Chickpea blondies with loads of chocolate chips are made with beans but you’d never know it! They’re vegan, gluten-free, flour-free and only 9 ingredients.
Beans in a dessert? Hey, don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it!
Once you bite into one of these soft, chewy, sweet chickpea blondies loaded with chocolate chips, you won’t care that it’s made with beans!
Seriously, I have some picky kids in my life and they adore these chickpea blondies. In fact, they are my daughter’s favorite dessert ever. She can often be found eating most of the dough before I even get them in the oven!
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How do you make Chickpea Blondies?
The best thing about these blondies is how easy they are to make.
A food processor works best here, but a blender will probably work as well, you will just need to scrape down the sides of a blender often to make sure all the beans break down.
So get your food processor out, and add to it a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 cup almond flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips by hand.
Place the dough into a 8 by 8 inch pan lined with parchment paper, spreading it evenly with a spatula or slightly wet hands. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
How to store leftover chickpea blondies:
The blondies will stay good at room temperature in a covered container for 2-3 days, but my favorite way to store them is in the refrigerator. They taste really good cold, and will last about a week this way. I like to cut them into squares, place in a covered container and put them in the fridge for easy grabbing when I need a sweet treat.
Feel free to double the recipe and make them in a 9 by 13 inch pan. I do this often because they go too fast in my house! Keep in mind you will need a fairly large food processor to be able to double the recipe, or make the dough in two batches.
Can chickpea blondies be frozen?
Yes! They freeze beautifully. Simply cut them into squares, individually wrap in plastic wrap (you can even skip this step if you want, but it helps them to not get freezer burnt), and then place in a freezer bag. Simply thaw at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and eat.
Can they be made without peanut butter?
Yes, so if you are allergic to peanuts, don’t worry! The best sub is almond butter. If you need a nut free option, try sunflower seed butter.
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Chickpea Blondies
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 1/2 cups
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 8 by 8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips and blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
- Fold in half of the chocolate chips with a spoon. Transfer to the prepared pan and spread the batter evenly. I usually wet my hands and press down gently, or use a spatula.
- Sprinkle the last 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top of the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Let them cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy! I like to store leftover bars in the refrigerator; they will last up to 1 week this way and they taste good cold. Or store in a covered container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Notes
- May substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar if desired.
- If you have a peanut allergy, you can use almond butter instead.
- For nut free chickpea blondies, use sunflower seed butter and oat flour instead of almond flour.
These are fabulous, I make them almost once a week. You would definitely never know the chickpeas are in there! I use oat flour and a little less sugar than the recipe calls for (personal taste preference). One step I add is chilling the dough for about 20 minutes before adding the chocolate chips, so they don’t melt (not that that’s a bad thing!). It also makes the dough a bit less sticky when spreading in the pan. They turn out amazing every time. Thanks for the recipe!
This most definitely could be cook’s error but I’m not sure what I did wrong? I followed the recipe except I used almond extract rather than vanilla. It was what I had and I know that wasn’t the problem. After 30 minutes of cooking, they were “raw” sticky and not able to be cut, even after sitting to cool for a couple of hours. Not the greatest idea but, I put them back in for another 15 and still not cooked. I need them to be GF so regular flour isn’t an option. I’m wondering if I need to use natural peanut butter, which I didn’t do, with just peanuts and salt? I will try drying the chickpeas because I didn’t do that either. I hate waste! So…I used my cookie scoop and scooped it into very sticky balls and put them in the freezer. They are tasty! I will say the sides got done?! Thoughts?
I do appreciate your recipes very much!
I had extra chickpeas and am thrilled I went the sweet route and tried this recipe! So good, moist, just sweet enough and super easy to make. I doubled the recipe but this will definitely not last long! I did use AP flour as I’m not GF but it still turned out great. Nora, your site is usually my go-to so thank you!!
How fun that you made the brownies! I’m so glad you loved them! Think I’ll have to make a batch soon myself! Thanks for your fabulous review!
Love these! I make a double batch whenever I need a dessert for a crowd.
I’m so glad you are enjoying them! Thanks for your great feedback!
Very yummy and a great way to sneak legumes into picky kids 🙂
These are so gosh darn good. You’d never know there are chickpeas in there.
Thank you! I appreciate you taking time to share your great review!
These were quite good! I wanted to make a healthier treat to have around during the holidays and they did the trick plus with the chocolate chips they were still satisfying. Making your cinnamon rolls for New Year’s Day brunch as well!
Thanks for sharing your review and comments! I’m glad you enjoyed the blondies! Happy New Year cooking!