Okay, my gluten free friends, it’s your lucky day! These peanut butter chocolate chip blondies are delicious AND gluten free! The secret is that they omit flour altogether…so you get an incredibly rich little bite that everyone will love without gluten.
Now if you’re not living gluten free and you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, here’s the scoop. Gluten is a substance found in cereal grains (especially wheat) that gives baked goods their elasticity. It’s what gives French bread that amazing texture we love. There’s nothing inherently bad or dangerous about gluten, unless you’re someone who has an immune-mediated wheat allergy or celiac disease – in which case the consumption of gluten can trigger harmful reactions. For the rest of us, it’s take it or leave it when it comes to gluten. But for the people with these conditions (diagnoses of which are on the rise), it’s a substance to be avoided. Gluten free goods are popping up everywhere you look, but many of them are poor substitutes for their gluten-containing cousins.
Not these.
If you’re hosting a gluten free guest and don’t know what to serve for dessert or a little treat, these will do the trick. I also think they’d make a great playdate treat as long as you’re not also hosting a child with nut allergies. Peanut Butter, Honey and Chocolate – I mean how can you go wrong?
My only caveat is that these little babies are super-rich so I like to cut them into bite sized pieces to encourage a bit of discretion when it comes to portion size.
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Blondies
makes 9-12 blondies
Ingredients:
1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted peanut butter)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, honey, egg, salt and baking soda until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Pour the batter into your pan and spread out evenly. Smooth the top with a spatula.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown.
5. Allow to cool and cut into squares.