Almond Butter Blondies with Walnuts and Currants

September 11, 2009 { }

I was a little confused and slightly intrigued the first time I saw a recipe for a blondie. Once I understood that a blondie is just a brownie without the chocolate it made sense.

Blondies seem to pop up all over the place. Maybe I grew up in a cave, or they’re just one of those things that never made it to Ohio, but I’d never had one in my entire life. (If you’re from Ohio and have ever lived elsewhere you know exactly what I mean.)

Like many things, I have to see something eight or ten times before I slow down enough to modify my ‘to cook list’ and make something else. (It’s the trademark of an obsessive home cook.) I must have hit my limit last weekend because I went on a blondie baking rampage – actually a quest for the perfect sugar-free, gluten-free blondie.

If you stop by Smitten Kitchen, Deb talks about all types of blondie possibilities. And Jill at hey, that tastes good made some fabulous peanut butter blondies. I looked at their versions and then put my own spin on them. After two batches that didn’t quite hit the mark, I stood in front of my pantry as I often do and looked for inspiration. Currants and walnuts with a little orange zest sounded like they might do the trick.

I always like to see how I can make things a little healthier without sacrificing flavor or texture. For this recipe, I reduced the butter and added some low-fat organic yogurt. I don’t eat peanut butter but I do love almond butter, which gave these blondies great flavor. The currants, walnuts, and hint of orange zest make for a more decadent, grown-up blondie while still having that fun, chewy texture.

This recipe has become one of my favorites. I’ve had one every night since I made them. I hope you like them as much as I do.

What are your best tricks for finding inspiration in the kitchen?

Fridays are even more fun with so many great blog carnivals….stop by and see what’s going on at these great sites:

Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker’s
Amy’s Finer Things Friday
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Friday Favorites at Daily Dwelling

9.11 Anniversary

I woke up this morning and had to pause to remember all those who lost their lives that day, their families and friends, and all the heroes who helped with the rescue. I was overcome with a deep sense of gratitude for just being able to get up, breathe, and walk. Life is such a precious gift – sometimes I get do busy I forget all of the simple joys that are in front of me every day. Today, I remembered.

Print friendly recipe
Almond Butter Blondies with Walnuts and Currants
makes 12 cookie bars

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup organic low-fat yogurt
1/c cup almond butter
1 extra large egg
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup gluten-free flour blend
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup currants

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and butter or oil it.

Put the melted butter and agave in a medium bowl and mix on medium high until light. Add yogurt and mix thoroughly.

Microwave almond butter for 45 seconds to one minute, or until soft and slighty runny. Add almond butter, egg, vanilla, and orange zest and mix on medium low until incorporated thoroughly.

Sift gluten-free flour blend and salt together. Add to bowl in one addition and mix well. Stir in walnuts and currants.

Place batter in prepared pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a cake tester tests clean. Let cool on wire rack, remove from pan, and cut into 12 even squares. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

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Category: Cookies & Bars, Dessert
Tags: almond butter > blondies > currants > gluten-free > sugar-free > walnuts

Comments

24 Responses to “Almond Butter Blondies with Walnuts and Currants”

Phoebe @ Cents to Get Debt Free
September 11th, 2009 @ 9:29 am

These sound really good!

[Reply]
The Happy Housewife
September 11th, 2009 @ 9:30 am

Yum, the blondies look so good. I love blondies, pretty much any way they come… they are almost better than brownies, lol!
Toni

[Reply]
Cass @ That Old House
September 11th, 2009 @ 10:01 am

You are amazing and an inspiration! Your recipes are excellent, and I love your persistence in getting them JUST right.

And thank you for the reminder to be grateful. It is indeed a blessing to wake up this morning, 8 years after the terrible wound of Sept. 11th, and know we are still here, and still free.

Best… Cass

[Reply]
Geri@heartnsoulcooking
September 11th, 2009 @ 11:49 am

GREAT!!! blondies. Geri

[Reply]
angie
September 11th, 2009 @ 12:03 pm

these look and sound delicious they would make a great after school snack or dessert

[Reply]
Mary
September 11th, 2009 @ 12:35 pm

These look and sound incredible. While I’m not quite ready to swear off brownies, these are very tempting. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

[Reply]
Food on Fridays: Pizza Photo «
September 11th, 2009 @ 3:51 pm

[...] 1. Kitchen Stewardship (How Having Kids Changed the Way I Eat) 2. Hoosier Homemade( Breakfast Prep) 3. Sara (shrimp risotto) 4. Newlyweds (Gumbo) 5. Mother Hen (Potatoes and Ham – Yummy!) 6. Sentimentsby Denise (Pumpkin Smoothie) 7. Cents to Get Debt Free (Southwest Burger) 8. Simply Sugar & Gluten- Free (Almond Butter Blondies w/Walnuts & Currants) [...]
Alea
September 11th, 2009 @ 4:22 pm

These look delcious! I love that you include recipes with agave nectar. I have been able to figure out how to incorporate it in a few recipes, but love finding new ones!

[Reply]
Liz@HoosierHomemade
September 11th, 2009 @ 9:10 pm

Those look yummy! Awhile back I substituted dried cranberries for currants in a muffin, could I do that with these?
~Liz

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
September 11th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Yea, that would be great. Or cherries, raisins – any dried fruit would work.

[Reply]
Amy @ Finer Things
September 12th, 2009 @ 7:19 am

I love hearing the story behind all of your recipe creations. So… what do you do with the not-so-perfect batches?

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
September 12th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Oh gosh, how I hate to admit this to one of the blogosphere’s most thrifty moms…they usually go in the trash. Sometimes if they’re not bad I send them to work with Joe. Freezing is an option but if we didn’t want to eat them now we probably don’t want to eat them 2 months from now. The other thing about GF food is that the shelf life is usually shorter than non-gf foods. It gets dry really fast. I throw a lot less away now than I used to. And I have some tricks like no nuts or other more expensive ingredients until I get the batter right.

[Reply]
my year without
September 12th, 2009 @ 7:56 am

wow, i just found your blog and very happy i did! looks like we are on similar roads. i’m excited to peruse your site and try recipes. thanks for sharing!

[Reply]
Lauren
September 12th, 2009 @ 8:36 am

Yum! I love the idea of blondies, but have never really had a good one. These look like they could be that good one =D.

[Reply]
gfe--gluten free easily
September 12th, 2009 @ 8:44 am

Those look Sooo Dense and Decadent, Amy, but then you mention that you only eat one a day–that’s fantastic! I love treats that satisfy, but don’t make me wanting more and more. Mr. GFE is a huge raisin fan … I’ll have to make some for him with raisins.

Oh, and I can’t believe how many great Friday canivals there are. I’ve been participating in Diane’s Friday Foodie Fix (The W.H.O.L.E. Gang) as often as I can, but always learn about more roundups from you. They are well timed because Friday–when the work week is done–is usually when I want to get busy in the kitchen!

Thank you!
Shirley

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
September 12th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Most of the blog carnivals are not gluten-free but I have met so many neat people this way and learn so much about good food and presentation.

[Reply]
gfe--gluten free easily
September 12th, 2009 @ 8:46 am

I forgot to say thanks for the well-spoken reminder on 9/11 and counting our blessings. We must never forget and living life to the fullest is a way to honor those we lost that day.

Shirley

[Reply]
Alta
September 12th, 2009 @ 9:03 am

These sound yummy. Almond butter, currants, orange zest? Delicious!

[Reply]
Jenn
September 12th, 2009 @ 10:40 am

Those look delicious!! I wish I could find currants, for some reason they have been a bit hard to find for me…

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
September 12th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I buy them in bulk at Whole Foods or Central Market – they both carry alternative products.

[Reply]
Monica
September 13th, 2009 @ 6:14 am

These look yummy!! Thanks for linking up!

[Reply]
gfe--gluten free easily
September 13th, 2009 @ 1:46 pm

Just wanted to add that I usually freeze any failures and use them as crumb topping or to make crumb crusts. I note what they were lacking on the container, so I can add that if needed for whatever recipe, but sometimes the not sweet enough blondie experiment would be great crumb topping for a savory dish or an already sweet enough fruit dish.

Shirley

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
September 13th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
You are so creative!! That’s a fabulous idea. I would have never thought of that on my own.

[Reply]
Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen
September 14th, 2009 @ 12:18 pm

These sound delicious Amy! I am not that into chocolate, so I love blondies! Yours look so good, and chock full of goodness.

[Reply]

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Almond Butter Blondies with Walnuts and Currants

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