By Wendy Ruopp, Managing Editor of EatingWell
Confession time: I’m a brownie snob. For years I’ve turned up my nose at “blondies.” (OK, maybe there’s a little “brunettes vs. blondes” thing going on too.) Given the choice, I’d always pick a fudgy brownie over a wan beige blondie more defined by its lack of chocolate than the presence of any particular identity of its own.
But recently I’ve reconsidered my prejudices. A story in the March/April issue of EatingWell Magazine, “Rediscovering Quinoa,” brought Almond Butter-Quinoa Blondies into my life and that changed everything.
These beautiful squares mix up in 10 minutes with just a few ingredients–and best of all, one of those ingredients is chocolate chips. That means I get to have it all: a sweet little treat made with luscious almond butter and trendy quinoa flour (what a great discovery for people who are eating gluten-free!), for just 146 calories.
Almond Butter-Quinoa Blondies
Makes: 24 blondies
Active time: 10 minutes | Total: 1 hour
To make ahead: Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
People won’t even notice that these almond butter-chocolate chip quinoa blondies are a gluten-free dessert recipe. This healthy blondie recipe uses quinoa flour, which you can find in natural-foods markets. To make your own quinoa flour, grind raw quinoa into a powder in a clean coffee grinder. (Adapted from “Quinoa Revolution” by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming; Pintail Books, 2012.)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth or crunchy natural almond butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup quinoa flour (see Tip)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Beat butter and almond butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk quinoa flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 45 minutes before cutting into 24 pieces. Let cool completely before storing.
Per serving: 146 calories; 9 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 21 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrate; 10 g added sugars; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 71 mg sodium; 100 mg potassium.
Tip: Look for quinoa flour in the baking section or near gluten-free flours in natural-foods stores. Or, to make your own, grind whole grains of quinoa into a powder in a clean coffee grinder.
