Chickpea Blondies {With White Choc Chips}

These chickpea blondies are made with white choc chips and are amazing. You're not gonna believe they've got chickpeas in them, seriously. I use coconut sugar instead of the 'old' refined sugars I used to use, and a handful of white choc chips for some added sweetness and crunch. Pop one of these blondie bars in the kids lunch boxes and give them a protein hit to keep them going until they get home!

Also see: White bean cheese sauce

Chickpea Blondies

Blondie bars have always been a favorite of ours (along with a host of other sweet treats!) and so these are perfect if you're Clean eating. They provide a sweet hit for when those sweet moments strike, whilst giving you a protein hit at the same time to keep further hunger pangs at bay, for a while at least.

I'll tell you now, I don't advertise the fact these have chickpeas (also known as Garbanzo beans) in them to the kids. Even though mine are generally good eaters (now...) they still have some very definite red lines and I worry that these would cross it, for all of them.

Being a sneaky kinda Mom though who like to get some extra portions of goodness into the kids where I can, like lots of other recipes I make where the kids would complain if they scrutinised every single ingredient, I see no need for them to know these have chickpeas in them. So I don't tell them. And they don't ask because they've got no idea from the taste, and they're just super happy they have blondie bars that have white choc chips in them to munch on.

It can be tempting when you first make these to shout about it from the roof tops - who knew chickpeas could be the base of something so yummy. However, I recommend you resist, at least until they've eaten them, loved them and asked for more :)

I often make a batch of these at the weekend and then keep some back for snacks at school. So many of the kids at my kid schools have chocolate bars and potato chips for snacks, I like for them to sometimes have things that at least 'look' like they fit in. Pulling out one of these bars looks like a regular blondie and no ones ever going to know it's got a twist....except you. You can send them off on the school bus knowing they've got a nutritious little delight waiting for them. Yay! And of course be sure to save one for yourself when you sit down for that mid morning cup of tea, just to test them out of course!

Do You Taste The Chickpeas?

Absolutely not. They're totally undetectable. If you could, I'd have to agree that would be a compromise too far. But you can't, I promise! The taste of chickpeas (and most beans) is pretty mild anyway and that's what makes them so good for kids. The flavor tends to come from the sauces and other foods we out with them, the beans themselves are often almost flavorless, which is why this white bean cheese sauce works so well.

Beans make a great base for so many things as they have a texture that can be as rough or smooth as you want it to be. For all the baking (I think!) I do with beans, I blend the beans into a paste as not only are they then undetectable but the consistency is perfect for a cakey type thing. They sure are versatile little beans!

How Long Do Chickpea Blondies Keep?

The flavor of these blondies gets better and better over time and so I keep these for 3-4 days in an airtight container. I don't worry about keeping these in the fridge and leave them either out on the kitchen work top or bury them somewhere in a cupboard if I want to keep some back.

This recipe makes around 12-16 smallish bars. I've not tried freezing these as I';m not certain about the texture and consistency of the beans after they've been frozen and defrosted, so if you do try freezing them give me a shout and let me know what happened!

To send these to school with your kiddos, wrap them in a little piece of parchment and they'll travel well and not stick to the paper.

Healthy Chickpea Blondies

These have chickpeas in them and chickpeas are infinitely good for you. Having a low glycemic index means they keep blood sugar regulated which in turn means none of those horrible sugar crashes we're all probably familar with.

Chickpeas are high in fibre and high in protein which is great for keeping little ones tummies full up until lunch time, so rumbling tummies are kept at bay. All good news.

Are These Good For You?

However...these do also contain coconut sugar which while is not refined in the way white sugar is, it is still a sugar and has the same sugar effects on us. So in short, these are better than a regular store bought blondie bar, way better, but they're not something you'd want to be eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner and that suits me fine. I'm absolutely not about cutting out foods, rather making them better and adding in some healthy ingredients here and there and swapping out the nasties for the 'betters'!

More Clean Eating Treats

• Healthy apple mug cake
• Lemon curd loaf
• Date tray bake
• Cinnamon muffins
• Dairy free chocolate custard
• Chocolate & date energy balls

How To Make Chickpea Blondies

Ingredients

• 1 Can Chickpeas Drained and rinsed
• 1 Cup Ground almonds
• ½ Cup Coconut sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 4 tbsp Butter Melted
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• ½ Cup White chocolate
• 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste Or extract

Instructions

• Heat your oven to 190° and line a 6 inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper
• In a food processor blend the drained chickpeas, butter and eggs until you have a smooth paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl
• Add the coconut sugar to the chickpea mix and combine well
• Add in the vanilla bean paste, baking powder and ground almonds and stir to combine
• Add half of the white choc chips to the mixture and combine
• Pour the mixture into the lined baking tin and bake for 18 minutes. Take the blondie out and pierce it with a sharp knife. If the knife is clean the blondie is cooked, if not, pop it back in for another few minutes
• Once cooked, leave to totally cool down and then slice into bars and store

Chickpea Blondies Recipe