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Jump to RecipeA grain-free recipe for chickpea blondie s’mores bars made with all real food ingredients and sweetened with maple syrup. These vegan blondies are topped with marshmallows and chocolate chips for a healthy gluten free dessert that’s fun and seasonal, too.
Chickpea Blondie S’mores Bars (Grain-free)
So Valentine’s Day was approaching and I wanted to make a fun platter for the day. I mean, who doesn’t like coming down to a bunch of treats all on a plate?! I remembered that I had some pink marshmallows left from this hot chocolate board. And voila – these chickpea blondie s’mores bars got started.
Chickpeas in blondies?
I know what you’re thinking – there’s nooo way that these can taste like regular blondies, but I promise you – the food processor works wonders with textures. Add in some maple syrup and vanilla (no refined sweeteners here!) and you’ve got a healthy dessert base. I like using beans in baking (like this White Bean Banana Bread Recipe (Vegan, GF), these black bean muffins or Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread With Black Beans). They not only add a creamy texture, but they also add some fiber and protein, too. No problem with that!
Ingredients needed for Chickpea Blondie S’mores:
- Chickpeas
- Maple syrup
- Nut butter (try cashew butter, peanut butter or sunflower seed butter if needed)
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips (use vegan if desired – I like Enjoy Life and Lily’s)
- Marshmallows
Questions about the recipe:
What if I don’t have a food processor? While you can try to make these in your high speed blender, you really do need a high-powered appliance to get the beans to the right consistency. The food processor works the best because of its wide base.
Do you taste the garbanzo beans within? You will not taste them! Beans create a creamy texture and by adding the maple syrup and vanilla, you should not be able to tell there are beans within.
What if I can’t do nut butter? I personally used Nutzo when I made these, but I also like using cashew butter (make sure it’s organic). If you can’t do nuts, try sunflower seed butter.
Will my kids know there are garbanzo beans within? As mentioned above, you should not be able to taste it. Neither should your kids;).
Do these taste like s’mores? Well, since you typically cook marshmallows on top of graham crackers with chocolate … they have similar ingredients but the texture is definitely different. Try it and see what you think!
Are there vegan marshmallows? Yes there are! These are my favorite vegan marshmallows.
A grain-free recipe for chickpea blondie s'mores bars made with all real food ingredients and sweetened with maple syrup. These vegan blondies are topped with marshmallows and chocolate chips for a healthy gluten free dessert that's fun and seasonal, too.
- 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans , rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup nut butter (cashew, peanut or almond butter)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (use vegan or dairy-free if desired)
- 1/2 cup marshmallows (to top)
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper.
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Add all ingredients aside from chocolate chips and marshmallows to a food processor and process until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the chocolate chips.
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Add batter to prepared baking sheet.
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Bake for 25 minutes.
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Remove and add remaining marshmallows and chocolate chips to top.
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Place back in oven for 3 - 5 minutes or until marshmallows begin to turn toasty.
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Remove and let cool before trying to cut.
Once again – this is not your typical dessert, but that’s not what my recipes are all about!
I love that these are grain-free, gluten-free and dairy-free AND they have a fun twist with the marshmallows inside. If you are looking for additional healthy desserts, here’s some inspo for you. Enjoy! xoxo
Other healthy grain-free desserts
Healthy Vegan Cookie Dough (with Chickpeas)