Yesterday I saw a recipe for Maple Pecan Blondies on TheKitchn and for whatever reason they captured my attention and I had to make them. I had all the ingredients, or reasonable substitutes, so I whipped them up last night.
I took one look at the recipe though and decided that I wanted to cut back on the sugar (I halved it) and forego the glaze. I also try to use whole grains whenever I think a recipe won’t suffer from the conversion. In this case I used up the last cup of whole wheat pastry four I had laying around, and I filled out the rest with whole spelt flour. I also had a bag of pecan flour in my freezer that my mom gave me, so that stepped in for the chopped pecans. I didn’t have the maple candy, so I just left that out.
I’ve never made the original recipe, but this version is sweet enough for me and will definitely make repeat appearances. In fact, I was having some self-control problems with these delicious squares, so I brought them into the office to share them with my coworkers. That’s one way to exercise portion control.
Whole Grain Maple Pecan Blondies
Adapted from TheKitchn
Cut into 2″ x 2″ squares it makes about 30 servings.
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup whole spelt flour
1 cup pecans, finely chopped or pecan flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup grade B maple syrup
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that the ends fall over the long sides of the pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the flours, pecans, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl whisk together the melted butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, and fold together quickly until completely combined.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. It will be very thick. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the center is just barely cooked and wiggles a little if you shake the pan. Set the blondies aside to cool for at least an hour. Lift out of the pan using the parchment to lift them straight up. Cut into small squares to serve.
These are worth 4 points under the current Weight Watcher’s system if cut into 30 servings.