sweet miscellany

Gluten free blondies flavored with tahini are swirled with a blueberry chia jam before being baked. These gluten free and vegan blondies are an updated and more flavorful take on the classic peanut butter and jelly pairing!

Once upon a time, I used to make giant batches of jam out of a copper jam pot. Hair tied back in a bandana and sweat on my brow, I would stand for hours on end nurturing my fruit along its journey from raw to thick, sweet, jammy goodness. The base of pretty much every batch I made was fruit, sugar, and lemon juice. Since they had to be shelf stable once canned, there was an ungodly amount of sugar involved. One of the only fruits that didn’t need any sugar (or lemon juice really) was the humble apple. So you can probably guess that making applesauce was one of my favorites. But I digress. Back to jam, and more specifically, blueberry jam.

Blueberries were one of the hardest to get to set correctly. I never used pectin for any of my jams and instead relied on the magic of sugar, heat, and lemon juice. Since blueberries are lower in pectin than a lot of fruits, they took much longer to cook and never quite reached the same jammy consistency as say strawberries or rhubarb. Now that I don’t have to worry about canning and all that jazz, I can rely on the power of chia seeds to thicken my jam for me.

Upon purchasing the first container of local blueberries this season, my mind immediately went to the idea for these blondies. I’m not sure why exactly. Maybe I had a hankering for a grown-up version of a PB&J. All I knew was that I wanted a blondie with a galaxy-esque swirl of blueberry jam. Since there was no need (or want) to add a bunch of sugar to the jam to thicken it, I decided to use chia seeds. Not only do I get a nicely thickened jam, but I get the added health benefits of the chia seeds. That way, one doesn’t have to feel bad for eating one (or three) of these 😉

Tahini Blondies with Blueberry Chia Jam Swirl

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• Author: Courtney West
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 9–16 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Gluten free blondies flavored with tahini are swirled with a blueberry chia jam before being baked. These gluten free and vegan blondies are an updated and more flavorful take on the classic peanut butter and jelly pairing!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

for the jam:

• heaped 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1–2 tsp maple syrup (or the sweetener of your choice)
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• small pinch of cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp chia seeds

for the blondies:

• 150g tahini
• 100g unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 170g maple syrup
• 100g sweet rice flour
• 80g teff flour
• 50g oat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

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Instructions

Start by making the jam. Put everything but the chia seeds in a small pan set over medium heat. When the berries start to release their juices, mash them gently to help them break down. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to thicken and look jammy. Taste and add a bit more sweetener if you like. Remove the jam from the heat, stir in the chia seeds, and set it aside to cool and set.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 8×8 square pan then line it with a piece of parchment paper leaving an overhang on the sides. This will make it easy for removal later on.

In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the tahini, applesauce, vanilla, and maple syrup. Mix until smooth and all of the ingredients have been incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients, then slowly begin to incorporate them into the wet ingredients. You should have a smooth and thick dough resembling cookie dough. Dump the dough into the prepared pan, then smooth it into an even layer with a spatula or damp fingers.

Put dollops of the cooled jam onto the surface of the dough. Then, use a knife or spatula to create swirls through the top of the dough. Bake the blondies for 23-25 minutes or util the top has turned golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Allow the blondies to cool completely before removing them from the pan and slicing them.

Makes 9 to 16 blondies depending on how large you cut them. Keep leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

• If you don’t need to make these gluten free, you can experiment with using wheat or spelt flour. Use the same amount by weight as the other flours (230g) and if it seems too dry, add a bit more applesauce.
• You can use blackberries in place of the blueberries if you like.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Category: dessert