fudgey pumpkin blondies

When I first stumbled upon this recipe…talk about SKEPTICAL. I usually get veeery wary about recipes with beans in them, and consider/back away about a dozen times before I finally decide to give it a try. And I was floored by how much I loved them!

All of the ingredients are healthy (yes, I am including the dark chocolate in that statement) and really do come together to make deliciously fudgy pumpkin bars. The only thing I would caution about is to make sure you have a really powerful food processor or blender (I used a BlendTec) to make sure everything is completely pulverized and mixed.

I was very impressed with this recipe, and the bars were especially good (and held up really well!) when I warmed it up in the microwave straight from the freezer.

Fudgy Pumpkin Blondies

From iFoodReal

1 cup rolled oats
14 oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
10 Medjool dates, pitted (I used 9 + a packet of Truvia)
15 oz can (1 and 3/4 cups) pumpkin puree
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks –> divided in half, for mixing into the batter and drizzling on top – I like to use chopped up Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72%
Cooking spray (I use Trader Joe’s coconut oil spray)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9×9 square baking dish with foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Add oats to a powerful blender or food processor and process until finely ground. Add all of the remaining ingredients except chocolate chips and process until smooth. Add 1/4 cup chocolate chunks and stir to mix.

Pour batter into baking dish, level with spatula and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let blondies cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing.

Melt 1/4 cup chocolate and drizzle on top. Cut into squares (I cut into 25).

Storage Instructions: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

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