Like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
In blondie form.
Recently, a friend asked if I’d make my famous Chocolate-Chip Blondies.
When she wanted to know her daughter’s choice of cake flavors for her birthday party, the little girl answered, “No cake. Chocolate-Covered Katie blondies!”
I have never felt so honored.
I talked with the birthday girl about what she’d like, and we decided that I’d not make chocolate-chip blondies, but a new flavor: pb and jelly!
Gooey PB&J Blondies
Based off of my Chocolate-Chip Blondies
- 1 can garbanzo beans (or white beans), drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (not unsalted)
- 1/4 cup quick oats
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup brown sugar (feel free to use less or sub some with stevia)
- 1/2 cup jam of choice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients (except jam) until very smooth. Scoop into a greased (or tinfoil-lined) 8×8 pan. (If you want fatter blondies, don’t spread all the way to the sides.) Spread the jam on top and bake for 35-38 minutes.
These are also very similar to the Snickerdoodle Blondies.
Nutrition Info: I haven’t calculated nutritional info, but a commenter said the blondies have 120 calories if cut into 16 squares. Since the first two photos don’t do a good job of conveying the blondies’ beauty, here’s what the final version of the blondies looked like, jelly and all:
Up close, personal, and super gooey.
I wasn’t at the actual party, but my friend said the kids polished off the blondies in record time.
She also served Chocolate Brownie Batter Dip.
When I heard this, I tried not to think about the poor moms whose children attended the party and came home filled with beans.
Question of the Day:
Do you remember any of your childhood birthday parties?
Mine always had a theme: one year was Snow White, another year was 101 Dalmations. And I liked pool parties. My mom would always make an adorable homemade cake to match each year’s specific theme. I’m definitely going to go all out for my future kids’ birthday parties.
Is it a bad thing to want kids just so I can plan their birthday parties? 😉
Hi there! I just made these, and while the flavor is incredible (I could eat them raw), they just fall apart, when I pick them up. They by no means are as solid as the ones in your picture look. This is the third chick pea recipe of yours that I have tried, and they all have been this way. I wonder what your secret is??!
Oh no! I am so sorry :(.
But I don’t have a secret… and a TON of other people have made the chocolate chip blondies and not had a problem either, so maybe your oven is less powerful and you need to bake them longer? Or… I really don’t know! I’m sorry :(.
I had that problem with the chocolate chip one’s when I first tried and found that actually cooking for maybe 10mins less helped make them gooey and hold their structure. My first batch was really crumbly too (but more do to my hot oven and leaving them in at the recommended cooking time, everyone’s oven is different too) Either that or cook at a lower temp try 325 if you stick to the recommended cooking time and check on them around 10 minutes prior to pulling out, they really seem to set up more like a cookies, and whenever i make cookies i always pull them out when look almost done and let them set up and finish cooking on the pan, this method works really well with these. Hope that helps!! They are definitely worth baking again!! 😀 YUM!
Thanks so much for taking the time to give advice, Anita! 🙂
It’s so frustrating that ovens can be different… even when I go on vacation, I find I have to cook certain recipes for different amounts of time due to different ovens (or microwaves or even outside temperatures and elevations). And it can take a few times of trial and error!
We always had themed parties when I was a kid. We (and by we, I obviously mean my mom) even hired Disney characters to show up and play with all the kids. We had a cake lady who made the most amazing cakes for us…always in accordance to the theme, of course! I can’t wait to plan my kids’ birthday parties one day. Beans might secretly be on the menu. 😉
That’s so sweet of the little girl to have wanted your blondies for her birthday instead of cake! It’s so cute <3 I can't even get my little sister to try a bean based blondie/brownie. I think they're delish, and THESE look amazing. I love anything with PB in it.
Oh I remember me birthday parties…I never enjoyed them, really. I don't get along with the members of my father's side of the family, so that was always uncomfortable feeling. I remember having everything from Barbie themes to Dragonball Z when I was a little older (I was an anime geek ^-^). I ALWAYS had angel food cake with chocolate whipped cream topping…the one recipe in the world that I really really really wish could be vegan. I miss that cake…
OH MY GOSH! You TOTALLY made my day!! I admit I definitely did a little a happy dance when I saw the recipe picked!! Then, I pulled out my can of beans I’ve been saving and made them for an after lunch snack. All I can is YUM!! and Soooooooooooo yummy!! Just out of the oven it was like a warm gooey peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Thanks again for posting your awesomeness!! 🙂
I’m SO excited you already made them! Oh my goodness, you are fast! 🙂
Hey I wasn’t kidding when I said I couldn’t wait to bake them!! I was just wicked excited you posted today so I could make them on my lunch break while working from home! I just came back from a long walk and small dinner and oh my they are even better when they have cooled. These have definitely moved to the #1 spot of your Blondie recipes for me w/ snickerdoodle a very very close 2nd!! 😀
Do you think you will ever recreate unhealthy candy bars to healthy desserts? Not peanut butter cups, because there are a million of those recipes already, lol, but like Snickers and Kit Kats. Now that would be an awesome handout for Halloween!
A few weeks ago, I actually tried to recreate the Butterfinger. It was awful LOL!
I’ll keep trying, though :).
Mmmm, a healthy butterfinger would be awesome too! I hope you figure out an awesome recipe for that one!
These look yummy! I bet the kids didn’t know they were healthier goodies 😉
When I was really little, I had my birthday party combined with my older sister’s at the local bowling alley. Well, I think I was a little too young to be bowling, and I dropped the ball right on my toes! Needless to say, I got some good bruises and cried for quite a bit! 🙁 Nothing a little birthday cake can’t fix!
That sounds amazing!! I love the color they soak up from the jam. YUM! 🙂
Hi! I just stumbled across your blog the other day. Your recipes all look amazing, and I cannot wait to try a few!
I had a lot of theme parties, too, ranging from Winnie the Pooh, to Beatrix Potter, to American Girls, to the Simpsons. My mom always made the most amazing cakes to reflect the theme!
Aww I’m so glad you found me!
I wish I’d had a Beatrix Potter birthday! Peter Rabbit was my favorite… now I’m wondering why I never had one. Is it too late? 🙂
It’s never too late! Or you could wait until you have kids and live vicariously… 🙂
Soooo awesome! I laughed when i read the part about the kids and beans! When i was younger i was always sad I couldn’t have a pool party because my birthday was in February 😛
You just needed your parents to buy plane tickets for you and all your friends, so you could have a pool party in Hawaii! Come on, parents, that wouldn’t be too much to ask, would it? Just a few plane tickets?? 😉
Girl you know me so well. Up close, personal, and super gooey.
These look delicious Katie — no surprise that they were a big hit!
The best party I ever had was a peter pan one. Mum decorated all the rooms in the house with a different theme, we had a fairy’s grotto with fairy lights and sweets on strings, the pirates cave full of gold chocolate coins and in the bathroom we played fish for the crocodile eggs (ping pong balls) to win prizes!! I have no idea where she got so creative! x
That has got to be the cutest idea ever! I’m writing it down… who says you can’t throw a grown-up Peter-Pan party, right? After all, they never grow up :). Your mom is a genius!
Hey Katie! If you have a list of reader suggestions, could you add, “healthy icebox cake” to it? I LOVE icebox cake but I would love a vegan/ possibly lower calorie version ever more.
I have actually never had icebox cake… I don’t even know what it is! I’ll have to google it!
It is very chocolately… so I think you will like it 🙂 I’m pretty sure you could substitute the heavy cream with silken tofu, but I trust your experimentation more than mine!!
You had me at chocolate! 😉
Wow. I’ve been on a PB kick lately…so these look fantastic! Sometimes I just can’t help but dip my spoon right into the PB jar..it’s horrible!
I do the same thing! It’s bad. I’ve expanded to rotating between my peanut butter and almond butter.
I just realized that you have seem to have an obsession with blondies. A wonderful obsession–keep the recipes coming!!