Chocolate peanut butter blondies (gluten-free)

Lightened, easy-to-make chocolate peanut butter blondies are also gluten-free, thanks to protein-rich quinoa flour.

I told you last week, in the context of my spicy Korean beef bowl, how I've become a big fan of quinoa over the past few years. One of the things I love about it is that, like many other grains, it's quite versatile; you can use it equally successfully in sweet baked goods as you can in savory suppers.

In fact, quinoa flour (basically just pulverized uncooked quinoa grains) is the key to making these chocolate peanut butter blondies gluten-free. Even if you don't need to eat gluten-free, these blondies are still your friend: all of our daily diets could use the extra protein and fiber that quinoa offers.

And how freakin' awesome is it that you can get it in a chocolate peanut butter blondie?

(Yeah, you're welcome.)

I like cutting these bars into a small size (16 per pan), so they seem less like a full-on dessert portion and more of a little pick-me-up snack when you're feeling peckish for something sweet (but not too sweet) in the middle of the afternoon.

Now, for what it's worth, I've never quite understood the origin of the term "blondie" -- I just assumed it was the opposite of "brownie", because they're lighter in color than traditional fudgy, chocolate-based brownies.

Is this true? (Clearly I haven't taken the time to Google it -- have you?)

Regardless,  I find blondies to be a cake-ier alternative to brownies, for those times when I'm in a less-chocolate-is-more kind of mood.

It's good to have options, right?

Do you prefer blondies or brownies? And can you solve my origin-of-blondies query? Leave a comment: The Ninj wants to know.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Blondies

(adapted from Eating Well)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup quinoa flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (I used half semisweet and half bittersweet)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving large flaps (a few inches) on each side for lifting the final product from the pan. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter until creamy, then beat in the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan (evenly).

Bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs on it (not quite clean). Let cool in the pan for about 40 minutes, then use the parchment flaps to lift the whole block out of the pan and on to a cutting board. Cut into 12 large or 16 small bars.

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