075 / 75 · Smaller Meals and Sweet Finishes

Apricot Chickpea Blondie Squares

9 squares from one 8 inch/20 cm pan;one square per stated serving · Active 20 min · Cook 30 min · Total 1 hr 40 min

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Blended chickpeas give these soft golden squares body, while almond butter, maple syrup and dried apricots provide the flavor. Ground oats absorb moisture so the middle sets without needing a large flour base. They are a small sweet finish, not a promise of a complete meal or a specially formulated protein bar. Cool and chill before cutting nine portions.

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Golden apricot chickpea blondie squares with small dried-apricot pieces and a softly set crumb.

Blend the beans until their skins disappear

Freshly opened canned chickpeas should be drained, rinsed and weighed as edible beans. Put them in the processor with egg, almond butter, maple and vanilla, then stop to scrape the sides before blending again. Visible chickpea halves make a very different bar. Do not add milk or water just to help a large blender work; use a compact processor with enough room for this batch. The mixture is deliberately thick, with the egg and syrup supplying its liquid. Taste only after baking, since the base contains raw egg.

Keep apricot pieces small enough for a square

Soft dried apricots are easier to cut cleanly than very leathery fruit. Chop into pieces about the size of a pea so every square receives some. Most are folded into the batter and the rest are pressed lightly into its top. This is a measured fruit quantity, not a separate garnish added after baking. Sulfured apricots are bright orange; check their package if sulfites matter to you. The oats are ground into coarse flour and mixed with baking powder, cinnamon and salt before joining the bean mixture.

Set, cool and divide

Spread the batter into a lined square pan and level the corners. A deep small loaf pan would leave a wetter center and needs a different clock. These bars remain softly moist, but the middle must be set without liquid batter and safely cooked. A short rack cool followed by a refrigerator rest makes them easier to lift and cut. Divide three by three into nine equal squares. One square is the estimate's serving, so two are two servings rather than the same number hidden under a different snack name. Keep the cut portions chilled and freeze later ones promptly.

Ingredients

  • 8 1/2 oz freshly opened canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (240 g edible weight)
  • 2 3/4 oz soft dried apricots, sulfured, finely chopped (80 g), divided
  • 2 1/2 oz rolled oats, ground into coarse flour (70 g)
  • 2 1/8 oz plain unsalted almond butter (60 g)
  • 2 large eggs, without shells (100 g)
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (60 g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml/5 g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
  • A small pinch fine salt (1 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1 g)

Set out

Kitchen scale, compact food processor with capacity at least 1 liter and spatula, 8 inch/20 cm square pan, at least 2 inches/5 cm deep, lined with baking parchment, Mixing bowl, knife, cooling rack and food thermometer, Refrigerator space for the pan

Allergens

Tree nuts (almond), Egg, Peanut (peanut-butter variation), Sulfites in sulfured dried apricots; check the actual package., Check oats, almond butter and baking powder for wheat or other cross-contact statements.. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line the square 20 cm pan with parchment, leaving lifting handles safely inside the oven clearances. Grind oats to coarse flour if needed. Chop apricots into pea-size pieces and reserve 20 g for the top, keeping 60 g for the batter.
  2. Blend all drained chickpeas with almond butter, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla in the compact processor until smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl. Do not add extra water or milk and do not taste the raw egg mixture.
  3. Mix ground oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Fold into the smooth bean mixture, then fold in the 60 g chopped apricots. Spread all batter evenly in the lined pan and press the reserved 20 g apricots lightly into the top.
  4. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the edges are golden and the center is set without liquid batter. A thin-tip thermometer in the center, away from a fruit piece, must reach at least 160°F/71°C. Continue baking if needed; the bars will remain softly moist rather than cake-dry.
  5. Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then refrigerate promptly for at least 30 minutes and until cold and firm enough to cut. Keep ambient cooling under 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Lift out and cut 3 by 3 into 9 equal squares. The 100-minute total includes the short rack cool and minimum chill; add time if still warm.

Save the later squares at the start

Nine small portions can last beyond the short refrigerator window, so freeze those already intended for later. Label one square as one recipe serving, and choose the number to suit the meal rather than treating the shape as a fixed training allowance.

A useful detail

The estimate is for one of nine squares and includes all chickpeas, nuts, oats, syrup and dried fruit. All 80 g apricot is allocated 60 g inside and 20 g top. Chickpeas are weighed after draining and rinsing; the base begins with a newly opened can. No oil or unmeasured icing is added to the lined pan.

Another way

  • Replace 80 g dried apricots with 80 g soft raisins, retaining the same split between batter and top.
  • Replace 60 g almond butter with 60 g plain unsalted peanut butter; this introduces peanut. The base estimate applies to almond butter and apricot.

Keep it well

Keep covered at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days, within any shorter ingredient storage instruction. Refrigerate promptly after the initial 20-minute cool. Freeze individual cold squares promptly for up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator. Carry chilled with two cold sources for a longer trip; cooked bean-and-egg bars are not shelf-stable just because they look like a baked snack.