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 7 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
- Potato, Chickpea & Kale Curry from Lost in Food
- 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.

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.
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
- 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
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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Kate Glutenfreealchemist
Chickpeas?? No way! That's insane…… But they look so good! They HAVE to be tried! x
REBECCA SMITH - Glutarama
Wow Angela, this post is packed with deliciousness and OMG, that diddy cake stand is to die for, I need one too! I love the idea of these blondies and my sister in law adores blondies so I'm going to give these and go and see if she can even tell their free from 😉 Thank you for linking with us over on #G2BGF, you've given us a real treat xxx
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery
OMG I would LOVE to eat a batch of these right now – I LOVE dark chocolate & peanut butter together and how I miss it! Off to find some seed butter instead to make me a safe batch!
Vicki Montague
Goodness me these look absolutely delicious!
Deepika|TheLoveOfCakes
These blondies look so amazing! And after looking at them, I can certainly not tell that these are made with chickpeas! I am someone who is not easily convinced about using legumes in baking..But your amazing pictures are already making me think over trying these!
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
Ooooh Angela these look so good and I love how they also a healthier option. I love bakes like these so definitely need to have a go at making them. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano
Wow – these look incredible!! Hard to believe they are free-from… and chickpeas??? Whatever will you think of next Mrs E?? 😉 Eb x
Corina Blum
I love all your brownie recipes at the moment Angela! I just can't decide which of them to make! I definitely like to try healthier bakes and would love to make something with chickpeas in soon. The texture looks perfect too. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Kat BakingExplorer
I've never tried chickpeas in bakes, but these brownies look fabulous so I can imagine their delicious!
Mandy
These sound amazing Angela – can’t wait to try them! And thanks for linking to my recipes – really appreciate it x
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder
These look so gorgeously moist and lush, simply irresistible! I think it's fantastic that you can make something so decadent and delicious using ingredients which are pretty good for you as it happens! Another one added to my list to make! 🙂 By the way, I do love your mini cake stand! It's gorgeous plus a perfect little photo prop! xx