Blondies are basically “blonde brownies.” There is no cocoa or melted chocolate in the batter of a blondie. Here, the nutritionally lacklustre all-purpose flour is swapped out for puréed beans for a higher dose of protein. The end result is just as tender and chewy without any noticeable bean flavour. A great potluck dessert option, too. If desired, chopped nuts can be used instead of chocolate chips.
Squeeze play
To easily fit a piece of parchment paper into a baking dish, run it under cold water for a couple of seconds, scrunch it up, and then squeeze out the excess moisture. Now it will effortlessly form into the pan.
Orange-Scented White Bean Blondies
Ingredients
- 19 oz (540 mL) can navy beans, drained and rinsed well
- 2 large organic eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) dry milk powder
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp (4 mL) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 6 Tbsp (80 mL) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories272
- protein10 g
- total fat12 g
- sat. fat7 g
- total carbohydrates33 g
- sugars5 g
- fibre2 g
- sodium183 mg
Directions
01
Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Line 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
02
In food processor, place beans and eggs, and blend until very smooth. Add sugar, milk powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and blend together. Place cubes of softened butter, vanilla, and orange zest into food processor container and blend until you only see small pebble sizes of butter.
03
Place mixture into prepared pan and sprinkle on half of chocolate chips. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle on remaining chocolate chips and bake for another 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
04
Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before lifting blondies out of pan and cooling completely on wire rack. Slice into 9 equal pieces. Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for longer.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD, is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
