pecans.
- Pour batter into ready pan. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test in the middle.
- Cool in pan for hour or two. Use foil to lift blondies onto cutting board to slice into pieces. Store in a sealed container, with waxed paper between layers, at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bars also can be frozen for later enjoyment.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chocolate Crumble Bars
I always like to do a chocolate recipe near Valentine’s Day, and this year I present to you a recipe for easy, delicious Chocolate Crumble Bars.
I tend to regard crumble bar recipes with suspicion, because many times they do indeed crumble when cut. I was very happy these bars were cohesive.
They are also incredibly good. The shortbread-like base is the perfect complement to semisweet chocolate chips.
Plus, there’s just something satisfying about a good, basic crumble topping. But then, I always preferred crumble topping on apple pies rather than a closed crust as well.
I suppose I’m just a crumbly person.
If you’re also a crumbly person, give these a try! They are easy to make and oh so good.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Crumble Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a big mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy, followed by the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix until it turns crumbly, scraping the bowl as needed. Place 2 cups of the crumbs in the pan. Use floured fingers or a piece of waxed paper and a heavy glass to compress the crumbs evenly.
- Bake pan 11 to 15 minutes, until edges of base layer are turning golden brown.
- Place 1 cup of the chocolate chips and the sweetened condensed milk in a large microwave safe bowl [or, alternately, do this on the stovetop]. Zap about 30 seconds, stir well, then try another 15 seconds--watch very carefully! It can turn molten, fast. Once it can be stirred smooth, add vanilla extract. Spread over the hot crust.
- Stir remaining cup of chocolate chips into the reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle this over the top of the chocolate layer.
- Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until center is set. Cool completely in pan.
- Use the foil to lift contents onto cutting board. Slice. Store bars in a covered container, waxed paper or parchment between the layers, at room temperature.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These soft, chewy blondies are savory, sweet, and amazing–and my original creation.
The year 2018 was awful in a lot of ways, but it offered one bonus: frequent sales on bacon at my regular grocery stores around Phoenix. I developed quite a strategic stockpile.
I then realized, hey, I should try baking bacon into more sweets. After all, my bacon fat chocolate chip cookies are among my most popular recipes.
I didn’t have a lot of free time, though. I wanted something to bake up fast, without a lot of fuss. Therefore, cookies were out. I wanted bars.
To my surprise, I couldn’t find an existing recipe that appealed to me. I decided that if I wanted soft, chewy bacon and chocolate chip bars, I needed to develop my own recipe.
That’s exactly what I did.
This is a recipe that utilizes sweet and savory together, and it’s a must-bake for any bacon lovers.
Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 14 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 Tablespoons bacon fat
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips divided
- 4 slices thick-cut cooked bacon chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and grease with butter or nonstick spray.
- Cream together the butter and bacon fat. Mix in the sugars until pale and fluffy, then add the vanilla and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, until just combined. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips along with the chopped bacon.
- Press dough into prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool until room temperature. Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board for easy slicing. Keep stored in sealed containers at room temperature or in the fridge.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars
The time for healthy recipes is over. Time to make an entire casserole dish-worth of candy bars with this recipe for Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars.
These things are chewy and downright dreamy. Seriously, HOMEMADE CANDY BAR. FRESH. SO GOOD.
Ahem. Forgive the caps. I get enthusiastic about this sort of thing. But can you blame me?
I mean, these have it all going on. Chocolate. A crunch from the toffee and pecans. A chewy blondie base.
My husband took these to work and had several co-workers dub this a new favorite. Considering the goodies they get from me, that’s saying something.
Make these to share with a crowd. You don’t want to be home alone with them.
Modified from Brownies & Bars Magazine.
Bready or Not: Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups milk chocolate chips divided
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup toffee bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the butter and vanilla. Beat until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 2/3 cup chocolate chips and the pecans. Distribute the crumbs across the bottom of the pan and press down evenly.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden. Immediately sprinkle on the remaining 1 cup of milk chocolate chips. Let sit a minute or two to soften, then use an uneven spatula to spread chocolate across the crust. Sprinkle toffee bits on top.
- Cool in pan on wire rack; if desired, place in fridge to speed the process. Once the pan is cool, use foil to move contents to a cutting board. Slice into bars. Keeps in fridge or at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: White Chocolate Spiced Blondies
Let’s end 2018 on a sweet note with these White Chocolate Spiced Blondies!
These things are fantastic. Their spiciness is mild and refreshing. These would be great for a between Christmas-and-New-Year party, or any time of year.
I’m a firm believer that good food shouldn’t be confined to just one season. If you like it, eat it when you want.
This recipe is fairly fast to mix up. Chopping up the crystallized ginger is the most tedious thing; rather than use a knife, I like to use kitchen shears. The blades can still get goopy after a few pieces, but I have more control over the cuts.
Since I’ve been asked before, you can often find crystallized ginger in the spice area at the grocery store–look in the glass jarred section. Also, if you have a natural food store like Sprouts, check their bins.
I love to keep candied ginger around for recipes like this. If I can catch a good sale around the holidays, I stock up!
If you want to stock up on these blondies, do note that they freeze well. Pack some in the freezer for later enjoyment!
Bready or Not: White Chocolate Spiced Blondies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter two sticks, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups brown sugar packed
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 ounces white chocolate chips about half a bag
- 1 Tablespoon crystallized ginger chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt.
- In a big mixing bowl, beat the butter until its smooth. Add the brown sugar and mix, pausing to scrape the sides of the bowl, until the two are fluffy in texture. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined, then sprinkle in the white chocolate and candied ginger pieces. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool to room temperature. Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board to slice.
- Store blondies in a sealed container between parchment or waxed paper layers. Blondies can be frozen for later enjoyment.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Macadamia Nut Caramel Chip Blondies
This original recipe combines salted caramel chips (my new favorite ingredient) with my beloved macadamia nuts to make something innovative and amazing.
These Macadamia Nut Caramel Chip Blondies are soft, chewy, and nigh divine. Plus, if you’re in a hurry, they are fast to make and bake.
That’s exactly what I needed when I created this recipe. I had another recipe result in total disaster (it happens to us all!) and I needed another platter of baked goods, fast, for my husband to take to work…
… where these bars were declared a new kind of crack. All of the bars were scarfed up. Not bad for an emergency oh-crap-what-can-I-throw-together recipe.
If you need to sub another kind of nut in this recipe, I think pecans and walnuts would work especially well. I do suggest sticking with the balance of 1 cup white chocolate and 1 cup salted caramel chips, though.
Caramel chips are very strong–like butterscotch chips in that way. They are a great ingredient, but you don’t want to go overkill. Plus, this way you’ll still have half a bag for another recipe. Scroll back on Bready or Not for some suggestions!
Bready or Not Original: Macadamia Nut Caramel Chip Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup salted caramel chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a large bowl, stir together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla.
- In a smaller bowl, sift together the flour, oats, salt, and baking powder. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Stir in the two kinds of chips and macadamia nuts until just distributed.
- Smooth out the dough in the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the center passes the toothpick test. Cool completely before using the foil to life the contents from pan to slice on a cutting board.
- Store in a sealed container with parchment or wax paper between the layers.
- OM NOM NOM!
