These vegan, whole grain Chocolate Chip Pear Blondie Bites are the perfect dessert to satisfy any sweet tooth!
Meet my little friends.
When I was home in Cleveland last weekend, my dear mumsy told me about a pear blondie recipe that my fam has been loving lately. I got quite a kick out of the 1992 cookbook it came from, oohing and ahhing over the “butter flavored crisco” and cake mix that nearly every recipe called for. Apparently trans fat was the thing in the early nineties.
When I got to the pear blondies recipe, I got all excited because the ingredients weren’t that bad. A cup of brown sugar. A quarter cup of butter (or margarine aka trans fat). Three quarters cup of white flour, and so on. I immediately started brainstorming about how I could make a healthier version because I was head over heels in love with the idea of combining pears and chocolate.
I ended up swapping in a half cup plus two tablespoons of coconut sugar (a healthier, less processed alternative) for the cup of white sugar, coconut oil for the butter, and whole wheat flour for the white flour. Even after cutting the sugar nearly in half and using an 100% whole grain flour, they tasted AMAZING. Like a little bite of blondie heaven.
I don’t even really know what blondies actually are (these seem more like cookie bites to me….) but hey, I thought I’d give credit to the original recipe name.
Like when you bring home a new dog named Joel and you’re dying to change it to Jackson but that would just be plain wrong.
The best part about these blondie babies is how easy they are. Like that dog named Joel could even make them.
These taste like itty bitty chocolate chipey cookies with gooey bites of sweet pears. While their cute size should in theory aide in portion control, I ate three four straight out of the oven. They’re officially my new favorite dessert! Secretly healthy, totally delish, and super duper cute.
Did I mention they’re totally vegan, too? If you’re not following a vegan diet, feel free to swap in a real egg for the flax “egg.” You could also use brown sugar instead of coconut sugar, though they do sell coconut sugar now at Trader Joe’s for super cheap! I have a feeling these would be awesome with bananas or chopped apples and cinnamon, too! The possibilities are endless, my friends.
MAKE ‘EM!
Print
Chocolate Chip Pear Blondie Bites
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 18 mins
- Total Time: 28 mins
- Yield: 20 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
These vegan, whole grain Chocolate Chip Pear Blondie Bites are the perfect dessert to satisfy any sweet tooth!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water (or 1 egg)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 medium ripe pear, chopped into small pieces
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a mini muffin tin with coconut oil or cooking spray. (You could also use a regular muffin tin but you’ll need to adjust the baking time.)
- In a small bowl, combine flax and water. Set aside to gel for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, stir together coconut sugar, melted oil, vanilla, and flax egg until combined.
- In another medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and stir until just combined. It will look like a small amount of batter.
- Fold in chopped pears and chocolate chips.
- Spoon mixture into mini muffin tins, using your hands to press mixture evenly.
- Bake for 18 minutes. Cool pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before carefully removing blondies from pan to cool completely.
I’ve got almost everything on the ingredient list. Off to get a dog named Joel and some coconut sugar. Will let you know what happens…
Good luck on finding a Joel!!
I have just recently become a pear lover, so I LOVE that they are making an appearance here. I bet the pear/chocolate combo is one that I would most definitely love. What’s not to love about chocolate, right? 😉
Agreed! There’s never a bad time for chocolate.
I have just recently become a pear lover, so I LOVE that they are making an appearance here. I bet the pear/chocolate combo is one that I would most definitely love. What’s not to love about chocolate, right? 😉
Agreed! There’s never a bad time for chocolate.
Pears and dark chocolate are a match made in Heaven! My all time favorite cake is Smitten Kitchen’s pear and bittersweet chocolate cake – so delish!
Yum that sounds sp fab!!
Pears and dark chocolate are a match made in Heaven! My all time favorite cake is Smitten Kitchen’s pear and bittersweet chocolate cake – so delish!
Yum that sounds sp fab!!
Holy yum!! These look great and I’m super pumped to try them.
Thanks!
http://www.playingforeats.com | Carly
These look yummy. Could you substitute the flour for a gluten free option? Like coconut flour, or rice flout?
A gluten-free all purpose flour or oat flour would work well. Coconut flour isn’t interchangeable, so don’t use that. Not sure about the rice flour!
Awesome! Enjoy!
Holy yum!! These look great and I’m super pumped to try them.
Thanks!
http://www.playingforeats.com | Carly
These look yummy. Could you substitute the flour for a gluten free option? Like coconut flour, or rice flout?
A gluten-free all purpose flour or oat flour would work well. Coconut flour isn’t interchangeable, so don’t use that. Not sure about the rice flour!
Awesome! Enjoy!
How would you adjust the baking time for a regular muffin tin?
I would check them after 20 minutes and then use a fork to test them to see if they’re done. I’m not exactly sure how long they’ll take in a regular muffin tin!
How would you adjust the baking time for a regular muffin tin?
I would check them after 20 minutes and then use a fork to test them to see if they’re done. I’m not exactly sure how long they’ll take in a regular muffin tin!
I’ve been looking for a dessert to use pears in, thank you 🙂
You’ve found it! Wahoo!
I’ve been looking for a dessert to use pears in, thank you 🙂
You’ve found it! Wahoo!
Oh my!! These are going to make an appearance in my kitchen for sure! Love the way you fixed the original recipe. Nobody needs margarine in their life!
Amen, sister! Margarine is the worst.
Oh my!! These are going to make an appearance in my kitchen for sure! Love the way you fixed the original recipe. Nobody needs margarine in their life!
Amen, sister! Margarine is the worst.
These are super cute…and so much more appealing than the regular recipe. Just the word ‘margarine’ makes me cringe! What did the fam jam think of these?
Me too!! They haven’t tried them yet, but I can’t wait to see how they compare to the original 🙂
These are super cute…and so much more appealing than the regular recipe. Just the word ‘margarine’ makes me cringe! What did the fam jam think of these?
Me too!! They haven’t tried them yet, but I can’t wait to see how they compare to the original 🙂