Maple Pecan Blondies

Try these easy maple pecan blondies made with simple ingredients, including the secret star: beans! Full of maple flavor, this allergy-friendly dessert will have you scrambling for seconds before they disappear!

Do you remember the blind taste testing I did with my Black Bean Brownie Recipe?

Let me refresh your memory: I made those black bean brownies several times for several different people – my kids, my husband, and then his coworkers – and NO ONE had a clue they had beans.

And when I told them they did have beans, they were shocked!

So, I kind of did something similar with these maple pecan blondies.

And the results were delicious!

MAPLE PECAN BLONDIES

I first made them on a family vacation, where my husband’s entire family (15 of us) celebrated the whole week together in one big beach house in North Carolina.

At no point did anyone ask what was in them, and at no point did I tell them they were eating beans!

They were such a hit that out of a double batch (32 bars), there were only three left at the end of the night. THREE! And I may have snuck those for a treat the following afternoon…

Aside from being amazingly delicious, they’re also:

• Frugal. Beans and oats are some of the cheapest ingredients you’ll find!
• Lightly sweetened. Even with a yummy glaze, these are still a fairly low-sugar dessert option.
• Easy. Your blender or food processor does most of the work.
• Allergy-friendly. No flour in sight for my gluten-free friends, and easily made dairy-free as well!
• Full of maple flavor! For those of you who can’t get enough maple syrup on your pancakes, these blondies are going to knock your socks off!

BLONDIE RECIPE INGREDIENTS

The (awesome) bean factor aside, this maple pecan blondie recipe is the perfect balance between “healthy” and “dessert.”

• White beans. Look for navy beans or other small white beans. You can use canned beans of course, but cooking dry beans is cheaper and very easy! Slow Cooker Beans or Instant Pot Beans are my go-tos.
• Coconut oil. We use this in both the blondies themselves and in the delicious maple glaze. I use this coconut oil.
• Oats. We’re using rolled oats instead of traditional flour for a boost in nutrition…and because oats are generally REALLY cheap (just like beans!)
• Sweeteners. These blondies don’t have a ton of sugar either. We’re getting our sweetness from maple syrup and just a bit of brown sugar (I used Turbinado).
• Flavor boosters. Classic flavors like cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract help to round out the blondie recipe. Make your own vanilla extract with this recipe or use one of these substitutions. You’ll also need maple extract (more on that below).
• Leaveners. Both baking soda and baking powder help these blonde brownies rise.
• Pecans. Roughly chopped, the pecans add a crunchy finish to the top of the blondies. Chopped walnuts or other nuts would also be tasty.
• Glaze. Along with coconut oil, you’ll also need powdered sugar, maple syrup, a tiny bit of milk (or almond milk), and a pinch of cinnamon.

MAPLE EXTRACT

One ingredient the maple pecan blondie recipe calls for that you probably don’t have is maple extract.

Now, before you roll your eyes at me and say you’re not going out and spending all sorts of money on some ingredient you’ll only use once, let me tell you this.

Maple extract is…

• CHEAP. Like, $2 for the container, and right now, it’s much more affordable than vanilla extract.
• SO GOOD. No amount of maple syrup or maple sugar or anything else maple-flavored can even come close to the goodness of maple extract. Imagine the mapley goodness of pure maple syrup on steroids, then triple it. It’s even better than that.
• AT WALMART! I wouldn’t make you drive all over town for this stuff. Check the baking aisle at your local Walmart or Target or grocery store and get some maple extract. You will NOT be disappointed.

If by some strange chance, you aren’t completely addicted to these maple pecan blondies like I am, then you can use leftover maple extract in homemade granola instead of vanilla or in addition to the rest of your wet ingredients.

For real. If you want to eat granola that tastes like cinnamon brown sugar instant oatmeal, then hang on to that bottle of extract! Try it in Cinnamon Granola with Coconut or Cranberry Orange Granola. Yum!

Maple extract would also be delicious in Blueberry Baked Oatmeal – like all the goodness of pancakes with blueberries, without having to flip anything on the griddle!

INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO MAKE MAPLE PECAN BLONDIES

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 glass pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2. Measure coconut oil into a mug and melt in the microwave in 5-10-second intervals. Once it’s melted, set it aside to cool.

Step 3. In a food processor with a steel blade, combine all of the blondie ingredients, except the coconut oil and pecans. Process until the batter is very smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.

Step 4. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the melted coconut oil and process until it is fully incorporated.

Step 5. Pour the batter mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chopped pecans in an even layer on top and use a rubber spatula to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.

Step 6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the edges are cracked and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Step 7. When there are just a few minutes left on the timer, prepare the maple glaze by melting the coconut oil in a medium-sized bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together until the glaze is completely smooth.

If the kitchen is cool, the coconut oil might solidify, and you might have to microwave the glaze for a few seconds in order to get it to melt again – this is fine.

Step 8. When the blondies are done, remove them from the oven. Pour the maple glaze over the top, again using a spatula to evenly distribute the glaze.

Step 9. Set aside to cool completely to room temperature (about 2 hours). The cookie bars are ready to eat immediately, but they will retain their bar shape much better if you wait until they’re cool to cut them.

Store cut blonde homemade bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days…if they last that long! I have not tried to freeze this recipe but if you do, I suggest wrapping individual bars in plastic wrap and then storing in a freezer bag. Then you can pull out one at a time and stretch out the sweets!

Psst! Want to kick this up a notch? Try finishing this recipe with a pinch of finishing salt! You’ll get that yummy sweet and salty combo. I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)

MAPLE GLAZE FOR BLONDE BROWNIES

The dessert aspect of this blonde brownies recipe truly comes from the maple glaze. As written, the glaze MAKES the recipe. As in, that’s the part that’s addicting.

I’ve tested a batch where the maple glaze was cut in half and yes it was still very good, but definitely not as sweet. If you’ve been quitting sugar like us, you’ll probably want to halve the glaze.

If you aren’t quitting sugar and have no intention of doing so, then make the maple glaze as written.

I’d also suggest making it as written if you’re taking this dish to a potluck or party of some sort. If you’re anything like us, you’re probably the oddball when it comes to healthy food. Definitely don’t tell people it’s made of beans and make the full batch of glaze. Play it safe. And cross your fingers people don’t eat them all so you can finish them off later!

BEANS FOR DESSERT?

I know it sounds funny, but some of my most popular dessert recipes are made from beans! Don’t knock them until you give it a try!

• Classics: Black Bean Brownies // White Bean Blondies
• Seasonal: Pumpkin Swirl Black Bean Brownies // Pumpkin Pie Hummus
• Dessert Hummus: 5-Minute Chocolate Hummus // Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Hummus // Cake Batter Hummus // Snickerdoodle Hummus

BLONDE BROWNIES TIPS

I used my Blendtec blender with a twister jar to make this recipe. I can’t tell you how much I LOVE my blender. I use it for everything, like Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup, Green Maca Smoothies, Double Chocolate Waffles, and even making my own Oat Flour!

If you don’t have a high-powered blender, a food processor like this one will work too. The important part is making sure those beans get well blended so your people will never guess they are in there!

You can also use an immersion blender, but it’s a lot more hands-on than the other two methods, and it’s easy to miss a chunk of beans that way. Still, if that’s all that you have, it will work for these blonde brownies.

If you want to make blondies with other flavors, I suggest trying my White Bean Blondie recipe. You can use a variety of mix-ins! Butterscotch chips are classic, but also try dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips… or even small candy bits!!

RECIPE – BLONDIES FAQS

MORE DELICIOUS EASY DESSERTS

• Black Bean Brownies
• Triple Fudgy Paleo Brownies
• Healthy Jam Oatmeal Bars
• Nutella Collagen Protein Bars
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Have you made dessert with beans yet? If so, what’s your favorite recipe? If not, why not?! Share your stories – and fears – below!