Flourless gingerbread blondies made with high-protein chickpeas! These vegan and gluten-free snack bars make the perfect healthy treat for kids and adults alike.
These ginga' bread blondies are like warm fuzzy slippers---but for your piehole instead of your feet.
Like, they were made for your mouth. One size fits all. Universally delish. The best kind.
As a devoted legume lover, I consider it my duty to continuously praise the beloved chickpea and showcase its versatility. I betcha never thought of making flourless gingerbread noms out of good old garbanzos, did ya? Me either, that is until I saw blackstrap molasses at Whole Foods. It was love at first sight.
Did you know that one tablespoon of the stuff has 20% of the daily value of iron AND calcium? I love this so much because those are both minerals that people associate with animal products like milk and beef. The truth is that you can get oodles of both of those nutrients (in addition to a plethora of phytonutrients) from numerous plant sources like leafy green veggies, lentils, legumes, and dried fruit.
Thanks to its mild flavor and velvety texture, cashew buttah gives these blondies that spot-on cookie flavor. It's popping up in stores everywhere, but feel free to sub in almond butter if you can't find it.With all that extra molasses, you should most definitely whip up a ...just sayin.
With all that extra molasses, you should most definitely whip up a sweet potato gingerbread smoothie...just sayin.
I was debating whether to call these bars or blondies, but blondies sounded so much more fun. The truth is that I don't even really know what a blondie is. In fact, these look much more like brunetties if you ask me. Maybe I'm just biased.
I'm always telling my nutrition counseling clients to ditch the goodies made with refined sugar and flour and whip up some naturally sweetened treats at home. While these bad boys have a bit of maple syrup and molasses, the bottom line is that they're made with fiber-rich chickpeas that actually help regulate blood sugar rather than the evil white stuff that elevates it. It's always a smart choice to pair sugary foods with high fiber foods in order to lessen the impact on your blood sugar. AKA the answer to all of your blood sugar problems are gingerbread chickpea blondies.
I kid.
Kind of.
Print
Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Chickpea Blondies with Maple Glaze
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
Flourless gingerbread blondies made with high-protein chickpeas! These vegan and gluten-free snack bars make the perfect healthy treat for kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
For the blondies:
- 1-15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup cashew butter (or almond butter)
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips
For the maple glaze:
- 1 tbsp cashew butter
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray or coconut oil.
- Add all ingredients except those for glaze in a large food processor and process until batter is very smooth, about two to three minutes.
- Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Use a spatula sprayed with cooing spray to evenly press mixture into pan.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, place glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Stir with a fork until well combined. The coconut oil should slightly melt as you stir. Set aside until the bars have cooled.
- Cool bars in pan for 30 minutes on a wire rack before cutting into 9-12 bars.
- Snip corner of the glaze bag. Drizzle glaze onto bars.
Notes
Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen
Can't get enough chickpeas? Story of my life. Try one of these!
