Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Blondies

Gluten-free chocolate chip blondies that are chewy on the outside, gooey in the middle and crispy on top. It must be a miracle! Well not quite, but there is one secret ingredient to these blondies… ground almonds.

I can’t lie I’ve struggled with gluten-free flour in the past, most of my attempts have resulted in dry, heavy and crumbly bakes. It’s not a good look or taste. So when I had multiple requests from my followers to develop a recipe for gluten-free chocolate chip blondies, I had a little nervous feeling in my stomach, but I love a challenge and eventually decided to give it a go.

After lots (and lots and lots) of research, I came across a lot of discussion about almond flour being a great substitute for gluten-free flour. Well let me tell you something, almond flour is SO expensive and also very difficult to find. Ground almonds, on the other hand, can be found easily and cost a fraction of the price. Although they are basically the same, the texture is quite different. Almond flour is super fine and can make bakes a little dry, whereas ground almonds are more coarse and release more moisture when baked – making them perfect for blondies!

Ingredients (makes 9 blondies)

250g ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
120g unsalted butter
225g light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
50g white chocolate chips
50g milk chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 8x8inch square baking tray with greaseproof paper.

First combine the ground almonds and baking powder together in a bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl melt the butter in the microwave or on the hob until it turns to liquid. Add the light brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and mix everything together until combined. Now add the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips (save a handful for the next step) and fold the mixture until it comes together.

Transfer the mixture to the baking tin and spread it out into an even layer. Scatter the remaining chocolate chips on top.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The edges will be brown and the centre should be set. Cool completely in the baking tin before removing and slicing into 9 blondies.