I’m so excited that we’re now counting down the days until Autumn officially begins! Who’s with me???
Well, okay quite honestly I am torn between excitement and a little bit of sadness to see Summer ending but that is quickly forgotten every time I think about all of my favorite upcoming things in the Fall and Winter. Warning you early, there will an obsessive amount of me talking about those things coming your way soon enough. However, for now I’ll let you off the hook and get straight into these blondies that I’m sharing with you today!
So……um yeah, I REALLY did put beans in my dessert and I’m not afraid to admit it because they’re actually pretty darn good. When I started out on the recipe I wanted to see how much of a balanced treat I could make these. You know, cuz then you can eat more!
It’s kind of funny how gym-going and increased interest in fitness starts making you aware of protein, protein protein. Haha, yes I know it’s a bit stereotypical to label fitness enthusiasts as being protein-heads, but ya know, if the boot fits…… I’m laughing at the picture in my head of little chicken leg or egg emojis displayed over eyes like dollars signs on a greedy cartoon character.
Anyway, since protein is what usually falls short in treats like this, I made that the main focus while keeping them relatively light in carbs and fat. Okay, so I had this bag of sweetener called xylitol (also known as bircher sugar) and it’s been in my pantry for a really, really REALLY, long time. (Long story, short; my aunt ended up with it when I moved away to Chile and had kept it in her pantry from years ago before giving it back to me when we moved back.) Yep, so I was pretty determined to use it after all that.
I’ve also tried these with some variations and discovered you can use regular sugar, or brown sugar, instead with great results. As for baking stevia I’m not sure but I’ll be sure to update this if I do.
I think my favorite part about these was the light fluffy texture they get from the beans. Truthfully, they’re more like a cake bar than a typical blondie because they’re very light in fat, so if you’re expecting a richer texture I can recommend some other recipes for you. I’m actually really excited about trying different flavors with this base recipe as well, so let me know if you’d like to see those too.
I hope you have a great week ahead, my friends!
XOXO
A sweet snack or treat with a light and fluffy texture and a secret ingredient. no one will know they’re secretly healthy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (120g) Old-fashioned oats (or 120g oat flour)(gluten free if needed)
- 1 can (425g) Great Northern or White Cannellini Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60g (about 1/3 cup) xylitol or baking stevia (You can use regular sugar if preferred)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cashew butter
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (vegan if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8×8 inch baking pan with oil.
- If using whole oats place them in the blender and pulse until they become a flour. Add in the remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth.
- Scrape the mixture out into pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and place in oven to bake for 22 – 25 minutes until set and lightly browned on top. Remove from oven and cool for about 5 minutes before cutting.
Notes
Per 1/9 of recipe approx: 123 kcal ~ 4.7g protein ~ 22.8g carbs ~ 3g fat
