Eat Well, Be Well, Live Well

“Blondies”–along with really good shortbread and perfectly-cooked snickerdoodles, continue to top my list of favorite cookies. I’ve always loved “blondies” more than “brownies.” I can’t say what it is except that I like my chocolate in small doses and brownies just seem like too much of a good thing. I also like how blondies offer a subtle butterscotchy-maple flavor–something that hints of a more decadent dessert, such as sticky toffee pudding.

I’ve been tinkering around with this recipe for a few weeks, and I finally like where it is. First, these cookies can be made in about 30 minutes with less than 10 minutes of actual work time involved! Second, the top is a little crunchy while the inside is fairly gooey/chewy. They’re not super low sugar like many of my desserts, but they have substantially less sugar than many of their counterparts.

These blondies are also loaded with protein, and they’re gluten-, egg- and dairy-free to boot.

Ingredients

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp almond butter or other nut butter (I like to use half almond, half cashew)

1/4 cup non dairy milk, such as almond or coconut

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 cup coconut sugar or other unrefined sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup gluten-free flour (I use 1/2 cup all-purpose plus some arrowroot and cassava flours)

Scant 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup raw pecans, finely chopped

1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips (I like this brand)

1 tsp coconut oil

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a bowl, mix the almond butter, non dairy milk, coconut sugar, maple syrup and vanilla until well combined and smooth.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined.

Fold in the chopped pecans. Drop the very thick stiff batter into the pan. Using a spatula, press the batter down to even it out in the pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is be set. While the blondies are baking, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small saucepan over very low heat. When the blondies are out of the oven, drizzle the melted chocolate mixture over the pan. Let the blondies cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Makes 9 cookies approximately 2 inches by 2 inches.

Enjoy!