Healthy-ish Protein Packed Blondies

I searched the intertubes for a recipe and adapted one from Ambitious Kitchen. It was so easy to make with Madi, naturally gluten free, and soooooo delicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper! So while blondies probably wasn’t what my midwife had in mind when she suggested protein, these fit the bill in my mind! Hope you enjoy them too!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt

INGREDIENTS:
Melted coconut oil
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (or any nut/see butter you like)
1/3 cup coconut sugar (or pure maple syrup, agave nectar or honey)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus a little extra for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and oil an 8×8 inch pan with melted coconut oil.
In a food processor, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, I like to use dark chocolate because it has less sugar but it’s up to you. Note: Batter will be thick and super delicious, so you could actually just eat it on it’s own!
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top. (The batter may stick to your spatula, so I like to spray my spatula with nonstick cooking spray first.) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny bit brown. The batter may look underdone, but you don’t want them to dry out!
Cool pan for 20 minutes on wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt then cut into squares. Makes 16 blondies.