Chickpea Blondies

Sixteen blondies with chocolate chunks on a cutting board next to a knife and ingredients.

Fudgy and delicious, these healthy bars are gluten-free, vegan, and sweetened with dates. Make a batch and watch how fast they disappear!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Cooling Time 1

Total Time 1 45

Servings bars

Calories 129kcal

Author Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

Equipment

Food processor

Ingredients

1 cup pitted Medjool dates weighing 160 grams, about 8 large dates
15 ounce chickpeas drained and rinsed, 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
½ cup natural peanut butter can be salted or unsalted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup almond flour blanched, superfine; mine weighed 25 grams
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons dairy-free chocolate chunks or chips I used Enjoy Life semi-sweet mega chocolate chunks
Flaky salt (like Maldon) for sprinkling

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
Soak the dates in a bowl with very hot water for 5 to 10 minutes while you gather the other ingredients. It doesn’t need to be boiling in my experience…you can just use the hottest setting from your tap. Drain after soaking.
In a food processor fitted with the S-blade, combine the soaked and drained dates, chickpeas, peanut butter, vanilla, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Don’t add the almond flour yet. Blend thoroughly until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides if needed.
Add the almond flour to the mixture. Blend again until smooth and well-incorporated.
Carefully remove the blade from the food processor. Stir ⅓ cup chocolate chunks into the batter. If the batter is hot from pulsing in the food processor for a while, it could melt the chocolate and cause the blondies to look darker. Let the batter cool before adding the chocolate if desired.
Line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper, using chip clips or binder clips to keep the paper in place if needed. Spread the batter out in the pan, smoothing it out in an even layer as much as possible. It will be sticky.
Press the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chunks on top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Sprinkle with flaky salt after removing from the oven. Let the blondies cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then, carefully lift the parchment paper up to transfer them to a counter or wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Let them cool for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Transfer the parchment paper to a cutting board and cut the blondies into 16 squares. Enjoy!
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Notes

Storage: Keep leftover blondies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. They get a little firmer and more fudgy as they chill. Storing them at room temperature will cause them to soften and spoil more quickly.
Freezing: Let them cool completely then transfer to an airtight container or tightly sealed freezer bag. If you are concerned about freezer burn, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap or foil before putting in a container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Enjoy straight from the freezer or let it thaw in the fridge or on the counter.
Swaps: You can use other white beans, such as cannellini or navy, in lieu of chickpeas if that's what you have.

Nutrition