Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt

I've gotten back in the kitchen again and have been trying all sorts of..."different", healthy recipes. Well, I was craving something delicious for dessert last night and came across Ambitious Kitchen and her recipe for Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt. I was a bit, uh, terrified! Chickpeas? Dessert? Really? I got up my courage, purchased a can of chickpeas, broke out the food processor and got to work.

The result?? A surprisingly delicious dessert. Here are a few thoughts:

Pros: Great peanut butter flavor (a favorite!!). Very moist. Great sweet and salty balance.
Cons: The chickpeas were a bit grainy and left just a slight aftertaste...but that's it! 

These haven't quite worked there way into the "new favorite dessert" category, but they were quite good. If you're looking for a healthy dessert, just a little out of the ordinary, this is the dessert for you!

Here is the recipe!

Ingredients

• Cooking Spray
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup all natural almond butter or peanut butter
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar (you can also use honey if you’re not vegan)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup vegan (or regular) chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoons
• sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray 8×8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, I like to use dark chocolate because it has less sugar but it’s up to you. Note: Batter will be thick and super delicious, so you could actually just eat it on it’s own!
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top. (The batter may stick to your spatula, so I like to spray my spatula with nonstick cooking spray first.) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny bit brown. The batter may look underdone, but you don’t want them to dry out!
4. Cool pan for 20 minutes on wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt then cut into squares. Makes 16 blondies.

**WW PointsPlus: 3 per serving.**