My sweet tooth has been raging lately. And rather than fight it, I’ve decided to embrace it.
‘Tis the season, after all.
First, there was the vegan pumpkin pie. (But that didn’t last long, once Austin tasted it. <–he declared it the best pumpkin pie he’s ever tasted!!)
And last night, I made these:
Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies!
Austin’s favorite combo EVER is peanut butter + chocolate, so I definitely had him in mind when making these. He’s my favorite recipe taste-tester, because he will not sugar-coat his opinion for me. If he hates it, I’ll know it.
Personally, I’d probably prefer an almond butter variation, rather than peanut butter… but, I was hoping to find a recipe that would please a crowd, and almond butter isn’t always appealing to everyone. (at least, not in my family!) These were such a success, though, I have a feeling an almond butter variation is in my future, too.
By the way, you’ll never believe these treats are flourless!! Or that they’re only sweetened with honey. I’ve been a huge fan of using honey lately, since reading Breaking the Vicious Cycle. A friend of mine turned me onto researching the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD, for short), which is a diet thought to heal the intestine (including bacterial overgrowth) through avoiding certain types of starches and sugars, and embracing others. Honey is a recommended sweetener for the SCD, as it’s a monosaccharide, and can be used by the body very quickly without expending much digestive energy.
I have many more thoughts on the SCD, but I’m still mentally digesting it, so that may be a good conversation for after the holidays.
For now, let’s just eat blondies. 
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Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
makes an 8″ pan worth of blondiesadapted from Peanut Butter Brownies in Breaking the Vicious Cycle
Ingredients:
1 cup natural creamy peanut butter (preferably organic)
1/2 cup honey
1 whole egg, or a flax egg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (*if using unsalted peanut butter)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dark chocolate chipsDirections:
Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8″ square pan with butter or coconut oil. In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter, honey, egg, salt and baking soda until well combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the greased pan, and use a spatula to smooth the top.
Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is a light golden brown. (it only took 20 minutes in my oven)
Let cool, then cut into squares and serve! They were unbelievably gooey and delicious while still slightly warm.
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Now, I know these blondies aren’t properly combined.
Personally, I tend to relax my food combining rules a bit when it comes to holiday treats, especially since I could be eating much worse than a naturally-sweetened, flour-free treat. Obviously, these aren’t treats we should eat with reckless abandon, but after a veggie-centric meal, I feel perfectly fine indulging in one of these decadent blondies.
Since they’re so rich and nutrient-dense, it’s kinda difficult to over-indulge anyway!
Of course, Austin and I managed to polish off more than our fair share last night, so don’t quote me on that last part.
Happy holiday baking!!
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Reader Feedback: Do you try to serve “healthy” treats to your holiday guests? Or do you stick to traditional tried-and-true favorites? I used to be too scared to make a “healthy-tasting” cookie for company, but now I don’t have to worry about that!! Vegan Pumpkin Pie and these Peanut Butter blondies don’t taste like a healthy substitute… they actually taste better than the traditional versions!!
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These look TO DIE FOR! Seriously, best-looking thing I’ve seen all week by far!
I don’t know much about the SCD, but now you’ve got me interested.
Do you think these could be made vegan – by substituting the Ener-G Egg Replacer for the egg? They look delicious!
Hmm… I’ve never tried Ener-G egg replacer, so I have no idea! Let me know if you try it!!
I was wondering about using flax-eggs, too, which would keep them properly combined… but I have a feeling that wouldn’t turn out as well. Maybe the Ener-G replacer will work!
Hope you have some success!
Those look divine! My sweet tooth has been raging too! I guess it just means that the holidays are in full swing
I’ve been trying my best to not eat with “reckless abandon” and going to the gym each day is a great reminder!
Ohhh Dollface!! I’m making these and I’m reading that book and starting this diet come December 27th! I Need to change something up over here and I feel this is right….so I need a lotta honey
Can you eat peanuts on this diet?! Hmmmmm…
Thanks for the fun holiday recipe, girl, I can’t wait to dive in!
xxoo
Yes, peanuts seem to be approved for the SCD… but I still don’t feel great eating them too often. They do make a tasty treat, though!
(oh, and I’m pretty sure chocolate chips are NOT approved for that diet, so these aren’t exactly SCD “approved.”) LOL
Those look totally yummy, I bet my girlfriend would love them!
Luv Luv Luv this recipe…planning to make it for my family when I go home this weekend! I stick to baking pretty healthy things, however, I did stray and use white chocolate chips for a white chocolate peppermint stick recipe that I am going to give as a gift…
Can’t wait to hear more about the book!
Happy day!!!
They were a hit with my family, so I hope yours enjoys them as well!
I tried them – they are delicious!
These look delicious!!! I know what you mean about the Almond Butter… I used to love PB so much, still do, but my tastes have def shifted over to loving AB way more! I guess I know what I’ll be making this week for the kiddo since he’s home on break
Hope you had a great holiday <3
These look amazing! I’m wondering if I can replace banana for the eggs? Definitely using almond butter though, I hate peanut butter! I’ve gained a little weight over the holidays, but these look too impossible to resist and I love that they’re gluten-free!
Hmmm… I have no idea if the banana would work, but it’s with a shot!! You could reduce the sweetener that way, too. Let me know how they turn out!
I tried it with banana and it worked out great! My oven is kind of weird, so it burned quickly at the top and in the middle it didn’t cook quite as well, but they were still delicious! Saving some for later with some soy vanilla ice cream
That’s awesome!! I love brownies and blondies with “gooey” centers, so I bet it would be totally decadent with the ice cream on top.
And with the bananas, you don’t have to worry if it’s a little under-baked anyway. Glad it worked out!
Popped over from I Heart Wellness
This recipe looks awesome!
Just threw these in the oven! This is my type of recipe!
Aren’t they so easy?? Hope you enjoy them!
Worked great with the enerG egg replacer!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know.
oh, these sound incredible!!
I made there using the Ener-G Egg Replacer, and they came out terrific! Very gooey and yummy. Thanks much!
So delicious! Thank you for posting this amazing treat! I made it with the flax egg and a mixture of almond butter, tahini, and macadamia nut butter because I didn’t have enough of the almond.. I had to add 1/4 cup of water to mix everything, and also ran out of honey, so I did a mixture of the honey and stevia. They turned out super light and fluffy.. and a good combo!
double win!
I just made these with homemade almond butter. They are baking now, and smell fantastic! If the cookies taste half as good as the batter did, they will be delectable!
Megan, I stumbled on your blog yesterday and I am obsessed! Made these blondes last night and found them to be a little dry. However put them in the freezer and low and behold they are DELICIOUS frozen!!!!(and a better consistency!) Thanks for your great recipes! Looking forward to trying out more this week!
Glad you found me, Lauren! I’m sorry to hear the blondies were dry. Natural peanut butters vary in oil-content and texture, so maybe another brand would work better next time?
Though, I must agree… I always enjoy them best frozen.
I JUST MADE THESE! I used cashew butter instead. The grain free cookie will be next! : )