IMG_1040Matt and I stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up a few things, and we went our separate ways in the store like we usually do. When we met at the cash registers, I had a bag of fingerling potatoes, some limes, a bottle of sesame oil and 4 cans of light coconut milk. Matt had a six-pack of beer and a package of Maple Walnut Blondies. When I asked him if they were vegan, he gave me his sad face and said he hadn’t had a maple walnut blondie since he was a kid, when his now-deceased grandmother used to make them in Stark, KS. He played the dead grandmother card and I folded. I have to confess that when we got home I did try one and they were delicious. Here is my vegan version that Matt says comes really close to the ones his grandmother used to make.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Maple Walnut Blondies
 

Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white)
  • ¾ cup turbinado sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1½ cups walnuts
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup, plus 1 Tbsp, canola oil
  • ⅓ cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp dark molasses

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Process one cup of the walnuts in a food processor until ground. Add this to the dry ingredients, along with a ½ cup chopped walnuts.
  3. In another bowl, combine the canola oil, milk, vanilla, maple syrup and molasses.
  4. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Batter will be thick.
  5. Spoon into a greased 8-inch square pan (smooth out the top) and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool before serving.