Peanut butter chocolate chip chickpea blondies are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and super easy to prepare in your blender. Plus, they’re vegan and packed with fiber and protein for a healthful dessert!
Looky here, it’s the cousin to the Double Chocolate Chickpea or Black Bean Brownies recipe I showed you a couple weeks back! Did you try them? Are you sold on bean-based treats yet?
For this rendition of baked beans, we have a peanut butter-packed chocolate-studded chickpea blondies type of scenario made out of garbanzo beans…and you guys…UGH! It definitely gives the brownie a run for its money.
Oh, and, hey peanut butter lovers! Guess what day Wednesday was? That’s right…it was National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day.
Regardless of what day Wednesday was or wasn’t, it has been quite a long time since I’ve posted a peanut butter treat. In fact, the last one was the Flourless Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie I showed you circa October 2015, and prior to that, the Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Coconut Milk Ice Cream from August of 2014. Methinks we were long overdue.
Back to my story.
I did some serious contemplating over what to name these…
- Chickpea Blondies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bites of Pure Bliss
- Barway to Heaven
- Stop in the Name of Peanut Butter Love
..were some of the options I thought of.
Name calling aside, really all you need to know is they are PACKED with peanut butter flavor…they’re not one of those hint-o-pb situations…they are a HOLY peanut butter, there’s peanut butter in there, no mistaking it, no sir types of scenarios.
Which reminds me…if you like peanut butter or if you’re intolerant/allergic to it, you can use any nut butter you’d like. Cashew butter would be my #1 recommendation for replacement, because have you had cashew butter? Dream boat.
And the chocolate…don’t forget the chocolate. I used a chopped up dark chocolate bar, but you can use your favorite chocolate chips – semi-sweet, milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter for some double peanut butter action…you catch my drift.
How to Make Peanut Butter Chickpea Blondies:
So we prep the bar batter in a blender by whizzing up everything but the chocolate. Add in the chocolate, transfer the batter to a baking pan, bake, and wait patiently as our home fills with the most amazing peanut butter-scented fog.
All in all, we end up with a grain-free, dairy-free, eggless, refined sugar-free vegan treat that we may as well call health food.
Notes and Options for Change-Ups:
- The peanut butter I used was a no-stir peanut butter. If you use an oilier or drier peanut butter, it could affect the consistency of the bars. If the peanut butter is on the dry end, consider adding more coconut oil. If on the oily end, consider omitting the coconut oil.
- You can also prepare this recipe with cannellini beans (or black beans…it will just look kinda weird with black beans is all) instead of chickpeas.
- For a cake-like consistency, omit the coconut oil and add 1 egg. Bake for the same amount of time.
- You can use any liquid sweetener for this recipe, including coconut palm syrup, agave, and honey. If using honey, keep close watch on the bars, as honey has a lower burn temperature than other liquid sweeteners – check the bars after 25 minutes and go from there.
It’s your party and you’ll peanut butter if you want to.
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If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag me at @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed, see note*
- 1/3 cup unsweetened peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup see note**
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line an 8" x 8" baking pan with parchment paper.
- Add all of the ingredients for the bars to a blender except for the chocolate. Blend until completely smooth. Stir the chocolate chips/chunks into the batter.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and smooth into an even layer. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes (mine took 35).
- Allow the bars to sit 1 hour before cutting to help them set up (if you cut them before an hour, they will fall apart very easily). Cut, serve, and enjoy!
Can I substitute honey for maple syrup?
Hi Elizabeth! You can use honey instead of pure maple syrup, but I would keep an eye on the bars while they are in the oven because honey has a tendency to burn after a while, which causes baked goods to brown up quite a bit. So you may need to bake the recipe for less time 🙂
@Julia, thank you for this helpful information! I was not aware that honey may burn. I love learning something new!
My pleasure! Honey can still be used in baked recipes but typically you’ll want to bake them for less time and keep an eye on it. 🙂
I so rarely leave reviews, which is horrible and trying to be better. I stumbled across this recipe after searching what to make with black beans. These are SO good that I made a batch for my own birthday dinner and again two days later. Amazing! My finished product isn’t as golden brown, and I’m not sure why? But, they taste just absolutely amazing. I added some sweet potato frosting to a few but I think I might like plain better. Mind-blowing!
I’m so thrilled to hear it, Karmen! I love how simple yet tasty the cookies turn out…definitely a great go-to! Also your sweet potato frosting sounds AMAZING! xoxoxo
@Julia, can you think of any reason mine aren’t turning out golden brown? Now I’m on a mission to make them look as good as yours too!
Ooh, great question…mine have always turned out golden-brown, so I’m not sure what the difference is. I wonder if it could be the peanut butter we use? Mine is the natural kind, which is slightly darker than regular peanut butter. Hope you’re able to get a golden-brown batch! xo
Do you have the macros listed? I could not find them… thanks Great snack for my kiddos!
Amber
Hi Amber! I just added the macros to the recipe card. Let me know if you have any other questions! xo