Breakfast Blondies – a Guilt-Free, Gluten-Free & Vegan Recipe
I have a friend who once joked I should start a blog called “Preheat to 350” – not only because that was my go-to temperature, but also because I frequently had something baking in the oven. Every week I would make gluten-free, dairy-free, and usually egg-free baked goods – crackers, breakfast muffins, flat bread, and other treats.
Then I moved to Arizona. And there were many reasons to love the heat of the Arizona desert. However, most of the year we kept the house at around 82°F which did not instill in me a desire to add even more heat by turning on the oven to bake. So while I would occasionally make flat bread, most of my former go-to recipes languished in a binder waiting to be rediscovered.
And then we moved to Missouri and winter came. And all of the sudden I longed to be baking again. To preheat the oven; to stir together various flours that combine to create unique, nutritious and wholesome recipes. As I started pulling out my old go-to recipes, I had to remember where I might have made adjustments in the past. Regularly baking these recipes meant I didn’t take careful notes when I made changes.
I also realized that I wanted to tweak some of the recipes to reduce the fat and oil content and bring a little more nutrition to them – if I am going to have a blondie for breakfast, it needs to give me the energy to get through my morning. (And let’s be honest – if there are baked goods in the house, especially this time of year, they are my go-to for breakfast.)
Never return a tupperware empty
I had a friend’s tupperware as she had brought over something to contribute to a dinner we hosted recently. (Actually it was a glass Snapware container – which I had never used but fell in love with while it was in our fridge and I would highly recommend if you are in the market for new food storage containers.)
My mother taught me that you never return a tupperware empty – you always put something delicious in it upon return. Since this friend is also gluten- and dairy-free, I knew this was a great opportunity to dust off my Breakfast Blondies recipe – it can be made in two 8”x8” baking dishes so it is easy to have some to share and some to keep for yourself!
The inspiration for these breakfast blondies
If you are having trouble finding some of the ingredients listed locally, you should be able to purchase most of the dry ingredients through Thrive Market for delivery right to your front door.
The art of gluten-free baking
If you are new to gluten-free baking, I want to emphasize that this is a little more art than science when compared to traditional baking. Different flours (and different brands of the same type of flour) absorb liquid at different rates.
I have provided measurements in both traditional measuring cup amounts as well as the weight. Regardless of the measurement method you use, you will still need to add in the milk in small amounts until you reach the proper consistency. I have included a few photos in this post of the dough to give you an idea of what you want it to look like. If in doubt, I always err on the side of adding a smidge more liquid (you can always add a dusting of flour if you go to far) to prevent the blondies from becoming too dry during baking.
Storing the blondies
The original recipe suggests you cut and individually wrap the bars in foil after baking then place in a freezer bag and keep in the freezer pulling them out to thaw as needed. I have never done this. It would probably be good for my self-control. But both Adam and I have a sweet tooth so these never last long enough in the house to need to be frozen.
I also have a tendency to share these as I find they are enjoyed by people even those who don’t usually eat gluten-free or vegan. I do however keep these in the fridge. Just make sure you remove them from the baking dish once cooled but before placing in the fridge. Since coconut oil becomes solid in the fridge, they are much easier to get out of the dish at room temperature than they are cold!
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!
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Guilt-Free Breakfast Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sorghum flour (165 g)
- ½ cup millet flour (85 g)
- ½ cup potato starch (95 g)
- 1 cup quinoa flakes (100 g)
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp finely ground himalayan pink salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice
- 1 ½ cups coconut sugar (225 g)
- ⅓ cup coconut oil (80 g) - measure using a solid measuring spoon, not a glass liquid measuring cup
- ⅓ cup applesauce unsweetened (85 g) - measure using a solid measuring spoon, not a glass liquid measuring cup
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
- 4 Tbsp warm water
- 4 Tbsp non-dairy milk I like coconut or almond milk - the kind in the carton, not the can
- ½ cup chocolate chips (75 g)
- ½ cup dried fruit (70 g) cut in bite sized pieces if using larger fruit
- ½ cup chopped nuts (50 g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.
- Lightly grease two 8x8” baking pans (for thinner blondies) or one 9x12” pan (for thicker blondies) with coconut oil.
- Using a fork, stir together the sorghum flour through coconut sugar. Ensure all ingredients are mixed well and you have broken up any clumps of flour or sugar.
- In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, place the measured coconut oil and melt in the microwave. Check every 10 seconds and remove as soon as it is mostly clear and liquid. Add in the applesauce through vanilla, stir together and add to the flour mixture. Using the measuring cup (without rinsing), add the Ener-G Egg Replacer and 4 Tbsp of water and mix well to ensure all powder is dissolved. Add to the flour mixture and using your fork, stir to combine all ingredients.
- Your dough will most likely be too dry still at this point. Add in your non-dairy milk one Tablespoon at a time until your dough has reached the desired consistency. (Depending on the brand of flours you use, you might need more or less milk to reach the right consistency - gluten-free baking can be more of an art than a science.)
- Once your dough reaches a firm but moist texture - you are aiming for something like chocolate chip cookie dough, add in your mix-ins. Be creative here - the dough has a great mild spice profile and will complement a wide variety of fruits and nuts.
- Once all mix-ins are well distributed, drop your mixture into your prepared baking pan(s), wet your hands and use them to smoosh down the dough, achieving an even surface. If your hands start to stick, just run them under the tap again.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes if using the smaller pans and for 22-28 minutes if using the larger pans. Pull out when the blondies provide a little resistance when pushed. These are moist bars, so you might not get a clean knife or cake tester out of them even once they are done.
- Allow to cool, cut and remove from the baking pan and then store in the fridge, or wrap bars for individual freezing. Do not put your blondies in the fridge without removing them from the baking pan first - the coconut you used to grease the pan will become VERY solid in the fridge and make it almost impossible to get the blondies out of the pan cleanly.
Notes
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