A few recipe substitutions does not compromise the scrumptious flavor of this rich and chewy blondie recipe loaded with your favorite chocolate coated candies!
I hope everyone had a nice weekend and Father’s Day! We celebrated Father’s Day all weekend with lots of food and hang out time. On Saturday we drove about 30 minutes to eat at an authentic German restaurant. Pretzels, spaetzle, beer, and bratwurst were enjoyed by all. On Sunday we enjoyed brunch at a local fine dining restaurant. I enjoyed a three course brunch with a beignet, zucchini tart, and steak and eggs. I ALWAYS go for the waffle or pancakes when we brunch out. Unfortunately neither were available, but I may be onto something new. We will see, we will see……
On Sunday I was able to spend a bit of time in the kitchen doing some blog recipe testing. It did not go so well. Not only did I have ONE epic fail recipe creation, but I had TWO epic fails. No luck with this lady in the kitchen this weekend. My taste tester made me promise I would not share the recipes! Hopefully I will be able to revise the recipes and share soon. Hint: lots of hard boiled eggs were involved.
Due to the unsuccessful recipe creation attempts this past weekend, I had to resort to a recipe I created a few months ago. I have been saving it for just the right time and it looks like today it is! Editing the pictures for todays recipe of Lightened Up Chocolate Candy Blondies was pure torture. All I wanted to do was run in the kitchen and bake up a batch. My mouth was watering for the chewy – buttery – chocolate goodness. I promised myself I will make the recipe soon!
While I don’t believe you should deprive yourself of sweet treats – I typically do try to make some healthier recipe substitutions in my baked goods. In my last blondie recipe I “healthified” the recipe by adding white beans. Don’t worry there are no beans in this recipe. For this recipe I substituted a portion of the fat (butter) with some applesauce. This recipe substitution is not original and has been been around for a while, but it still works for me.
I usually try to reduce the sugar content in my recipes by at least 25 percent. It was a little more difficult in the recipe due to the desired chewy texture, but was able to keep the amount down. My taste buds just don’t desire the excessively overly sweetened desserts anymore. I can’t actually believe this sweet lover just typed that!
Another one of my typical baking tricks is to substitute a portion (or all if possible) of the white flour for whole wheat flour. I am obsessed with King Arthur’s 100% Whole Wheat Flour. In my opinion this whole wheat flour does not offer a bitter and grainy flavor that many competitors tend to provide.
If you wanted to save a few more calories with this recipe, substitute the chocolate candies with dark chocolate pieces or dried fruit. You could also just skip the add-ins all together. The brown sugar and butter offer a rich and scrumptious flavor alone. Yum-O!!
Better yet, if you wanted to serve at the upcoming Fourth of July parties try including red, white, and blue coated chocolate candies!
Enjoy!
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chocolate candies (such as M&M’s)
Nutrition: