Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies

I'll give you one guess of the secret ingredient in these delicious treats. Anything? CHICKPEAS. Chickpeas are one of those things that you can honestly make taste like whatever you want it to taste like. In dinners, in desserts, savory or sweet, I think they can be one of those staple items that is a base for just about anything. These are almost fudgey in texture, slightly sweet with pumpkin and some chocolate, and the best part about them is that they are dairy free, gluten free and are packed with protein and are low in sugar.

I start in my high speed blender with a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, almond milk, pumpkin, maple syrup and an egg. It takes a little to blend this until smooth, but it is so much easier than mashing by hand. Once blended smooth, add in the remaining ingredients other than the chocolate chips, or pour out into a medium bowl and mix. The last step is mixing in the chocolate and pouring into a 6x9" pan. I like to put half the chips on top so they melt all over. They then go into an oven at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. Let these cool completely before cutting into squares and you can store them in the fridge for about a week (if they last that long!)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cool Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• ½ cup pureed pumpkin

• ½ cup almond milk

• 1 egg

• 2 tablespoons maple syurp

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 heaping tablespoons nut butter

• 1 teaspoon chia

• 2 teaspoons ground flax seed

• 1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips (and more for on top if you want!)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 6x9" pan.

2. In a high speed blender combine chickpeas, almond milk, egg, pumpkin and maple syrup. Blend for a few minutes until smooth.

3. Either in the blender or pour out into a medium bowl: mix in remaining ingredients, leaving the chocolate for last. Pour into baking pan and top with remaining chocolate.

4. Bake 30-40 minutes until knife comes out clean. Let cool before cutting.

xx

Rita