Loaded maple blondies
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Loaded blondies? Yes, these babies are loaded with stuff—as in cranberries, cherries, dates, toasted almonds and bittersweet chocolate. Blondies are often considered to be brownies without the chocolate, which I find kind of silly. Brownies really depend on chocolate for flavour, but the dominant flavour of blondies is brown sugar.
Despite the comparison, these blondies are a treat with their own unique personality. They are lightly sweetened with maple syrup rather than sugar, and each bite is different from the next thanks to the addition of dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. Think of them as a dessert that marries the chewy goodness of a brownie with the sweet additions of what you wish fruitcake could taste like, and then some.
I originally found this interesting take on a blondie while browsing through Gourmet magazine’s drool-worthy dessert photos. Of course, I made quite a few changes in order to swap out the butter, sugar and eggs, and I’m happy to report that it was a success. Enjoy!
PrintLoaded maple blondies
Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup drid cranberries
- 1/3 cup dried cherries
- 1/3 cup dried dates, chopped
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup unbleached AP flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup silken tofu (I use Mori-Nu)
- 1/2 cup sunflower or canola oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Directions:
- In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the dried cranberries, cherries and dates. Soak for 20 minutes, then drain well in a sieve.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, unbleached flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a blender or with an electric mixer, blend the tofu until smooth. Add the oil, maple syrup and vanilla and blend for another minute.
- Combine the tofu mixture and flour mixture. Mix in the dried fruit, chocolate chips and almonds.
- Spread the batter evenly in a 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature or freeze for future snacking.
