Yep, chickpea brownies. You heard me. I have tried multiple verions of recipes for this, to create a healthier, lighter version of the old classic brownie – trust me, its been tricky! Another reason I decided to give these another go recently is because I’m currently trying to combat my hopeless addiction to Fulfil and Grenade protein bars…I know I’m not the only one who loves these! I usually have one of these bars most days of the week as my late morning snack on the go in work – they are my one exception in terms of processed foods. I decided that this year I would try to create alternative cleaner versions of a protein bar that I can take on the go, and these have ticked those boxes so far! Saying that, I won;t be giving up my Fulfils anytime soon…they are too damn good 🙂

So! These bars are super quick and easy to make, and the ingredients are easily sourced in any local supermarket with the exception of the protein powder!

Recipe (Makes 10-12 brownies):

Ingredients:

• 1 400g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 banana, mashed until liquid consistency
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (I use Meridians Foods Smooth Peanut Butter)
• 1 scoop of whey protein powder (I use My Protein Whey)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp raw cacao powder

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C (fan oven) and line an 8×8 inch baking tray (mine is about 1 inch deep) with grease-proof paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine the chickpeas, peanut butter, banana, baking powder, coconut oil, vanilla extract and cacao in a blender or food processor (I used my Nutribullet). You may need to shake up the mixture and blend again until liquid-like in consistency.
3. Place your protein powder scoop into a mixing bowl.
4. Pour the blended ingredients into the bowl with protein powder. Using a spoon, mix together until the powder is completely combined. Add a little milk at this stage if you feel it is too dry.
5. Pour the mix into your baking tray, and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean at this stage! I recommend checking at 20 minutes.
6. Leave to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then slice the brownies up! This makes 10-12 brownies!