“You can’t have your cake and eat it too” – People who obviously don’t understand how cake works. (lol)
Say hello to my latest and greatest creation, Cake Batter Blondies.
I seriously cannot tell anymore if time is moving super slow or super fast, but SOMETHING is happening. In a few short weeks, less than a month actually (wow), I will be graduating from college. FINALLY. Yip-to-the-ee! It truly will be the end of an era. Seriously, I was there for five whole years, so this is a big deal. (hahahaha) It is kind of crazy, kind of exciting, but mostly crazy-exciting that I am almost finally done with undergrad. And while my formal graduation is postponed until further notice for the healthy and safety of all, you can damn-well-guarantee I will be celebrating with a bottle of champagne and a thick slice of cake the weekend of. I am throwing my own graduation, and you’re invited to celebrate by baking some of these blondie bars.
This particular bake came to be due to a fun class project I had to tackle last week. E-learning is weird, but E-learning a food service operations class is even weirder. It’s basically like playing the Nintendo game Cooking Mama for college credit. HA. Just kidding. It is way, way more complicated than that. This project entailed taking a recipe of your choosing, modifying it to fit desired health parameters, and creating a bulk recipe and production schedule for your ~employees~ to carry out. I am not going to lie, I chose to modify Hummingbird High’s Birthday Cake Blondie because I was craving a blondie and I found some sprinkles in my cabinet. As I have said before and I will say again, my recipes have quite the peculiar origin stories. While this recipe was incredible, I really had to switch her up a bit to meet some more desirable nutrition outcomes. I decided to try and make a blondie recipe with a similar concept, but less total calories, fat, carbohydrates, and added sugar. I was totally unwilling to sacrifice on blondie flavor and texture for health, so I didn’t. And these were born. Boom.
This recipe is rainbow-fueled, health-forward, dessert-deliciousness. It requires only one bowl to make, designed with my fellow lazy bakers in mind. My biggest pet peeve in the world is having to clean a billion different bowls, mixers, whisks, spoons, etc. for a simple baked goods recipe. That is just not the case here. This recipe is for the folks who love the process and outcome, but hate the clean-up. Fun Fact: While cooking/baking, I am fully unable put the lid back on something I open after I open it. This habit drives those closest to me a little batty. To those that have fallen victim to this, I apologize. I am a whimsical baker who cannot be bothered to put the lid back on the maple syrup or cinnamon. I am who I am, and I am wonderfully flawed. Deal with it! But also, thanks for dealing with it. You know who you are. *winkwink*
My blondies are made of simple, wholesome ingredients like cashew butter, honey, coconut sugar, and almond flour. The sprinkles add a flair of childhood whimsy and funfetti-forward-flavor. I mean, we are talking levels of flavors here people. LEVELS.
So, enjoy my homework assignment. Nothing left to say but ready, set, bake!
Cake Batter Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy cashew butter or almond butter
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cashew butter, eggs, honey, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth.
- Fold in the coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and 3 tbsp of the sprinkles. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining tbsp of sprinkles on top.
- Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out relatively clean. Allow bars to cool for 10-15 minutes, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to use a ~creamy~ nut butter when making this recipe. It should be pretty drippy/runny to achieve the blondies desired consistency. Trader Joe’s has the most perfect almond butter / cashew butter for this recipe. Both are stellar, but I would def recommend the cashew butter for these blondies.
Feel free to customize this recipe by throwing in some more sprinkles, mini chocolate chips and/or toffee bits. Take it from cake batter to birthday cake real fast with a layer of frosting of your choosing. The options are truly limitless, so get creative. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. As always, tag me in your baking adventures on the ‘gram at @mads.eatz. You rock, these cake batter blondies rule, and I think we are all gonna have a super awesome week. I can feel it. So, get to baking!
XOXO, Mads
P.S. I am well aware that these are uncertain, scary, and anxiety-inducing times. If you ever need someone to talk to, I am here. Reach out to me through this platform or my Instagram and I will get back to you as quickly as possible. I am one direct message away, and I care. I promise. You are never a burden to anyone and your feelings are valid, whoever you may be. So, reach out! We all need a friend right about now, and a (virtual) hug or two. Or like ten. But you get it. Hope to hear from you soon.
I’m Mads taste tester and these r fab. Everyone at worked liked them too.
What is the health benefit in using coconut sugar versus cane sugar? I’m being serious here (for once)!
Coconut sugar has less fructose than regular cane sugar and is lower on the glycemic index! Meaning, it is less likely to cause a spike in blood pressure as sugary treats like to do. While calorie wise it is the same as cane, it is a better alternative in some aspects! If you do not have coconut sugar however, feel free to use regular or brown sugar!