Strawberry Blondies-Gluten Free and Vegan

If you like blondies, you will love these hearty strawberry blondies that I made with local organic strawberries that were big, plump, sweet, and juicy.

I bought 2 pints yesterday and after eating quite a few of them, I decided to bake my strawberry blondies for my grandkids who are coming to dinner tonight. (We will be eating outside on the deck and six feet apart.)

You may be familiar with cookie or brownie recipes that call for peanut butter. This recipe actually calls for sesame tahini! I have to admit that this is an unusual, yet very tasty recipe.

I only make this recipe during the strawberry season when strawberries are reasonable and plentiful.

Like all of my recipes, this recipe is easy to make and doesn't require a mixer. I blend the wet ingredients in my blender and then pour the wet ingredients into the dry mix and then mix with a fork.

It bakes in a brownie pan and makes 12-18  blondies. I use this baking pan (affiliate link) which is nonstick and divided for me.

I don't bake often, but when I do I really appreciate the ease of using a special brownie pan (affiliate link). I use it for brownies, cakes, and instead of cupcakes.

These blondies are so good that the only way I think you could improve the taste would be to add some chocolate chips to the batter. Yum! They are dense as opposed to white flour light and fluffy cakes. So if you like higher fiber foods, these blondies are for you.

Don't let the tahini scare you off. It gives the brownie a nice moist texture and the flavor is very mild. In fact, I cannot detect the taste of the tahini at all.

Tahini is a staple in many Middle Eastern countries.

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed or chia seed
6 tablespoons of water
3 bananas
1/2 cup of nut milk
1/4 cup of tahini
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 cups of gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill all-purpose flour)
1/4 cup of gluten-free organic peanut butter powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 and a half cups of sliced strawberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Since this recipe is vegan, I first make a "vegan egg" which can be made using ground flax or ground chia seeds. Combine 2 tablespoons of ground seeds to 6 tablespoons of water in a mug and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes until it becomes gel-like.

While the "vegan egg is developing," add bananas, nut milk, tahini, and vanilla to a blender and blend until smooth and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add gluten-free flour, being a powder, peanut butter powder, and mix well with a fork. Then add the blender mixture and the "vegan egg" to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until blended but not overly blended.

Pour into a brownie pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove from oven when a toothpick comes out clean-allow to cook before removing from the pan.


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This post is shared on Weekend Cooking which is hosted by The Intrepid Reader every Saturday where anyone can share a food-related post.