½ cup all-natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
⅓ cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar (you can also use honey if you're not vegan)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg (optional, if you’re not vegan)
⅓ cup and 2 tablespoons chocolate chips (vegan or regular)
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and spray 8 x 8-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a food processor, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Tip: You can add an egg at this stage to make the blondies more cake-like. However, if you add an egg, the blondies will no longer be vegan. The blondies are good either way, so it’s your choice!
Fold in ⅓ cup of chocolate chips The batter will be thick.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top. Tip: The batter may stick to your spatula, so I like to spray my spatula with nonstick cooking spray first.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny bit brown. The batter may look underdone, but you don't want them to dry out or burn!
Cool pan for 20 minutes on wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt then cut into squares. Store covered in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
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