Blondies – healthy style!

Blondies are, well, actually to tell you the truth, not something I’ve ever come across! I know! Brownies yes, but Blondies? I’m guessing it’s because it’s originally an American dessert and for some reason, its never really made it’s way over here!

So, I asked “what’s a Blondie?” and the response I got was “a person with blonde hair!” 😛 Not what I was looking for, but of course, this only added to my satisfaction that I wasn’t the only one not to know what a Blondie is! 😛

So, I asked some more and found out: that people in the UK haven’t come across them much; they’re like Brownies but without the cocoa; squidgy; moist; dense and have chocolate chips in. Therefore, if they are like Brownies, there is no universal best recipe – it just depends how you like them and at Life Diet Health we already have three Brownie recipes so a recipe should be easy… or so I thought!

 

 

Looking at traditional Blondie ingredients, I found there is generally a lot of butter, eggs and flour, quite a few chocolate chips, and a whole load of sugar – sometimes two types! My task was not going to be easy to switch all of those ingredients, but then I thought, well, if a Blondie is really like a Brownie, why not adapt one of my recipes!

This is a healthier version of a moist, squidgy, chocolate studded tray cake. I had several taste testers who all said it was so delicious, they would eat it under-cooked (as it was initially). It does however firm up a bit on cooling, but it will still be very squishy! I have since had a play with the recipe and have made a slightly more robust version without altering the taste! 😀 It is still quite soft, but you can at least pick these Blondie squares up! As the taste of these are so good – whether or not they taste like what anyone would consider to be a Blondie or not! I decided to share this recipe! I will however keep working on a more cake-y Blondie. 😀

 

 

With a fork, a spoon, fingers, with ice-cream or even with custard, this is one dessert which won’t be around for long! Oh, the ingredients might seem a bit random but I can assure you that you can’t taste the individual components (except the chocolate chips)! They’re simple to make too, especially if you have a food processor… let’s check out the recipe!

5 from 1 vote
Blondies
10 mins
40 mins
Time
50 mins
 

Vegan and free-from moist, squidgy Blondies.

Course: Dessert
Keyword: Blondies
Serves: 16 squares
Created by:: Laurena @LifeDietHealth
Gather
  • 50 g coconut oil melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 100 g soft dates without stones
  • 200 g chickpeas
  • 1 medium apple (50g) peeled and cored
  • 60 ml milk we used unsweetened carton coconut
  • 100 g ground almonds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • pinch salt we used pink Himalayan
  • 3-4 tablespoons chocolate chips
Prepare
  1. Put the coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup and dates in a food processor (we used the small attachment as this works better for us) and puree until smooth. Remove and set aside in a medium sized bowl.

  2. Puree the chickpeas and the apple (you can use the same processor)- with the milk. Process until completely smooth, then add to the date mix.

  3. Add the almonds, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt. Mix until evenly combined. You should have a soft sticky dense dough.

  4. Tip into a greased baking tin (preferably square), press to level out, then scatter the chocolate chips over the top. If you like it more chocolatey you can mix some through the batter first and then add extra on top.

  5. Bake at Gas Mark 4 (350f / 180c) for 35-40 minutes on the middle shelf. The Blondie will be pulling away from the sides when cooked. Leave to cool in the tin (very difficult with the tempting smell but important)! Slice into squares!

  6. Enjoy!

Tips & Storage
  • If you don't have a food processor, you could use a blender (add some of the milk to the dates if required), or just mash by hand with a fork. 
  • Try using different chocolate - we used vegan dark chocolate but you could use milk, white or caramel or a mixture!
  • If you think the Blondie is browning but not cooking, cover loosely with foil and return to the oven. Alternatively if it's nearly cooked, turn the oven off, shut the door and leave to cool.
  • You can use apple puree instead of fresh apple- just reduce the milk content to 30ml.
  • Soft dates work much better in this recipe. You can soak (then drain) them in a splash of boiling water if they are very hard.
  • Ensure you are using a good quality vanilla extract as this can affect the end result.
  • Eat as it is, with ice-cream or even custard.
  • Store covered for up to three days.

 

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We love chatting with you too, so don’t be afraid to write in the comments below! ?  Comment on this recipe, suggest a recipe, ask a question or just say hello! ?

Speak soon!

Laurena x

14 Comments

  • Eva Gallon 30th September 2018 at 15:00

    Thank you Laurena, for taking the time to come up with this Blondie recipe?It does actually look quite healthy, what a bonus! I did have some sweet treats whilst away, including lots of Scottish Shortbread of course! It would’ve been rude not to lol. This wasn’t vegan but I’m back in track now. Hope you’re having a lovely weekend and have a great week ahead☺

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 3rd October 2018 at 10:17

      I almost named them “Blondies… for Eva!” 😛 It was great not to have to think what to post! 😛 I hope you get a chance to try them soon!

      Ooo, did you have a great time on your travels? Did you see much wildlife? Would you go again?

      Shortbread… now there’s a thing… I might have a play with that next week!

      Reply
      • Eva 3rd October 2018 at 18:03

        Blondies for Eva, hehe?Yay, vegan shortbread! I’m easily pleased lol.
        You sound like the queen of soups, perfect for this time of year- defo feeling autumnal here as well. I came across a Turkish tomato and orzo soup a while back which is lovely: simple and comforting like this chickpea one.
        We’re back into recycling here in Germany after spending so long in Spain where it didn’t seem to be a big deal at all, at least where we were.
        We had a nice time away, thanks- we attempted to hike up Ben Nevis but ‘only’ got to around halfway up. Not much fun walking back down the craggy rocks though! We did the Loch Ness tour but Nessie didn’t make an appearance?

        Reply
        • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 3rd October 2018 at 18:10

          We’ve had the heating on all day! Went to physio this morning and was worn out for the rest of the day… so managed to munch my way through the rest of the soup!!! I like ‘queen of soups’ 😛 I have made a LOT recently – usually each lasting about three days – this one only lasted overnight though! 😛 Oh my, no Nessie – she must have known you were with a meat eater! 😀 😛 I might do a post on recycling if you’ve anything to share – everyone here is thinking about it, or talking about it, but not doing so much of it (I blame the big companies for accepting all the unfriendly options in the first place)! so I thought I’d try and make a point! (Healthy vegan) shortbread sounds like a challenge…

          Reply
          • Eva 3rd October 2018 at 18:28

            Yes, healthy vegan shortbread would indeed be a challenge- I guess it would have to be a ‘naughty’ margarine recipe lol, unless it’s banned in your home??
            I’m rather intrigued by your oat sourdough starter, by the way?
            I don’t really know what else to add about the recycling other than the obvious. It’s handy we have a recycling tip nearby for almost anything and have communal recycling bins where we live. All supermarkets here have a facility where you return used plastic ( and some glass) bottles and get money off your shopping! Can’t see the UK doing that, it’s a very German thing.
            I hope your physio appointments are benefitting you x

          • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 3rd October 2018 at 22:36

            The menfolk use dairy-free spread, but I use coconut oil or homemade vegan butter! I will have a play and see what shortbread recipes I can come up with! I’m intrigued with the oat sourdough starter too! 😛 As soon as I’ve started using it I’ll let you know how it goes (just realised this is on completely the wrong post and won’t make sense to anyone who hasn’t read the chickpea & tomato soup recipe)! Oh my! Plastic return in supermarkets? I so need to find out more about that! When I was growing up we used to get 10p back for each Corona bottle we returned to the pub!? I also recall paying deposits for beer glasses in Germany (over 20 years ago) so I’m guessing it’s something that’s been going on for a while! Ahhh physio… I think the shortbread will benefit me more! 😛 x

          • Eva Gallon 4th October 2018 at 09:09

            Yeah, my fault about typing under the wrong post, sorry? I tend to use Pure soya dairy-free spread (my annoying autocorrect had changed dairy-free to ‘faith-based’ somehow, lucky I noticed that, as it just wouldn’t have made sense lol). This deposit thing in Germany has been going on for a while then?It’s a really good idea. We actually have a few wine glasses we paid deposits for after the harvest festivals we’ve been to here. We’re not big drinkers at all but the locally produced wine is quite nice here (in moderation of course). It’ll be the Beer Festival soon but that’s more of a big deal in Bavaria (never been a big fan of beer or salty pretzels anyway haha). Did you study or work in Germany or have relatives over here? Enjoy tasting your way through the shortbread experiment, we all need food for the soul sometimes?

          • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 5th October 2018 at 11:03

            Still waiting for you to write on the soup! 😛 Yes, the menfolk use Pure or Vitalite (whatever we can find). Yes, I definitely wouldn’t have worked out ‘faith-based’ 😀 Ooo yes, Oktoberfest must be about now! I had a very good friend studying at Uni there and I did a bit of travelling. 😀 Oh yes, shortbread! I got distracted! Currently munching through our first oat sourdough loaf – oh wow!!!

          • Eva Gallon 6th October 2018 at 17:37

            I can’t think of Vitalite without thinking of that advert from the late 80s/early 90s lol. That loaf sounds good, I like anything sourdough! Finally onto the soup haha (autocorrect just changed it to soul, grr)- You can’t go much wrong with anything like that, so simple and soothing. We drove all day on Friday to visit a friend in northern Italy and would have liked some when we got here…only thing is we’re staying above a pizzeria so vegan Marinara pizza it had to be! We didn’t know there would be a rock band playing until 2am last night and tonight too, fantastic??Hope you’re having a nice weekend☺

          • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 6th October 2018 at 23:02

            … wake up in the morning wanting some breakfast, what am I going to spread on my toast, ohhh, ohhh, vitalite! 😛 Lol! 😀 That sounds like a long drive-I would’ve taken soup with me but then again vegan pizza! Yum! Although I’m not sure I could sleep above a pizzeria without the smell making me want to eat more every hour or so! 😛 Oh, we made pizza last night with the sourdough it was so good! 😀

  • anna 30th September 2018 at 21:10

    Hi Laurena, I’m definitely going to try these! They look so yummy and the ingredients are so….unusual!
    Thanks for your great blog always full of deliciuos recipes!

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 3rd October 2018 at 10:24

      Thank you Anna 🙂 We like unusual… but nobody noticed and they kept disappearing from the kitchen!!!

      Reply
  • Anna Lancetta 30th September 2018 at 21:13

    Definitely going to try them out, they look so yummy!
    Thanks for providing us with healthy ideas that put together flavour and wellbeing!

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 3rd October 2018 at 10:25

      Thank you! Let me know how you get on! Anything you’d like to see a recipe for?

      Reply

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