TWO STEP WHOLEFOOD BLONDIE | so easy & full of plant-based goodness

Does a flourless, whole, plant-based, refined ingredient free, two step raspberry & white chocolate blondie sound too good to be true? 

Well it's not! Even better: the ingredient list is super short and the main ingredient is a nutrient powerhouse: chickpeas! 

I'm all about the easy-to-bake treats lately and this one is absolutely no exception.

Many trials and variations go into each of my recipes and so much is learnt along the way that I can then share with you! 
I like to include a little cooks notes section at the bottom of this post where I can help you with your cooking adventure. Please feel free to leave a comment with any further questions as I'm sure others will have the same one. This is a community (and an awesome one) after all! 

x Harry 

Prep time: 5 minutes 
Cook time: 1 hour 
Difficultly: Easy

BLONDIE 
1 1/2 cups (240 g approx.) cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup (85ml) cup maple syrup 
3 tablespoons smooth nut or seed butter (peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, tahini-*if using tahini see cooks notes)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla  
pinch salt

EXTRAS
80g plant based white chocolate (I used loving earth), roughly chopped 
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius fan-forced. 

Combine all blondie ingredients in a powerful blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Add 2/3 of the white chocolate and frozen raspberries and mix until evenly combined. 

Line a medium sized slice tin with baking paper. Pour batter evenly over the base and smooth. Add a scattering of the remaining white chocolate and raspberries. 

Place in the oven to bake for approx. 60 minutes. It will crisp and brown on the top. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

COOKS NOTES

Blondie or brownie? - The rules are... there are no rules! You can totally add a couple of tablespoons of cacao powder into the mix and you will have yourself a delicious brownie too, magic!

Flavour - With so many wonderful and clean plant-based chocolates available these days, I can't go past the raspberry & white choc combo. It's not the only delicious addition to this blondie though, I also love: Ginger & Fig, Blueberry & Chocolate and Pistachio & rose water! 

Butters - I love using wholefood sources of fat in my baking like nut butters, coconut and avocado. I've tried creamy, natural, unsalted peanut butter, almond butter & tahini (sesame seed paste) and all worked a treat. I did find the tahini resulted in a slightly more moist blondie and the peanut butter lead to a stronger flavour. Nut and seed butters vary a lot in consistency. I have provided an average so adjust quantity according to the dryness of your butter! If you do use tahini, I recommend adding in 3/4 cups of oats and blending to a flour before adding all of the other ingredients. 

Freezing - We have always gobbled this delicious blondie up well before I've had a chance to freeze it (I know, that's quick - but it is that good!), but I think it should freeze ok. If you do, please let me know how you went in the comments.

Storage - As above, freezing is an option. For all else, if you are enjoying it within the same day I recommend keeping it out of the fridge. If you would like it to last a few days (three or so), then pop it into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. When you come to eat it again, I recommend heating it in the oven before enjoying, it's just so delicious that way! 

Equipment - A high powdered blender or food processor does make the difference here! I use an old thermomix. A magimix would work well here too, although technically it's a food processor. If you have a wide base, high powdered blender on hand that should also do the trick. Instead of compostable baking paper, you can use reusable non-stick silicone baking sheets if you have them on hand.

Chickpeas - Gosh I love them! I just make sure I really rinse and drain them well to remove as much of the phytic acid (or enzyme inhibitor,  the plants protective mechanism) as possible. I used chickpeas I had cooked from dried but you can also use canned chickpeas.