Chickpea “Blondies”
You’d think that after eating up to 2 large servings a day of 3 testing batches in a row, I’d be tired of these. But nope: I blame it on the knowledge they are a mostly-good-for-you type of dessert.
These are not meant to perfectly mimic or replace the most sinful blondies ever made, but to offer a healthy and tasty alternative instead. Yup.
Chickpea “Blondies”
Non-stick cooking spray
15 ounces (1 can, 425 g) cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (96 g) raw sugar
1/2 cup (160 g) strawberry or other all-fruit spread
1/4 cup (64 g) crunchy natural peanut butter or tahini
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (42 g) flax meal (sub with other meal or flour if you’re not looking to make these gluten-free)
2 tablespoons (20 g) brown rice flour (sub with other meal or flour if you’re not looking to make these gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon baking powderPreheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Lightly coat an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with spray.
In a food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until perfectly smooth, scraping sides often.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 26 minutes.
Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely before placing in the fridge and slicing.
Enjoy cold from the fridge. These blondies freeze well, too.Yield: 8 servings
Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said,
February 26, 2009 at 4:38 am
these sound simple and delicious! I love the combination of peanut butter and fruit.
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Mihl said,
February 26, 2009 at 4:41 am
Rom a distance thise look like poppy seed cake! (Maybe I need glasses?) I haven’t tried baking with beans once. I know, I should. Your recipe sounds delicious!
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Mihl said,
February 26, 2009 at 4:42 am
I meant “From”…just can’t type.
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Rosa said,
February 26, 2009 at 5:00 am
That’s an intersting recipe! I wonder how these blondies taste… I’ll eat anything that contains peanut butter and chickpeas!
Cheers,
Rosa
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VeggieGirl said,
February 26, 2009 at 5:16 am
You and I thought similarly (check out my recent post, stranger).
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Katy said,
February 26, 2009 at 5:31 am
What an interesting combination! I just may make to make these today because I’m so curious to know what they taste like.
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 6:50 am
I’d love to hear what you think.
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Ricki said,
February 26, 2009 at 5:52 am
These sound great (of course!). I think I will give these a try asap! :)
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Jes said,
February 26, 2009 at 5:53 am
Oh my goodness, those look addicting!
I was at IKEA a week ago to buy a kitchen island and I looked high and low for Spekuloos to no avail. All of my hopes and dreams for your Spekuloos awesomeness were crushed, not unlike the cookies I wanted to crush!!
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 6:49 am
it would appear I got my spicy cookies mixed up: the ones sold at IKEA are Pepperkakors, basically Swedish gingersnaps, and not Spekuloos. proof enough that it’s been too long since I shopped there! oy vey.
try to look at the international food market instead, that’s where I found mine.
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Betsy said,
February 26, 2009 at 6:17 am
Whoa those look good, but the ingredient list is a bit scary – I’ve never made anything like that! The picture looks so delicious though….
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 6:51 am
cross my heart, they’re good. I agree the ingredients might be a bit Freddy Kruger-ish, but don’t let them fool you.
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Amanda said,
February 26, 2009 at 6:42 am
Only you could make chickpea blondies sound utterly amazing :)
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 6:51 am
but they’re good!
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allularpunk said,
February 26, 2009 at 6:55 am
ooooooh…these look amazing!
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Carrie said,
February 26, 2009 at 6:59 am
Oh my these look fantastic!
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kittee said,
February 26, 2009 at 7:10 am
oh! i am excited to try some gluten free baking!
xo
kittee
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Elyse said,
February 26, 2009 at 7:20 am
These sound delicious! I’m always up for trying a new recipe.
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Veggie Wedgie said,
February 26, 2009 at 7:35 am
I have some blackcurrant spread in my fridge…Hehehe!
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Bianca- Vegan Crunk said,
February 26, 2009 at 7:51 am
That does sound like a healthy dessert, which is really my idea of heaven. Dessert that doesn’t make ya feel guilty, um, count me in.
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bex said,
February 26, 2009 at 8:15 am
Is there no end to the awesomeness?!?!
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Kirby! said,
February 26, 2009 at 8:34 am
How creative! I would never think to use chickpeas in a dessert.
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Tahinitoo said,
February 26, 2009 at 9:09 am
Such a genius, such a genius… I love chickpeas and jam and PB and sugar.
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Celine Reply:
February 27th, 2009 at 7:21 am
holy crap, where are you?
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Lauren B said,
February 26, 2009 at 9:18 am
Do think you I could replace some some of the jam with vegan shortening to lower the sugar? I have a can of chickpeas to use up. These look wonderful!
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 9:49 am
but if you use all-fruit spread, there’s no added sugar. I would lower the amount of raw sugar by a few tablespoons or even half instead of adding shortening though, because I can’t imagine the latter bringing anything tasty or useful to the plate. literally.
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Alisa - Frugal Foodie said,
February 26, 2009 at 9:31 am
Baking just doesn’t get healthier or more creative than you Celine!
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
shucks. beg to differ, but thanks for the thought!
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Hayley said,
February 26, 2009 at 9:37 am
These look delicious, and so moist. I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing!
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Vegyogini said,
February 26, 2009 at 10:27 am
I’ll definitely be baking these…thanks! And I’m still open if you ever need testers… ;)
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Shelby said,
February 26, 2009 at 10:54 am
I think this is the best recipe you’ve ever come up with…chickpeas in a dessert?! I’m speechless.
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ashley said,
February 26, 2009 at 10:55 am
these look amazing! i can’t wait to try them.
do you think i could sub in regular all-purpose flour for the rice flour? i know they won’t be gluten-free anymore, but i have no problems with gluten so that’s not a big deal for me.
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
absolutely, any flour will do.
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melody polakow said,
February 26, 2009 at 10:58 am
I am sooo intrigued by these and I think I have all of the ingredients.. (I may use spelt flour instead of rice flour),…
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Kelly said,
February 26, 2009 at 11:29 am
Given that you put black beans in brownies I guess it was not bound to be long before you put chickpeas in blondies. Your photos are beautiful as always. They stand as an example of what I hope mine will be someday.
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veggievixen said,
February 26, 2009 at 11:31 am
mmm! have never thought of making something sweet w/ chickpeas…thanks for the recipe :D
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laci said,
February 26, 2009 at 11:58 am
Garbanzos and a couple other simple ingretients? I will definatly try it! ;)
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Shellyfish said,
February 26, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Toi aussi tu me manques ma puce! Ca a l’air trop, trop bon – pourquoi j’ai renoncé à tout ce qui est “baking” pour carème? Merde! Non, je ne suis même pas Catho…
Bon, je vais manger toute une fournée d’ici 40 jours!
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
ohlala, je pourrais jamais. honteux de ma part, mais c’est admirable que Catho ou pas, tu supprimes des trucs pour carème. chapeau bas.
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meagan said,
February 26, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Oh, no! It is like a semi healthy peanut butter and jelly sandwich in brownie form! I guess this means that I really do need to pick up more jelly this weekend. And to think that I was going to cut back on my peanut butter addiction, suppose not…
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
blame it all on me. it’s okay, I can take it.
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Courtney said,
February 26, 2009 at 1:48 pm
OMG–you are a genius! If these are anything like your other bean brownie/blondies (which I LOVE), they must be amazing! I will be making these asap…thank you!
Courtney
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Jennifer said,
February 26, 2009 at 2:43 pm
WOW!!!!! what a fabulous idea!!! chickpeas?! pb and j? :) love it!
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Deb Schiff said,
February 26, 2009 at 4:23 pm
You just keep getting more and more awesome!
I’d love to try making these with a fudgy carob center.
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cassie said,
February 26, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Hi there Celine, this is yet another *very* creative and delicious sounding recipe. It looks fab! Giving it a bookmark to try after holidays. Hope you’re well!
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Cassie! I miss you. dammit.
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Ruby Red Vegan said,
February 26, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Celine, you are simply hilarious! It speaks volumes that you cried when the last of these blondies were gone…musta been one heck of a dessert! Blondies are my favorite dessert, by the way, so you KNOW I bookmarked this recipe. Hey, and you could kind of count a few blondie squares as a meal, ya know? You have your fruit from the preserves, good old carbs from the whole grain flour, and protein from the beans & flax & PB. YAY! Oh, and they look totally delicious in the picture.
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
who needs vegetables and savory foods anyway? blondies all the way, baby.
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Gina said,
February 26, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Um…I think you are a genius!! I can’t wait to make these!
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Diann said,
February 26, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Gluten free, for me? Thank you, thank you! These look super!
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Celine Reply:
February 26th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
just for you, Diann. <3
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Laurel Reply:
March 6th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
I beg to differ. They’re Gluten Free for ME! Yeah!!!
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Tam said,
February 26, 2009 at 8:48 pm
You’ve combined my two favorite things in the world: CHICKPEAS and dessert!! I am SOO excited to try these, genius idea once again Celine!
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Vegetation said,
February 26, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I adore your beany baked goods! Yum!
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Sal said,
February 27, 2009 at 5:04 am
These sound great! I love chickpeas but have never used them in a dessert before!
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Steph said,
February 27, 2009 at 7:39 am
These look SO GOOD. And I love the idea =)
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Cakespy said,
February 27, 2009 at 8:48 am
Would it be wrong for me to divorce my husband and marry a baked good? Well, these ones are seriously making me consider the option.
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Celine Reply:
February 27th, 2009 at 10:06 am
why not have both? I’ve been practicing poly-bakedgood-amy for a while now, and no one’s complaining.
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cassie said,
February 27, 2009 at 9:20 am
Read through the recipe once more and realized just how easy these were to make. So I’ve baked up a batch this morning. Didn’t have PB so had to go with almond butter, but everything else was as written. They’re still slightly warm but I’ve already gone ahead and had a piece — and they are fabulous! Really quite impressed with the recipe and the results — very much like a fudgy brownie. A winner, Celine!
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Celine Reply:
February 27th, 2009 at 10:05 am
that was fast! happy to hear they worked out well for you, Cassie.
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lisa said,
February 27, 2009 at 9:47 am
i’m getting ready to make these right now!! :) i’m excited!
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my aim is true » Blog Archive » Friday Link Dump! said,
February 27, 2009 at 11:23 am
[...] drooling over these chickpea blondies. via Have Cake, Will [...]
Jennifer said,
February 27, 2009 at 11:56 am
I ran the ingredients through my nutrional tool, and each blondie, (if you serve 8 like Celine states) would be approx 220 calories, 6.25 fat and 6 fiber.
I’m totally making these this weekend!! Thanks!
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Celine Reply:
February 27th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
meep. not a fan of nutritional info, here. but good for those who might be interested.
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eliane said,
February 27, 2009 at 1:19 pm
chickpeas in dessert is such an interesting concept….. I need to find a way around peanut butter.
anyway, if I were to use regular jam, should I halve the brown sugar?
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Celine Reply:
February 27th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Cassie used almond butter with great results.
about the sugar, it depends on how sweet you like you’re stuff. they’re not crazy-sweet to begin with, but I think cutting the sugar by 2-4 tablespoons would be okay.
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Celine Reply:
February 28th, 2009 at 1:14 am
after doing some thinking, I think it’s best to leave the sugar as is.
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eliane Reply:
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
plenty of nuts around here, but no nut butters. I could make my own, I guess, but I have no idea how it’s supposed to taste…. I’d try and get some peanut butter at the asian market, just to see if it’s so darn good.
and I’ll leave the sugar as it is, then, the jam I like it’s not on the sweet side anyway.
thanks.
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Celine Reply:
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
if you just blend your nuts (ha) until smooth, eventually add a pinch of salt, then that’s how nut butter is supposed to taste. there’s nothing more to it, as long as the nuts (ha) are fresh.
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Brunch Philly said,
February 27, 2009 at 3:03 pm
These look amazing!!
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Lauren B said,
February 27, 2009 at 10:33 pm
I made these and, well, they taste like flax. They’re gummy and not like blondies. I guess eating baked goods without eggs takes some getting used to? Perhaps my substitution of apricot all fruit spread for strawberry all fruit spread affected the results.
I have had success with other recipes of yours, Celine (like the PB cups!). :) I probably messed something up.
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Celine Reply:
February 27th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
did you end up lowering the amount of sugar or making subs like you were planning on doing?
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Lauren B said,
February 28, 2009 at 1:07 am
Celine, I did lower the sugar by 1/4 cup. That could definitely have affected the results! Will stick to your recipe as written next time. :D
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AmyArgh said,
February 28, 2009 at 8:11 am
I AM SO EXCITED TO MAKE THESE! Oh MAN!
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Courtney said,
February 28, 2009 at 10:04 am
Hi Celine
I just made these! When I took them out of the oven, they were still pretty soft, but I figured they would firm up after they cooled (you were very precise with your 26 minutes!). Well, they have been cooling for about 45 minutes, and they are still not very firm…like I couldn’t cut a blondie out of the batch and serve it up and eat it like you would a regular one–you would need a spoon/fork for sure (and I am not sure it would hold together coming out of the pan). They taste GREAT, though! I followed the recipe as written–do you think it would have been better to just leave them in the oven til they firmed up?
Thanks for the recipe!
Courtney
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Celine Reply:
February 28th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
it’s important to let them cool in the fridge before slicing them. I rephrased this part in the recipe now.
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Gina said,
February 28, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Celine, I couldn’t resist, I made some today. I mean, after all, they’re pretty much healthy, right?
I used seedless blackberry jam, sucanat, and rice/gemma protein powder instead of flour, and they turned out awesome! They’re really soft, but definitely solid, and I didn’t put them in the fridge yet.
I will be freezing them because if not I will undoubtedly eat the rest of them this weekend. I’ll post about them on my blog sometime this week too :)
I think this is the first thing from you that I’ve made? I’m not sure, but I wanted to let you know it was a success!
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Celine Reply:
February 28th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
yay! thanks, Gina.
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Yari said,
March 1, 2009 at 5:43 am
Using chickpeas in a dessert? That’s amazing, I will definitely give them a try.
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lauren said,
March 1, 2009 at 8:37 am
I found the recipe on myaimistrue. They sound so interesting. I think I have all of the ingredients, Im going to try them out this afternoon.
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kickpleat said,
March 1, 2009 at 11:48 am
well, if tears were shed when the last piece was gone? well, i’m definitely going to have to try this!
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Avery Yale Kamila said,
March 1, 2009 at 1:39 pm
What an amazing treat! And the fact that they’re made of chickpeas blows my mind!
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Elizabeth said,
March 2, 2009 at 8:32 am
THOSE LOOK AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh i have to make them!!
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and other times | Menu for March 1-7, 2009 said,
March 2, 2009 at 2:05 pm
[...] Chickpea Blondies [...]
Vegan_Noodle said,
March 3, 2009 at 8:16 am
I don’t think I could ever tire of blondies either… especially not those!
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Jillian said,
March 3, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I have a batch waiting for me in the fridge! I can’t wait to try one (or many!)!
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Erin said,
March 3, 2009 at 2:51 pm
These sound so good! I think you can nix the “mostly-good-for-you” and just go with good for you. A wee bit of sugar never killed nobody.
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Celine Reply:
March 7th, 2009 at 12:16 am
amen to that!
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Vaala said,
March 3, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Ooo wow! These sound awesome. I love the idea of using chickpeas ’cause then they sound SO much healthier!!
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Nic said,
March 4, 2009 at 12:35 pm
tasty tasty. I used raspberry jam and rye flour and can’t believe mine look the same as your photo :o) it’s ace to have a recipe that uses little flour and a geniusly sneaky way of getting flax into my husband! i didn’t read your instructions properly and sliced while warm but they cut came out fine. brilliantly simple recipe Celine, cheers x
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Celine Reply:
March 4th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
this is great news. thanks for the feedback, Nic.
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Laurel said,
March 6, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Celine you’ve really got me thinking. Which by the way, is why I love your blog. Unfortunately, I’m not much into chickpeas. Urgh. Sometimes being a gluten free bean hating Vegan is tough. LOL. I’m so pleased though that you’ve done a gluten free recipe and I ADORE blondies. So now I’m wondering what else would work. Maybe quinoa, they have such a nice consistency when cooked. Can you smell the smoke from my brain cells trying to rub together?
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Celine Reply:
March 7th, 2009 at 12:16 am
do you dislike just chickpeas, or other beans as well? because I can see white (cannellini) beans used here. quinoa…I’m not sure. it might make for too grainy a consistency. maybe barley.
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Laurel Reply:
March 7th, 2009 at 7:24 am
The problem with food allergies is that you don’t get to pick them. I can’t digest soy, chickpeas, garbanzos, kidney beans, cannellini, black or red (although I used to love them). Quinoa may be too grainy but I was thinking of cooking the grain and then swirling it around in a food processor hoping for a paste-like consistency. If not, I can just come back here and drool so more. Thanks for the thought though.
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jil said,
March 6, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Wondering what I could subsitute for the sugar to make this a total vegan recipe- how would agave, brown rice syrup or maple syrup affect the outcome?
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Celine Reply:
March 6th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
it is a vegan recipe, since I use vegan sugar.
you might have to up the flour content for the results not to be mushy, using liquid sweeteners.
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sweet potato snacks « pomme phantasmagorique said,
March 7, 2009 at 8:41 am
[...] 7, 2009 I made the Chickpea Blondies from Have Cake Will Travel, which were delicious, but they also inspired me to use my obsession [...]
Heather said,
March 7, 2009 at 3:15 pm
OK, I just made these blondies and, while I added a 1/4 more pb than required and the batter was a little thicker than it should have been–they smell great and I am so excited to have these tonight…and then share with my gluten-free amigos manana. Can’t wait to see hubby’s reaction as he has no idea they are made with garbanzos! Thanks so much…
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Celine Reply:
March 7th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
thanks for the feedback, Heather. I hope they are well received!
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marika @ madcap said,
March 9, 2009 at 11:14 am
This looks beautiful and delicious – such a lovely photo.
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Jessi said,
March 9, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I was so ready to love these, but alas, it was not to be. They were given back — sans two bites or so– by both of the vegan dessert-fiends in my household, with the assessment that they tasted like “regurgitated, re-fried peanut butter and jelly.” Nothing about these resembles a blondie in any way.
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Celine Reply:
March 9th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
they’re made of beans, obviously not meant to exactly replicate a blondie.
by the amount of positive feedback they have received, it truly shows it’s a matter of personal taste.
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Shelby said,
March 10, 2009 at 9:53 am
You were linked from the Girly Girl Army Newsletter I get!!! I was so excited to see it =) I have got to make these soon!!!
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Celine Reply:
March 10th, 2009 at 9:58 am
nifty! I hope you’ll like them if you try them, Shelby.
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Lucy T. said,
March 10, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Ooh, i just made up some bean blondies the other day, too! I wish I’d seen your recipe before I posted, I would have linked to it. (Sadly these are not vegan, but i’m sure you could easily switch up the butter with another fat, and the fromage frais for silken tofu and leave out the eggs. I was going for something between a cheesecake and a blondie…)
Maple Walnut White Bean Blondies
http://bunnycucina.blogspot.com/2009/03/white-bean-blondies.html
I will definitely try your recipe next time. I had the idea to put some peanut butter in mine for a variation sometime, but I think I like your combo even better.
Great blog!
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 12:08 am
they look gorgeous. I’m so sad I can’t afford to purchase maple syrup at the moment. after seeing the price more than double, it’s just not feasible anymore.
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Lucy T. Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Oh god, I know. I didn’t buy any for months. I went on a trip to Ottawa, where we used to live (and which is closer to Maple Syrup country than Toronto is), and thought I was going to pick up a few $5 cans from the vendors in the Byward Market, but they had gone up to $9. I finally splurged on a bottle the other day ($10 for 375 mL), but I can’t put it in all sorts of things that I used to for that price. It’s sad.
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
can’t wait for things to go back to normal (whatever that means) so that we can feel okay with splurging again.
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sazzle said,
March 12, 2009 at 10:08 am
YUM! Time for me to stop lurking! Thankyou :) I’m always on the lookout for gluten free nibbly bits that aren’t full of rubbish!
Do you think the strawberry fruit spread could be replaced with an equivalent amount of banana? I used redcurrant jam but had to cut down on the sugar before they became too sweet.
Also how much do you reckon the net weight of the chickpeas is once you’ve drained the water? I just used some I had in the freezer and refilled an old can a little way from the top… Still turned out tasty.
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Celine Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
thank you, sazzle! you know, I think the weight on the can is the actual net weight, without water. I will verify this the next time I use them.
I make my black bean brownies with banana and that comes out deliciously, but it might give these a strong taste that not everyone would like. I’d suggest applesauce, but then depending on how liquid it is…you might have to add a little cornstarch or arrowroot to make up for the fact.
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Lucy T. said,
March 14, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Celine,
My blondies didn’t turn out!! But I was a bad bunny:
I was running low on sugar so I used agave syrup (despite warnings above).
I had one tsp of vanilla left, so couldn’t add 2.
I had no rice flour, and somehow thought soy flour would be ok.
I didn’t have a square 8 inch pan, so I used a round one!
The result tasted…weird. One bite was enough. I am presently going to cut them up into squirrel-size snackies. ;-)
Let this be a lesson to everyone, don’t do a bunch of substitutions and expect a recipe to turn out!! I promise I’ll make them right next time.
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Celine Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
yeah, the subs wouldn’t make it work out: too much added liquid with the agave, also probably making them brown up too quickly; and soy possibly adding an extra (odd) flavor. if you have to replace the flour, go for spelt or any wheat, rather. but in the meantime, try covering them with chocolate ganache, or more peanut butter?
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gine said,
March 15, 2009 at 1:37 am
Oh, I love that cute pic :-)!! And the recipe sounds great!
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Jessica said,
March 18, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Do you prefer these over your previous “raspberry-chocolate-white-bean-blondies”? Which are chewier?
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Celine Reply:
March 18th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I prefer these ones. the other ones were a bit drier, denser. these ones are definitely chewier. (I just made a tahini/coconut flour version, and they’re great too.)
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Paula & Kiersten said,
March 21, 2009 at 9:23 pm
This is like cooked mashed potatoes but more chick pea-ish. Kind of like peanut butter and jelly hummus. Baked. (that’s what Paula said)
They’re good but maybe they’re more like a breakfast bar… like NutriGain (not grain, gain)
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Baking Monster said,
March 22, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I have been testing gluten free recipes all week for a gluten-free cooking workshop I’m going to be doing in a few weeks, so I will def have to give this a try. Thank you sooo much!
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Elizabeth said,
March 23, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I made these and LOVED THEM!!! thank you so much for the recipe!!!!!!!
i linked back to you in my post!
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Celine Reply:
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:14 pm
w00tw00t!
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sheena said,
March 24, 2009 at 8:16 am
these look so good! i will have to ad that to my To Bake list!
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heather said,
March 30, 2009 at 8:40 am
What binds these together? Just the fruit spread? I’m trying to figure out a substitute.. my strawberry spread is so expensive..
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Celine Reply:
March 30th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
it’s a partnership between the flax and the beans. but the fruit spread is important to bring flavor, so I wouldn’t recommend cutting it out. use a different, more affordable jam instead?
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TJF said,
March 30, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Hi,
I’ve tried this recipe three times now and…well, it just comes out so thick, it’s really hard to get it out of the blender jar. (I use a BlendTec total blender). I have been trying to sub pureed fruit instead of the preserves since it just isn’t something I ever buy…the first time I tried half an apple, the second time a banana, the third time half a cup of sliced strawberries. Maybe that’s it, or my peanut butter isn’t as liquidy? They seem to bake up okay but not sure if it’s quite the right texture…Would appreciate any tips.
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Celine Reply:
March 30th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I think it works best with a food processor, since the batter is thick, so that it’s possible to use a rubber spatula to scoop the batter out of it into the pan.
but it might be both the texture of the PB you use, as well as the flax thickening up the whole thing: consider using more of the flour you choose, less of the flax next time.
Reply
TJF said,
April 8, 2009 at 4:48 am
Hi Celine,
Thanks for the tips!
Here’s my attempt:
http://3horsepowervegan.blogspot.com/2009/04/red-walnut-and-banana-bean-bars.html
I think they turned out good! But isn’t it uncanny how they are somehow so much better a few days later?
Reply
kim said,
April 14, 2009 at 10:57 am
such a great idea!!! i sub’d almond butter and black cherry and they were totally yummy!
Reply
reilly said,
April 18, 2009 at 4:46 pm
these are in the oven right now! i used (creamy) peanut butter and blackberry preserves.. the batter smelled like a fancy pb&j sandwich, i’m excited!
Reply
Reemski said,
April 20, 2009 at 3:39 am
omigod yum!!! I prbably could’ve coked it longer, but oh my, sooo good. Did the tahini version with gorgeous plum jam, and will try again next week with peanut butter…but oh yum! Super good!
Reply
Celine Reply:
April 20th, 2009 at 3:50 am
so glad to hear it, Reemski. plum jam? holy…must try that.
Reply
Liz said,
April 22, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Have you tried using Xylitol instead of sugar?
Reply
Celine Reply:
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:35 pm
definitely not. not planning on it either.
Reply
Maija Haavisto said,
April 29, 2009 at 12:30 am
If I use pureed fruit (e.g. strawberries) in place of the spread (no such thing in this country), should I add more flour/flax/something since it may be more liquidy (or would it be?) or use slightly less of the fruit puree?
Also, 1/2 cup/160 grams must be some kind of an error. A traditional cup is ~240 milliliters and 240 milliliters of water weighs 240 grams, so half a cup of water weighs 120 grams and I don’t see how a fruit spread can be significantly heavier than water… The sugar and peanut butter measurements seem sensible for a 2.4 dl cup, but not the jam. So which one should I use, 1/2 cup or 160 grams (or less than that, because of the aforementioned issue)? I assume the cup measurement is the correct one?
I also assume I could probably replace some of the tahini/PB with cashew butter? I don’t really like PB and often find too much of tahini overwhelming.
Thanks in advance! Really looking forward to trying this recipe.
Reply
Celine Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 2:03 am
you can always add more flour without risking much with these, or even cornstarch. I wouldn’t add more flax, though.
nope, no error. 160 g it is.
you can use whichever nut butter you prefer.
Reply
lemonpi » Tahini-love said,
April 29, 2009 at 6:23 pm
[...] You can find the recipe for chickpea ‘blondies’ here. [...]
Pam said,
April 30, 2009 at 2:42 am
Hi Celine,
Thanks for the great recipe, just discovered. I’d love to make some, but have never seen or heard of flax meal in South Africa. Could I make my own from flax seeds (are they the same as linseeds?) in a coffee grinder, or is there a substitute?
Thanks!
Reply
Celine Reply:
April 30th, 2009 at 3:28 am
they’re the same as linseeds, and you can absolutely make your own meal by finely grinding the flax seeds. coffee grinder’s great to do that, definitely.
Reply
Dawn Hodose (aka Duna) said,
May 2, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Very inventive.Made 2 batchs today…one “classic” using apricot fruit spread and one chocolate by adding cocoa powder and black cherry fruit spread.They’re like a moist havlah. Thank you so much for the recipe. Delicious!
Reply
Jin said,
May 2, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I’ve been debating over whether or not I should use my one can of garbanzo beans into hummus. But after finding this recipe- hummus would have to wait!
Reply
The Delightfully Healthy Blog said,
May 12, 2009 at 6:47 am
Cooking Again!…
It’s amazing what a clean kitchen can inspire….
Cooking and Eating « I Am Obsessed with Food said,
May 13, 2009 at 10:05 pm
[...] of twitter I’ve found out about many a tasty treat and one of the best has to be this vegan chickpea blondie by the lovely Celine of Have Cake, Will Travel. I love this recipe as it makes me feel less guilty. [...]
jessica~ said,
May 19, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Peanut butter & jelly bars!!! Made these tonight… keep going back to the fridge with a spoon, stealing bites of it while I wait for it to cool off and harden up a bit. Soooo amazingly good! Like the batter bowl, good. I added 3T of shredded coconut because I didn’t have crunchy peanut butter (plus, I’m on a coconut kick lately).
I tried another blog’s black bean brownies lately and was underwhelmed… thank you, Celine, for restoring my hope in bean brownies!
Reply
Celine Reply:
May 31st, 2009 at 6:06 am
hooray for beans! thanks for letting me know, Jessica.
Reply
jessica~ said,
May 19, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Oh, that is supposed to say ‘lick the batter bowl” …not like. Oooops, too excited!
Reply
renee said,
May 31, 2009 at 2:29 am
Hi there from oz…just baked this AMAZING recipe, made a few substitutes, (only used 1/4 cup sugar, the other 1/4 cup was dessicated coconut and instead of jam I used dried figs). Thats the beauty of a fabulous recipe like this one….absolutley love it! Thanks for sharing :)
Reply
Celine Reply:
May 31st, 2009 at 6:05 am
hi there, Renee! thanks for the feedback, love the changes you made to these.
Reply
bells said,
June 8, 2009 at 2:59 am
These taste yummy but feel really undercooked. Any tips?
Reply
Celine Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 4:13 am
try adding more flour next time. about 1/4 cup should do the trick, depending on how undercooked you feel they are.
Reply
bells said,
June 15, 2009 at 2:31 am
thanks for replying! I’ll definitely try that.
Reply
zaki said,
July 2, 2009 at 5:30 am
what a great blog you have! it’s the best!
i don’t mind my dairy allergy no more:)))
i made the ‘pecans date the cake’ last week, delicious!
today i tried the chickpea blondies, used homemade peanutbutter and cranberry-compote , the batter looked so beautifull and was so tasty!
just had a cooled piece….amazing! my senses get all tingled with those new unusual combinations:) will try the fig version from above next time…. (that will be tommorow:)
thank you!
greetz from amsterdam
Reply
My top tens, and a non-recipe « Food*Nerd said,
July 14, 2009 at 9:26 am
[...] Chickpea “Blondies” from Have Cake, Will Travel (by the way, I LOVE the design of that site! So simple and [...]
wheatberrysalad said,
August 12, 2009 at 12:00 pm
U r a Fabulous Food Photographer as well!!!
I am getting ready to take mine out of the oven, I hope it looks as good as yours, how did you get that layer look?
Reply
Thank You « {runs and rests} said,
October 7, 2009 at 8:37 pm
[...] coconut shreds. I’m sure my Dad would have loved this! {Coconutty Oats}You have to try this awesome Chickpea “Blondies” recipe. The recipe rebel that I am, Lacking some of the ingredients, I subbed the fruit spread with mashed [...]
Jo said,
February 2, 2010 at 9:53 am
Celine, thank you, thank you, thank you for posting your recipes with grams conversion too… the amount of time I pull my hair out and gestimate when trying to recreate culinary creations from American cookbooks/blogs. Such a relief! I think the last six months of my llfe have been part havecakewilltravel sponsored!
Reply
Trading Up Downtown » Blog Archive » Chickpea “Blondies” said,
February 5, 2010 at 7:48 am
[...] (photo & recipe from Have Cake, Will Travel) [...]
Tina said,
February 5, 2010 at 7:53 am
LOVE this recipe! I plowed through a half batch in 24 hours! :)
Reply
Celine Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 8:18 am
so happy that you do, Tina! funny thing is someone else just tried it and strongly disliked it. as other comments show, it’s pretty much an “either you hate it or you love it” type of thing.
Reply
The Healthy Apple said,
February 5, 2010 at 8:25 am
This sounds delicious; thank you so much! I’m going to bake these this weekend in the snow storm!
Have a great weekend and thanks again!
Reply
Cassie @ A Very Busy Mind said,
February 5, 2010 at 8:33 am
Yum! Making these ASAP! (And possibly more of your recipes??? Need to do some perusing on this here blog. :))
Thanks!
Reply
kim said,
February 5, 2010 at 11:10 am
is this healthy? and really good….can u use cooked chickpeas instead of canned?
Reply
Celine Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
you mean, does it taste healthy or is it actually healthy? if you look at the ingredients, you’ll see it’s a touch healthier than other desserts. does it taste healthier than a brownie made with butter and a mass of sugar? then yes.
and yes to using chickpeas cooked by yourself rather than canned. just be aware that the weight of the can does not equal the weight of the drained chickpeas.
Reply
Tammy said,
February 5, 2010 at 12:26 pm
I used all-purpose flour for the brown rice flour and regular organis pb, but there is no way mine look like your pic….??? I used all-fruit strawberry fruit spread…and the strawberry fruit taste was a tad overwhelming…what is the texture supposed to be like?
Reply
Celine Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
fudgy and tender. what were yours like?
Reply
Tammy said,
February 5, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Fudgy? I guess they were tender, but they don’t look dark in the middle like yours do…yours look like they have chocolate in the middle or something…
Reply
Mini Meals « Erin Eats and Exercises said,
February 6, 2010 at 3:05 pm
[...] a few blogs this past week, people have bene raving about these chickpea blondies. I knew I had to try them! The recipe was soo easy. You tossed all the ingredients (which [...]
lindsey said,
February 6, 2010 at 4:48 pm
i have these baking in the oven right now :)
i may or may not have licked the batter and it may or may not have been delectableeeee.
♥ lindsey
Reply
Tamara said,
February 6, 2010 at 5:26 pm
I just whipped up the batter using creamy PB, whole wheat flour instead of flax seed, and only 1/4 cup of strawberry jam + one mashed banana. My no-sugar-added jam is more expensive than bananas, and I couldn’t bring myself to use half the jar in one recipe, but I’ve never gone wrong with strawberries + bananas + peanut butter. Fingers crossed.
But I made them in kind of a hurry and just re-read your instructions–you’re supposed to let them /cool/? But they smell so good /now/! :p
Reply
Game Day « CardioFoodie said,
February 7, 2010 at 6:39 am
[...] I stumbled on these first over at Carrots N Cake then followed the recipe (with a few tweeks) from Have Cake, Will Travel. I added chocolate chips on the top too! I tried one warm last night and it was just okay. [...]
Nom…Nom…NO! « Preventionrd's Blog said,
February 8, 2010 at 3:35 am
[...] Chickpea “Blondies” from Have Cake, Will Travel [...]
The World is Full of Ifs, Ands, Maybes, Buts, Possiblys, and Probably Nots « my twenty-ninth year said,
February 8, 2010 at 7:27 am
[...] Breakfast: Green monster smoothie (no smoothie infusion today) with a chickpea blondie [...]
A Franks Red Hot Disaster « Erin Eats and Exercises said,
February 8, 2010 at 6:18 pm
[...] avocado, chopped tomato, cucumber, goat cheese, and a scoop of hummus. There also may have been a CPB (chickpea blondie) for [...]
You put WHAT in my brownies? « said,
February 16, 2010 at 1:18 pm
[...] Who needs cookbooks when you got recipes on computers! (Check out my cute new mini laptop too!!) Once those babies were baking away, we cleaned everything, and started over with the chickpea blondies…..recipe here [...]
Beans for Dessert?!?! « said,
February 16, 2010 at 3:26 pm
[...] Loved all the little chocolate chunks!!! Delicious. Got to work on the desserts. Black Bean Brownies and Chickpea Blondies. [...]
How to Make the Most of Your Pantry (and Stick to Your diet!) | Community Health Now said,
February 16, 2010 at 8:44 pm
[...] unconventional baked goods. While pursing my favorite recipe blogs, I stumbled upon a recipe for Chickpea Blondies from Have Cake, Will Travel. I was certainly skeptical at first—beans in my baked goods!? It didn’t sound like a tasty [...]
Pain de Carlin | Carottes et Gâteau said,
February 18, 2010 at 4:28 pm
[...] finalement, j’ai apprécié un Pois chiche "Blondie" que j’ai fait cuire au four ce matin. La recette est du génie cuisant fini à Ont le Gâteau, Voyagera. Et, [...]
Mops-Laib | Karotten und Kuchen said,
February 19, 2010 at 1:04 am
[...] schließlich, genoss ich eine Kichererbse "Blondie", den ich an diesem Morgen buk. Das Rezept ist vom backenden Genie, das daran zu Ende ist, Haben [...]
Pan de Doguillo | Zanahorias y Pastel said,
February 19, 2010 at 10:20 am
[...] finalmente, disfruté de un Garbanzo "Blondie" que horneé esta mañana. La receta es del genio de cocción terminado en Tienen el Pastel, [...]
Serena said,
February 25, 2010 at 5:17 pm
OMG these look great <3 Just made black bean brownies…but chickpea blondies? Must try!
Reply
More Chickpea Blondies Please « Erin Eats and Exercises said,
February 28, 2010 at 7:38 pm
[...] the calzones were in the oven, I whipped up some chickpea blondies. This time I tossed about 1/4 bag of vegan chocolate chips into the food processor at the end to [...]
A Healthy + Yummy Experiment « vicious sweet tooth said,
March 9, 2010 at 7:37 pm
[...] For dessert, I did a little experiment in the kitchen tonight – based off of this recipe from Have Cake Will Travel. (154 cals) + a spoonful of Almond Butter (50 [...]
Mr. Sun « Life In An Apartment Near Chinatown said,
March 16, 2010 at 11:03 am
[...] dessert, hpants brought Chickpea “Blondies” to share [...]