Cara shared a recipe for blondies by Marc Bittman, indicating some substitutions she made to make it a bit more healthy. I set out to try them, but along the way made a number of substitutions myself! I decided that chocolate brownies shouldn't be having all the fun, so I wanted to make blondies that incorporated some white beans (I picked on the can on navy beans in the cupboard). I then subbed out some of the AP flour for ground oats. I also included some of my usual subs - unsweetened applesauce for oil (though here I guess it is replacing butter - thanks to Cara for trying out this particular substitution!), and wheat germ for more of the flour.
The end result, while very tasty, was slightly more fluffy than I wanted... it wasn't quite as dense as I expected, and therefore, I'm not quite sure if it is really a blondie. It's a cross between a blondie and cake. Whatever you end up calling them, they sure are good! And NO, you can't taste the beans!
Light Butterscotch Blondies
Makes 16
~2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
~1 cup brown sugar (I actually meant to do 3/4 cup, and think you'd be fine that way, but I misread my own notes!)
~1 can navy beans, pureed
~1 snack size container of unsweetened applesauce (111g or 3.9 ounces)
~1 egg
~1 tsp vanilla extract
~1/2 cup oats, ground
~1/4 AP flour
~2 Tbsp wheat germ (or use an additional 2 Tbsp AP flour)
~1 tsp baking powder
~pinch of salt
~heaping 1/2 cup butterscotch chips (I weighed out 130 g)
Combine butter, brown sugar, and pureed navy beans, beat until smooth in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Beat in applesauce, then egg, the vanilla, incorporating each before adding the next. In a separate bowl, combine ground oats, flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to mix together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing with a spoon just until combined. Pour batter into an 8x8 pan that has been lined with parchment paper or sprayed with a baking spray such as Baker's Joy. Top with butterscotch chips. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool on a wire rack in the pan. Cut into 16 pieces once fully cooled.
Nutritional Information per blondie:
Calories - 135; Fat - 4 g; Sat. Fat - 2.7 g; Cholesterol - 17 mg; Sodium - 110 mg; Potassium - 53 mg; Carbohydrates - 23.6 g; Fiber - 1.3 g; Sugar - 18 g; Protein - 2.2 g
The end result, while very tasty, was slightly more fluffy than I wanted... it wasn't quite as dense as I expected, and therefore, I'm not quite sure if it is really a blondie. It's a cross between a blondie and cake. Whatever you end up calling them, they sure are good! And NO, you can't taste the beans!
Light Butterscotch Blondies
Makes 16
~2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
~1 cup brown sugar (I actually meant to do 3/4 cup, and think you'd be fine that way, but I misread my own notes!)
~1 can navy beans, pureed
~1 snack size container of unsweetened applesauce (111g or 3.9 ounces)
~1 egg
~1 tsp vanilla extract
~1/2 cup oats, ground
~1/4 AP flour
~2 Tbsp wheat germ (or use an additional 2 Tbsp AP flour)
~1 tsp baking powder
~pinch of salt
~heaping 1/2 cup butterscotch chips (I weighed out 130 g)
Combine butter, brown sugar, and pureed navy beans, beat until smooth in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Beat in applesauce, then egg, the vanilla, incorporating each before adding the next. In a separate bowl, combine ground oats, flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to mix together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing with a spoon just until combined. Pour batter into an 8x8 pan that has been lined with parchment paper or sprayed with a baking spray such as Baker's Joy. Top with butterscotch chips. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool on a wire rack in the pan. Cut into 16 pieces once fully cooled.
Nutritional Information per blondie:
Calories - 135; Fat - 4 g; Sat. Fat - 2.7 g; Cholesterol - 17 mg; Sodium - 110 mg; Potassium - 53 mg; Carbohydrates - 23.6 g; Fiber - 1.3 g; Sugar - 18 g; Protein - 2.2 g
Oh MY gosh! I don't even like butterscotch but this flavor combination sounds too good to pass up!! I'll have to make these for my mom next time I see her (she loves butterscotch) so I can eat some too! YUM!!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great recipe! I would have never thought of using beans to make healthy baked goods and I certainly would have expected a more denser result. Thanks for sharing this and I plan on trying this out soon! :)
ReplyDeleteI actually think I'd like a less dense blondie!
ReplyDeleteI have been told never to make brownies in a stand mixer, as they will become cake-like in texture, rather than brownie-like. So maybe that's the deal. I've never tested this theory, so it might be way off, but these look like they might be worth a second test. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, Marci! I will definitely have to try that!
ReplyDelete