Vegan PB & Dark Chocolate Blondies

Regulars to Only Crumbs Remain may be starting to think that I’ve gone a little brownie crazy over the past few weeks.  But we’re talking brownies.  Soft, fudgey, rich and indulgent chocolate brownies.  I’m sure you understand!

First we recreated Easy Peasy Foodie’s White Chocolate & Cranberry Brownies (which if you’re a brownie fan you’ll know that they’re not just for Christmas!) after she entered them into our BakingCrumbs linky (feel free to link up any recent bakes – sweet or savoury – if you’re a blogger, or simply check out the tantalising bakes).  Then we re-made (& re-shot) our Chocolate Brownies with Mincemeat recipe, which are perfect if you’ve got half a jar, or so, lurking in the back of the fridge following the Christmas festivities.  Not long after those came this batch of Black Bean Brownies with Walnuts, which really are so much tastier than what you may imagine from their name!  In fact I’d be surprised if you didn’t make them again once you’ve tried them!

Our most recent foray into the world of brownies, or in this case blondies, are these Vegan Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Blondies, which also happen to be naturally gluten free not to mention being free of refined sugar!  But even if you’re not needing to follow a free-from diet this vegan blondie recipe is definitely one to try.

(The mini cake stand appears again!  A slightly faulty piece of ceramics made by yours truly!)

Not only are these vegan blondies incredibly easy to make, just like any other brownie / blondie recipe, they’re also surprisingly nutritious, and best of all these squares are so very delicious.  Whilst sampling the first of, erm, 3 pieces (yes, they’re that tasty), I was floating around the house wondering if it would be at all acceptable to hide these beauties from Mr E!

They’re pretty darn good as they are once cooled and portioned up.  But, add a drizzle of chocolate and we take these blondies to a whole new level of tempting-ness.  It’s truly amazing what a little drizzle of chocolate does to a bake!

Having been made with the delicious combination of peanut butter and chocolate I was confident that these brownies were going to be a hit.  We’re talking blondies which are soft, yielding, indulgent and satisfying flavoured with peanut butter and dark chocolate.  Surely a win-win situation!

The main ingredient in these vegan blondies is actually chickpeas.  I must admit that using pulses in a bake does sound peculiar, but having been converted to their definite yumminess in brownies after using black beans in our black bean brownies with walnuts it seemed acceptable to use pulverised chickpeas in a blondie recipe.  I’m sure you wouldn’t turn down a slice of these bad boys (or should that be good boys?!) if one was offered to you!  They really are incredibly delicious.  And trust me, once you’ve blended down the chickpeas for these blondies nobody, and I do mean nobody, will be any the wiser, with the flavour of chocolate and peanut butter coming through really well.

And if you you were to try these Chickpea blondies, don’t drain the liquid away when you open the can.  The liquid is amazing stuf, called aquafaba, which can be used an egg replacer, like with these vegan meringue kisses!

The great thing about using pulses in a brownie or blondie recipe is that they’re naturally gluten free, not to mention packed with great nutrients.  Bakes like this are perfect if your perhaps trying to clean up your diet a little following the excesses of Christmas, they give you that yummy treat which you may be craving alongside some nutrition.

7 Recipes which use Chickpeas.

Now, I must admit, if you’re like me and purchase your chickpeas canned and ready to use you’ll find that there will be a good half a tin left over after making the blondies.  So, here are 6 chickpea recipes to provide inspiration to avoid the dreaded food waste.

• Pumpkin & Cauliflower Chickpea Korma from Foodie Quine
• Barley Bowl with Aubergine, Chickpeas & Tomatoes from Tin and Thyme
• Chickpea, Potato & Broccoli Patties from My Gorgeous Recipes
• Chickpea Kale Salad with Blood Orange and Pistachios from Veggielicious
• Falafel Sliders (mini burgers) from SneakyVeg
• Crockpot Arroz Sin Pollo from Sage & Simple

So, here’s how to make Vegan Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Blondies.

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Vegan Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Blondies

by Angela / Only Crumbs Remain      January-19-2018

This recipe for Vegan Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Blondies
produces a bake which is packed with flavour.  The blondies are soft and
yielding with a clear peanut butter and chocolate flavour. These
blondies are naturally gluten free as well as being free of refined
sugar,  but even if you’re not needing to follow a free-from diet this vegan blondie recipe is definitely one to try.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 30 mins           Yield: 1 tray producing 9 large slices, or 16 smaller pieces

Specific Equipment
1 x Brownie Tin measuring 20cm x 20cm
Food Processor or Stick Blender

Ingredients

• 330g Chickpeas (drained weight from a can / carton) rinsed and well drained
• 50ml Vegetable / Sunflower Oil
• small pinch of Salt
• 40g Oatmeal (if relevant, check the pack to ensure they’re gluten free)
• 120g Peanut Butter, smooth (see note a below)
• 70ml Maple Syrup
• 50g Panela Sugar (see notes b & c below)
• 1.5 tsp Almond Extract
• 75g Vegan Dark Chocolate (either from a block finely chopped, or choc chips)

To Decorate (optional)

• 30 – 40g Vegan Dark Chocolate

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190c / Fan 170c / Gas 5.2. Prepare the brownie tin. Grease the tin with a little oil. Fully line the brownie tin with greaseproof paper, ensuring there is excess paper beyond the edge of the tin to aid the removal of the brownie once cooked.3. Make the batter: To make with a food processor: Place all of the ingredients apart from the chocolate into the food processor and blend until smooth and well combined. To make with a stick blender: a) Place the chickpeas into a bowl and pulverise with a stick blender. b) Add the oil and continue to blend until the chickpea mixture is as smooth as you can get it. c) Add the oatmeal and pulverise again aiming to break down the oats a little further. d) Add the salt, peanut butter, maple syrup, panela and almond extract. Mix thoroughly.4. Add the chocolate. Add the finely chopped vegan chocolate (or vegan choc chips) to the mixture. Stir until well distributed. 5. Fill the brownie tin. Spoon the brownie batter into the prepared tin. Smooth it out with a spatula or the back of a spoon, ensuring it is level and sat in the corners well. 6. Bake. Place into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes until the blondie has a nice crust but is still very slightly soft when prodded. 7. Cool. Remove the blondie from the oven and set onto a cooling tray. Allow to cool fully in the baking tray. Use the excess greaseproof paper to lift the blondie from the tin and place it onto a board. 8. Drizzle with chocolate (optional). Start by melting the 30 – 40g dark vegan chocolate. Break the chocolate into small pieces and set into a heat proof bowl. Suspend the bowl over a pan containing a little water (ensuring the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Place the pan over a moderate heat to allow the chocolate to gently melt. Stir frequently. Use a teaspoon to randomly drizzle the chocolate over the top of the blondie. 9. Slice & Store. Slice into pieces. Use a pallet knife to remove the pieces from the greaseproof paper. Store in an airtight container. 10. Enjoy!
Notes a)  We used Sun-Pat smooth peanut butter which is fairly dry compared to other brands.  If your chosen peanut butter has obvious oil content when the jar is opened you may need to reduce the vegetable / sunflower oil quantity.  b) Panela is an unrefined cane sugar which you should be able to find in most good supermarkets in the sugar section.  c) Consider replacing the panela with jaggery, an unrefined sugar made from sugar cane, which can be sourced from the Asian shops or the Asian section of supermarkets here in the UK (though you do need it to be granulated for this recipe). d) You could consider substituting the maple syrup for runny honey if not preparing these for a vegan.

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