Blondies are, well, actually to tell you the truth, not something I’ve ever come across! I know! Brownies yes, but Blondies? I’m guessing it’s because it’s originally an American dessert and for some reason, its never really made it’s way over here!
So, I asked “what’s a Blondie?” and the response I got was “a person with blonde hair!” 😛 Not what I was looking for, but of course, this only added to my satisfaction that I wasn’t the only one not to know what a Blondie is! 😛
So, I asked some more and found out: that people in the UK haven’t come across them much; they’re like Brownies but without the cocoa; squidgy; moist; dense and have chocolate chips in. Therefore, if they are like Brownies, there is no universal best recipe – it just depends how you like them and at Life Diet Health we already have three Brownie recipes so a recipe should be easy… or so I thought!
Looking at traditional Blondie ingredients, I found there is generally a lot of butter, eggs and flour, quite a few chocolate chips, and a whole load of sugar – sometimes two types! My task was not going to be easy to switch all of those ingredients, but then I thought, well, if a Blondie is really like a Brownie, why not adapt one of my recipes!
This is a healthier version of a moist, squidgy, chocolate studded tray cake. I had several taste testers who all said it was so delicious, they would eat it under-cooked (as it was initially). It does however firm up a bit on cooling, but it will still be very squishy! I have since had a play with the recipe and have made a slightly more robust version without altering the taste! 😀 It is still quite soft, but you can at least pick these Blondie squares up! As the taste of these are so good – whether or not they taste like what anyone would consider to be a Blondie or not! I decided to share this recipe! I will however keep working on a more cake-y Blondie. 😀
With a fork, a spoon, fingers, with ice-cream or even with custard, this is one dessert which won’t be around for long! Oh, the ingredients might seem a bit random but I can assure you that you can’t taste the individual components (except the chocolate chips)! They’re simple to make too, especially if you have a food processor… let’s check out the recipe!
Vegan and free-from moist, squidgy Blondies.
- 50 g coconut oil melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 100 g soft dates without stones
- 200 g chickpeas
- 1 medium apple (50g) peeled and cored
- 60 ml milk we used unsweetened carton coconut
- 100 g ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- pinch salt we used pink Himalayan
- 3-4 tablespoons chocolate chips
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Put the coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup and dates in a food processor (we used the small attachment as this works better for us) and puree until smooth. Remove and set aside in a medium sized bowl.
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Puree the chickpeas and the apple (you can use the same processor)- with the milk. Process until completely smooth, then add to the date mix.
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Add the almonds, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt. Mix until evenly combined. You should have a soft sticky dense dough.
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Tip into a greased baking tin (preferably square), press to level out, then scatter the chocolate chips over the top. If you like it more chocolatey you can mix some through the batter first and then add extra on top.
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Bake at Gas Mark 4 (350f / 180c) for 35-40 minutes on the middle shelf. The Blondie will be pulling away from the sides when cooked. Leave to cool in the tin (very difficult with the tempting smell but important)! Slice into squares!
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Enjoy!
- If you don't have a food processor, you could use a blender (add some of the milk to the dates if required), or just mash by hand with a fork.
- Try using different chocolate - we used vegan dark chocolate but you could use milk, white or caramel or a mixture!
- If you think the Blondie is browning but not cooking, cover loosely with foil and return to the oven. Alternatively if it's nearly cooked, turn the oven off, shut the door and leave to cool.
- You can use apple puree instead of fresh apple- just reduce the milk content to 30ml.
- Soft dates work much better in this recipe. You can soak (then drain) them in a splash of boiling water if they are very hard.
- Ensure you are using a good quality vanilla extract as this can affect the end result.
- Eat as it is, with ice-cream or even custard.
- Store covered for up to three days.
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Speak soon!
Laurena x