Chickpea Chip Blondies
Black bean brownies are one of those strange healthy desserts that actually taste pretty decent, providing you can find a decent recipe. Probably because of the piles of cocoa powder and chocolate chips added. There’s something about the texture of the beans that mimics a fudgy brownie. I simply can’t explain it. And if you think about it too much, it will turn your brain inside out, so I suggest you just accept it and move on. After making them a few times, I wondered if you could use chickpeas to make a blondie with an equally tasty outcome. Turns out the answer is yes. If you’ve never incorporated legumes into your desserts, I understand your skepticism. I’m probably lucky that you’ve even read this far and I appreciate your trust. To keep that trust, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that these are the fluffy, sugary blondies that your mom made for a bake sale. They’re naturally sweetened with honey (okay, and unnaturally sweetened with chocolate chips) with tahini added for protein and good fat. And simply because it pairs awesomely with chocolate. Where there once was refined flour, there’s now mineral-rich beans and oats—propelling this to “complete protein” status. That means that I can eat at least 3 of these before feeling even a little guilty about it. If you’re still doubting that these could possibly be delicious, they passed the husband test with a review of “kind of tastes like cookie dough.” There is no higher praise.
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½ c oat flour
½ c tahini, divided
⅓ cup honey
2 Tbsp coconut oil, plus more
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ tsp salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoons
Flakey sea salt, for serving
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with about 1 tsp of coconut oil. Set aside.
In a food processor or blender, combine chickpeas, oat flour, ¼ cup tahini, honey, 2 Tbsp coconut oil, vanilla, ½ tsp salt and baking powder. Blend until very well combined. If using a food processor, let it run for 2-3 minutes to ensure that ingredients are fully broken down and well incorporated. If you’re using a high powered blender, don’t run it that long or you’ll go deaf.
Fold in ⅓ cup chocolate chips and make sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Pour mixture into greased pan.
In a small bowl, combine the ¼ cup remaining tahini and 2 Tbsp chocolate chips. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until a smooth paste forms. Using a spoon, place nine dollops of the chocolate mixture evenly on top of the batter. Using a chopstick or a skewer, swirl the chocolate into the batter by making small circles and loops.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 30 minutes before eating on their own or serving with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. In my opinion, they’re even better the next day, so feel free to bake ahead of time.
