Whenever I think about brown sugar my brain automatically starts singing the Rolling Stones…
Brr-own Shoo-gar! How come you taste so good?
Do you ever do this? OK good. I’m glad I’m not alone.
So now we’ve got my embarrassing crazy brain stuff out of the way, let me tell you about these blondies.
They’re something I love to make for school lunchboxes because they tick a lot of boxes:
+ nut-free
+ quick to bake
+ keep well in the fridge for the week
+ secretly nutritious with protein from the eggs and fiber from the beans.
+ sweet enough to feel like a treat.
If you’re more of a brownie purist though, better to try these Magical Lunchbox Brownies instead.
- 1 can white beans 400g / 14oz
- 50 g / 2 oz quick oats or flour
- 100 g/ 3 oz oil
- 200 g / 7 oz brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 handfuls chocolate chips or white chocolate optional
- Turn your oven to 250C (480F). Line a rectangular tin approx 16x26cm (6x10in) with baking paper.
-
Drain beans well and discard the liquid. Place beans, oats / flour, brown sugar and oil in a large jug or bowl. Using your stick blender puree the beans (or you can do this in a food processor) or mash beans with a fork until as smooth as possible. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into your tin. Sprinkle over the chocolate chips / chunks (if using).
- When the oven is preheated. Pop the blondies in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes or until puffed up a little and set in the middle - you want these brownies cooked through. They should feel springy.
- Cool in the tin for at least an hour but preferably longer before cutting into squares. You can speed up the process by refrigerating. Cut into 12 pieces.
Variations & Substitutions
plan-B (pantry) – this is a pantry recipe!
no beans – butter beans or chickpeas work well too. You could replace with 250g (9oz) almond meal (almond flour) if the bean thing freaks you out :)
dairy-free -use dark chocolate chips.
gluten-free – use GF flour or replace with almond meal.
buttery – replace olive oil with melted butter.
sugar-free – replace sugar with golden stevia granules or your favourite sugar substitute.
less sweet – you could halve the sugar – but at the risk of the beany flavour coming though.
different sugar – white sugar works. You could use maple syrup (I’d reduce the eggs to 3 to make up for the extra liquid).
different topping – I love them with pecans or walnuts or almonds or sunflower seeds by my boys like the extra hit of chocolate best. A swirl of peanut butter is really good too.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
beans / oats or flour / brown sugar / olive oil / vanilla extract / chocolate chips – keep them all in the pantry.
eggs – will keep in the fridge for weeks or use for another meal.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! These are best when they’ve had time to chill in the refrigerator. Will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or can be frozen.