Gooey, gluten-free pumpkin chickpea blondies perfect for spooky season!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This recipe was for an Instagram paid partnership with Hamilton Beach to promote their food processor.
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About these pumpkin chickpea blondies
I’ve always loved chickpea blondie bars ever since I tried Chocolate Covered Katie’s chocolate chip chickpea bar recipe back in 2016. It made me realize that indulgent treats can come in gluten-, dairy-, and egg-free versions, while still remaining super yummy. That single recipe opened up my eyes to vegan + higher protein baking, which I’d love to incorporate more in the future.
Over the years, I’ve adapted her recipe a and formed my own base recipe, which is still gluten-, dairy-, and egg-free. And since it’s now spoopy season, I thought I’d adapt my base recipe into this pumpkin one!
These pumpkin chickpea blondies are oooooey gooey, soft, and very easy to make. I pretty much dumped all of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) into a food processor and pureed them for about 10 seconds! Then, I transferred the batter into to a prepared pan, then baked for 30 minutes.
After baking the blondies, I decorated them by adding ghosts using marshmallow fluff + melted chocolates. I recommend this method if you’re going to eat the blondies soon—if not, the ghosts will melt over time! Instead, you can always use melted white chocolate or even pre-made frosting from the store for the ghost design.
FAQ
Are these gluten-free and vegan?
For the blondies, oats are used instead of flour, so it is gluten-free. There’s also no eggs or dairy. I opted in to use dairy-free chocolate chips.
However, the marshmallow fluff does contain egg whites. You can opt for using a vegan white chocolate brand, like Pascha Chocolate, or a vegan frosting.
Does it matter which type of oats I use?
You can use either rolled or quick oats. I’ve tried both with great success!
Can I use a blender instead of food processor?
If you do not have a food processor, you can try using a high quality blender. The downside to a blender is that the batter might not fully blend evenly, and may leave you with large chunks of chickpeas.
Do I have to add peanut butter?
If you have a peanut allergy, feel free to swap in a different nut or seed butter. Seed/nut butter is necessary for binding the ingredients together and creating a gooey consistency.
What else can I add to these blondies?
For this recipe, I added dairy-free chocolate chips. You can add in M&Ms, pretzels, Oreos, or gluten-free/dairy-free versions of those!
Why are my marshmallow fluff ghosts are melting?
I recommend adding the marshmallow fluff design right before eating. Otherwise, they will melt in about 30 minutes. For longer-term storage, you can always use melted white chocolate or pre-made frosting from the store.
Tips for baking and decorating
Use a kitchen scale
I always like to measure my ingredients with a kitchen scale for consistent, accurate results. But if you’re measuring with cups, make sure you follow this tip: gently spoon ingredients into the cup until it’s full, then scrape the excess off using the back of a knife or offset spatula.
If you scoop the cup directly into the ingredient container (PB jars, oatmeal containers, etc.), the ingredients may get compacted, and you will be adding in more than necessary. On the other hand, if your ingredients are clumpy, you could be adding in chunks of them into the cup with gaps in between them, possibly adding less than required. These instances can cause cakier or denser bakes, since the proper ratio of dry:wet ingredients isn’t met.
So, for best results, use a scale. If you don’t have one, gently spoon and level the ingredients into your measuring cup!
Storing the pumpkin spice blondies
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Other cute recipes
For other cute bar recipes, check out this page!
I really hope you enjoy this recipe. If you make these easy pumpkin bars, I’d love to see them. You can tag me at #bitesbybianca / @bitesbybianca on Instagram. Enjoy!
Ghost Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies
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Ingredients
For the blondie bars:
- 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp salt
For the mix-ins:
- ½ cup chocolate chips, plus more for topping; can sub in M&Ms, Oreos, pretzels, etc
For the ghost decorations:
- ½ cup marshmallow fluff OR ¼ cup melted white chocolate, see notes
- 2 tbsp milk chocolate chips, melted
- oil-based red or pink food coloring, optional
Instructions
For the blondie bars:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- In food processor, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips.
- Puree until smooth, about 10-15 seconds.
- Remove the blade and fold in chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
- Transfer batter to lined baking dish and smooth out the top using a rubber spatula or bench scraper. Sprinkle on extra chocolate chips.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs.
- Let completely cool, about 1 hour.
For the ghost decorations:
- Slice blondies into as many servings as you want. I cut them into 9 squares.
- You can use a piping bag or ziploc bag with the end cut off for the decorations.Use marshmallow fluff or melted white chocolate to pipe on ghosts. Save any extra if you’d like to add blush.
- Add faces using melted chocolate chips.
- Dye remaining marshmallow fluff or white chocolate with red or pink food coloring. Use this as blush.
- Enjoy!