Grain Free & Sugar-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Blondies
These peanut butter and chocolate blondies are low carb, gluten free and made without flour or sugar!
Although we’ve been back at school (home school) for almost two weeks, it was more like the unofficial start. We begin our co op classes today which starts the “real” school, in my kids minds anyway. The day once a week when they get to experience a full day of subjects with other parents as their teachers, having to be prepared, on time and ready, without any complaints as they can easily do to me as mom. It’s a day I get to go back to my roots of where I started before home schooling my kids and that was teaching in a classroom.
When we get home each Friday afternoon for some reason, even with a fabulous lunch packed for them, everyone including myself is crazy hungry. Who knows why it’s more so than others days when we work just as long but are home together. I usually come home exhausted myself and rarely feel like making a healthy snack for all of us to enjoy. This is when the make ahead strategies come to mind and on Thursday I’m often scrambling to get a hot meal on the table with plenty of left overs for Friday night so I don’t have to cook dinner, making batches of muffins for breakfast and some sort of goodie like brownies or these blondies I’m sharing today.
I brought these to a summer party at my cousins and everyone loved them and had no idea they were eating chickpeas! The flavor of the chickpea is masked by the peanut butter. They are dense and filling and will satisfy a craving for a brownie.
At only 4.3 grams of net carbs per serving, 4 grams of protein and 1g of sugar, I’d say that’s a win wouldn’t you?
So if you’re kiddies come home from school ravenous and asking what they could eat, try these blondies! I guarantee they will never know they are secretly healthy!
Brenda’s Notes:
- You could sub sugar-free chocolate chips in place of the chocolate layer I used and just top about a cup over the peanut butter layer then bake as directed.
- You could replace the erythritol with honey of preferred.
- Although I didn’t’ try this, you might be able to sub unsweetened applesauce for the erythritol as well.
- The inspiration for this recipe came from Erin Dee, from Texanerin when I first laid eyes on the most delicious looking cookie made with chickpeas!
- This could be made peanut free by subbing sunbutter for the peanut butter in the recipe.
Grain Free & Sugar-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Blondies
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Layer
- 1 can or 1 1/2 cups chickpeas rinsed, drained
- 1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter
- 1/2 cup erythritol
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup coconut oil softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla liquid stevia
Chocolate Layer
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons erythritiol I used Swerve Confectioners substitute
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients expect the chocolate layer into a food processor and process until blended.
- Line an 8 by 8 baking pan with parchment paper. (Have extra on ends to lift out easier.)
- Spread peanut butter layer onto parchment and level off as best you can.
- Make the chocolate layer by melting the coconut oil in a microwaveable bowl and whisking in the cocoa powder and erythritol.
- Pour chocolate layer over the peanut butter layer and bake 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 30 minutes in the pan.
- Lift out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Net Carbs: 4.3 grams*
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
I never though of chickpeas in a recipe like this. How creative!
I love the idea of chickpeas in brownies and the two-tone brownie is seriously fun!
I could go for a few of these right about now.
We just started back to school two weeks ago too(homeschooling) and I’m always looking for healthy snacks for my family. Pinning these to try this coming week!
LOVE the secret ingredient in these bars. They look amazing!
Grain AND sugar free??? It is too good to be true! I can’t wait to try them!
I love that this is healthier. I love my sweets so this is perfect!
I need to make these immediately. I love blondies, and these are a must make.
I love finding different brownie and blondie recipes, and wow do these fit that bill! Very inventive using chickpeas. Great job on these!
I wouldn’t feel guilty when I had these as a snack! mmmm!
I am so down with chickpeas! I love dessert that hid veggies and grains. Sneaky. LOVE.
me too!
Chickpeas!? I wanted to try these anyway since they look delicious, but now I have to…just so I can tell the kids they’re eating chickpeas (which they all claim they dislike)! 😉
I never told them or the hubby!
I am loving these! I love using chick peas in my baking!
My favorite pairing!
These look amazing! I’d never think to use chickpeas but now, I definitely need to try it!
Where can you buy liquid vanilla stevia? And erythritol you use in the recipes? Thanks
You can click the blue link above for the vanilla stevia and it will take you to what I purchase and where. I buy Swerve online as well. I’ve also found both at Whole Foods.
Wow, I would never had guessed chickpeas. Great recipe!
I love that you used chickpeas. I don’t know why I have been so chicken to try it. I love black beans in brownies. You are inspiring me to get over it and try it already. These look so incredibly good.
Totally love your blog! I literally have 20 different recipes for blondies but none without flour. Love the addition of chickpeas. This is awesome, Brenda.
Thank you!