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A few years ago, Amy and I were in the kitchen, trying to come up with a healthier chocolate chip cookie.
Since we love food, we do this sometimes – we open the cupboards and try to think outside the box.
Why? Because an important part of eating healthier is learning new ways to cook.
So, we’re standing there, wondering how we can use what we had on hand to make a gluten-free, good-for-you cookie, when Amy pulls out a can of chickpeas and says, “Let’s start with these.”
I thought that sounded crazy. I mean, beans in dessert? But on second thought, however, it didn’t seen so far fetched.
Most white beans – chickpeas, navy beans, white northern – have a surprisingly mild flavor. We tend to add them to savory dishes, but they actually just serve as a nice base for other flavors – like in this Chocolate Banana Shake.
And they’re also high in fiber, giving them natural thickening properties. We started thinking through the baking science and realized that beans mixed with eggs might mean we could make an entire cookie without flour. The beans could stand in for all that gluten-packed refined stuff.
So, out came the high-speed blender. We tossed a variety of whole food ingredients together and blended them into a batter.
And no, we didn’t make cookies. Our initial attempt wasn’t thick enough to stand together on a cookie sheet. But still, the batter tasted awesome because it was sweetened with raw honey and had a hint of vanilla. We weren’t about to call this a fail.
We poured the batter into a cake pan and tossed in some chocolate chips. And 30 minutes later, we pulled out our first-ever pan of gluten-free, high-protein vegan blondies.
Chickpea Blondies
It turns out that chickpeas work fantastically as a flour swap.
Combined with eggs and honey, the bean undertones disappear. So, when you bite into these blondies, instead of saying, “Tastes healthy,” you say, “Yum! blondies!”
Which is a nice surprise, considering that every ingredient in this recipe gets a thumbs up from our resident nutritionist (that’s me) and the taste-testing staff (that’s the kids).
How to Make it Vegan
If you follow a vegan diet and don’t want to use the egg in this recipe, you can make your own flax “egg” with this simple recipe, which makes 1 “egg” (note that the recipe calls for 2 eggs):
- 1 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 2 1/2 tbsp water
- Mix together and allow to gel for 10-15 minutes before adding to batter.
If You Like This Recipe, You’ll Love
This isn’t the first time we’ve put a tasty gluten-free twist on traditionally decadent eats. If you’re looking for more healthy sweets, give these recipes a try:
- Healthy Cookie Dough Dip (this one is also made with chickpeas)
- The Easiest Black Bean Brownies Ever (can you guess what’s inside?)
- Gluten-Free Protein Brownies You’ll Swear are Bad for You (no beans here, but they taste amazing)
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Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas (drained)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/3 cup raw honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup Enjoy Life! chocolate chips
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Heat oven to 375ºF.
- In a blender, combine chickpeas, eggs, coconut oil and honey. Blend until pureed.
- Add almond butter, vanilla, salt and baking powder. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Spread into a 8"x11" or 9"x9" pan, sprayed with nonstick coconut oil spray.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is set, and springs back when touched gently.
- Cool before serving.
Recipe Notes
If you want to make the vegan option for this recipe, instead of using an egg, mix 2 tbsp of flaxseed meal with 5 tbsp of water. Allow the mixture to gel for 10 to 15 minutes before adding to the batter.
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Healthy Desserts Your Body Will Love
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Yuri Elkaim
Yuri Elkaim is one of the world’s most trusted health and fitness experts. A former pro soccer player turned NYT bestselling author of The All-Day Energy Diet and The All-Day Fat Burning Diet, his clear, science-backed advice has transformed the lives of more than 500,000 men and women and he’s on a mission to help 100 million people by 2040. Read his inspiring story, “From Soccer to Bed to No Hair on My Head” that started it all.