Ok, I'll admit it. I'm addicted to nut butter. So instead of just eating it straight out the jar (we need to mix things up!) I've created an indulgent-tasting snack, or after lunch treat. These Nut Butter, Chocolate & Blueberry Blondies do just the job. Full of protein from the nuts, minimal sugar but with some dark vegan chocolate for that chocolate-lovers kick. As they are flourless they have a brownie (well, blondie in this case) like texture, and the blueberries give an extra fruity sweetness. Oh, and they happen to be gluten free!
I like to make a batch of these & chop them up to keep in the freezer, so when I need a snack and fancy something homemade I have the perfect treat. What makes them such a good snack are the nuts - the almond flour, the nut butter, and the salted peanuts - as they are full of protein and good fats which is great for an energy burst and to keep you going. Any nut butter & nut combo will work here. It depends which you are most addicted to!! Of course you don't have to use salted peanuts (I love the saltiness to add to the indulgence) but plain peanuts or any other nuts will be just as delicious.
Chocolate seems to end up in most of my treat or sweet recipes - again, self-declared addict! But if it's not your thing, you can leave it out and and add extra nuts or even some dried fruit. I used dark chocolate - I love the taste and it's the most healthy. But if you wanted to use vegan mylk chocolate or even a white chocolate (Sainsburys does one of these in their Free From section) that would also be yummy!
To hold these together, I have used linseed egg. If you don't have linseed, then chia seeds will work too, however, they will give a darker colour to the finished product.
Lastly - the berry layer. This gives it a lovely colour and sweetness & tang from the fruit. Any berries will work for this - blueberries, raspberries (a bit of a tart flavour though), mixed berries… Again, it's all about what you love best. You do you!
Enjoy these Nut Butter, Chocolate & Blueberry Blondies with your cup of tea, on the go or just because you need your nut butter fix right now!
📖 Recipe
Flourless Nut Butter Snack Bars with Chocolate and Blueberries (gluten-free)
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
Berry Sauce Topping
- 180 g frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup / coconut nectar / coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Main Base Layer
- ½ cup (75g) vegan dark chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup (75g) Salted peanuts (optional) (or use any nut)
- 1 cup (100g) ground almonds / almond flour
- 1 cup (275g) smooth peanut / almond butter (any nut butter will work)
- 5 linseed/flax eggs (5 tablespoon milled linseed mixed with 10 tablespoon water)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (50g) maple syrup / coconut nectar / coconut sugar
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk / water
Instructions
Berry sauce topping
- Put the berries and water in a small saucepan on a medium heat. Let them cook for around 5 minutes, then add the 1 tablespoon of maple syrup / coconut sugar
- Cook for about 12 minutes altogether or until you have a thick sauce, but where berries are not completely broken down.
- Leave the sauce to cool while you make the rest of the bars
Main Base Layer
- Preheat oven to 180 C. Line a baking tin or brownie tray.
- Mix together the linseed/flax egg, nut butter, maple syrup / coconut palm sugar and vanilla essence.
- Then add the almond flour and baking powder to the mix, and combine well.
- Add the chocolate chunks and salted peanuts to the mix and combine (but keeping a small handful aside). Then transfer the whole mixture to the brownie tin.
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate and salted peanuts you kept aside on the mixture in the tin, and press them down.
- Lastly spread the berry mix across the top. Press down lightly with your hands.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
- Once cooked, leave to cool before cutting into bars.
- Store the bars in the fridge for up to 4 day (if you don’t eat them all immediately!). They can also be frozen for eating another time.
