Published: · Modified: Aug 28, 2020 by Jenn Sebestyen
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Moist, tender, and fudgy flourless blondies with a crackly top. Gluten free and vegan, but so delicious no one will ever know. These Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies will become your new favorite treat!
These Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies are our go-to treat! They are moist and tender in the center with just a bit of a crackly crust on top. Perfectly sweet, healthier than your average blonde brownie recipe, and made from pantry staples. They’re so easy and, oh, so delectable!
Table of Contents hide
1 Ingredients you need
2 How to make the recipe
3 Storage/Freezing
4 FAQs
5 More vegan dessert bar recipes
6 Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
While these flourless chickpea blondies do contain a good amount of sugar, it’s the unrefined kind, and they’re also packed with protein, fiber, folate and iron thanks to the chickpeas, peanut butter, and oats. You don’t have to feel guilty about indulging your sweet tooth.
Bonus: they are dairy free, gluten-free and oil-free, too! Basically, you need to devour these dreamy vegan blondies immediately!
Chickpeas ~ It’s no secret that my “secret” ingredient in these Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies is chickpeas! I super swear promise you will not taste them! Trust me! But they do provide that great fudgy texture!
Oats ~ Old fashioned rolled oats give some structure to these fudgy blondies. You can sub oat flour, all-purpose flour, or a gluten free flour blend if you prefer.
Many readers have left them out with great success.
Cashew butter ~ Nut butter gives this blondie recipe some fat to make it extra indulgent. It also helps everything stick together. Cashew butter is nice and thick and has a natural sweetness, but not an overpowering flavor, which allows the cinnamon to really shine.
Any nut butter will do in a pinch. The flavor will change slightly depending on the nut butter used, but will still be delicious.
For a nut-free option, use sunflower seed butter.
Sweetener ~ Coconut sugar and pure maple syrup bring a delicious caramel-like flavor that complements the cinnamon so well.
If you don’t have coconut sugar, brown sugar may be used instead. If you don’t have either of those, cane sugar can be used, as well.
Cinnamon ~ Ahhh, the cinnamon. I LOVE cinnamon. So spicy, sweet and fragrant.
Did you know cinnamon, full of manganese, fiber and calcium, has been shown to have anti-clotting and anti-microbial properties? It also helps to control blood sugar levels and boost brain function.
Technically, you could leave it out if you don’t love cinnamon, but that just seems wrong.
If you’re a chocolate chip lover instead, try these gluten free blondies!
More recipes featuring cinnamon
- Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Chickpeas
- Maple Pecan Cinnamon Scones
- Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Spiked Hot Cocoa with Cinnamon
How to make the recipe
Please scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient measurements and instructions.
The entire batter is made in the bowl of a food processor and comes together in less then 5 minutes. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
After that, just spread the batter in a prepared 8 x 8 pan and bake!
Storage/Freezing
My kids and I inhale these vegan blondies usually in a day!
Counter: If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 days.
Fridge: After that, storing them in the fridge would be best.
Freezer: You can even freeze these yummy blondie bars. The easiest way is to cut them into squares and then lay them in one even layer on a baking sheet or large plate in the freezer. Once the bars are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe zip-top plastic bag or container.
FAQs
What’s the difference between a brownie and a blondie?
Not much actually. They are more similar than they are different. They are both soft dessert bars. The main difference is that brownies contain chocolate and blondies don’t.
Both brownies and blondies can have many variations and flavors.
What makes a brownie fudgy?
Typically, a high fat to flour ratio will make brownies fudgy. In this case we are adding some healthy fat with the cashew butter, but it’s ditching the flour altogether and blending the low-fat chickpeas until smooth that really makes these blondies fudgy.
How do you know when they’re done?
You’ll know the chickpea blondies are done when the top starts to crackle and the sides start to pull away from the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.
More vegan dessert bar recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Bars
- Fudgy Mocha Black Bean Brownies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars
- Classic Vegan Toffee Bars
- Triple Almond Oat Bars
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback. Be sure to sign up for my FREE Newsletter to be the first to get my NEW recipes! You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies
Healthier blondies that are moist and tender in the center with a bit of a crackly crust on the top. High in protein, fiber, iron and folate! Gluten free, dairy free and oil free! You might want to make a double batch because these dreamy Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies are so delectable, you won't be able to stop eating them!
4.73 from 112 votes
Course: Desserts & Sweet Treats
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 9
Calories: 246kcal
Author: Jenn Sebestyen
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- ½ cup cashew butter
- ¼ cup old fashioned rolled oats certified gluten free if desired
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar or organic brown sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts optional
- Cinnamon Sugar mixture optional for garnish (equal parts of cinnamon and sugar mixed together)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Lightly spritz an 8×8 baking dish with oil or line with parchment paper.
Combine all ingredients, except walnuts, in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Add the walnuts, if using, and stir gently, then smooth the batter out.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture, if using.
Bake for 30 minutes until the sides start to pull away from the baking dish and the top is firm.
The blondies will continue to firm up while cooling.
Cut into equal size squares and serve.
Notes
~ The batter will be thick and sticky. If you’re finding it hard to spread into the pan, slightly dampen your spatula (or your clean hands) and spread out, dampening again as necessary.
~ Nutrition facts calculated without optional cinnamon sugar topping.
Nutrition
Serving: 9Servings | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 168mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 21g
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
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