Chickpea Chocolate Chip Blondies (GF/Dairy Free/Vegan)

**These are so delicious! My husband ate about 4 pieces tonight and I’m not sure that he is aware there are beans in it…. 🙂  If you are ever in the mood for cookie dough (raw), make this dough and stick it in the fridge or freezer for a little bit. It’s delicious and completely acceptable to eat since there are not any raw eggs or dairy involved! I always like to have a little on hand to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings. Enjoy!! 😉 

Serving Size: 8-10 pieces

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 15-30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (15 oz) chickpeas/garbanzo beans (rinsed & drained)
• 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (almond milk, coconut milk, etc.)
• 1 cup all natural peanut butter (creamy)
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 4.5 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1.5 tablespoons honey (more if you want it sweeter)
• 2-3 dashes of salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• chocolate chips **how ever many you would like 😉

Directions:

1.First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, take the 2 cans of garbanzo beans and drain/rinse them off in a colander.

2. Put the beans, and remaining ingredients in the blender, except for the chocolate chips. If you aren’t sure what coconut sugar is, here is a picture of what it looks like. You can find it in the natural/organic section of any major food market.**Coconut sugar comes from the coconut palm tree and is lower on the glycemic index than sugar is….a great alternative to white sugar and high fructose corn syrup! 

3. Make sure to blend until completely smooth. I used my Ninja blender which did a fabulous job getting the consistency just right. You could use any food processor to get the job done as well! The consistency of the batter mix should look a bit like the photo below. Once the batter is mixed, you can mix in your chocolate chips. Add in as many as you would like! I saved some to put on top while baking.

4. Place batter in a 11 x 7 pan and bake for 15-30 minutes. I like them chewy, so I only baked them about 15 minutes. If you like a more brownie-like texture, you can bake it a bit longer (30 minutes).  Check if it is ready using a toothpick or cake tester if it comes out clean.

5. Once you have taken it out of the oven. Let it cool on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes if you can wait. Enjoy!