When a friend from out of town was visiting, a group of us were getting together for a night out. Not wanting to show up empty handed, I decided it was the perfect time for another experiment in baking with Greek yogurt!
I decided that I'd do a variation on my classic blondies, replacing calorie-, fat-, and sugar-dense white chocolate with Chobani's Plain 0% Greek yogurt as the flavor base. Instead of a fattening artificial bar, we'll get a high dose of protein in this sweet snack!
This recipe is also updated in that instead of butter or a butter-substitute, I used coconut oil and applesauce. I was a bit nervous, but this worked very well.
Next, I'll work on weaning out the sugar altogether. The butter-subbing and swapping in honey for half the sugar was enough experimentation for this round; next time I'll try losing all the sugar (although only 1/3 cup ain't so bad!). I might also try swapping out the whole-wheat flour for a gluten-free and/or paleo-friendly "flour" ! Always trying to make smarter choices...
Overall though, these are definitely a healthy improvement over the pumpkin version of the blondies. Plus, they taste GREAT! If you really want a dessert rather than just a snack, go ahead and toss in some dark chocolate chips. Couldn't hurt :)
Using the Greek yogurt was such a great addition; it really smoothed out the batter and yielded a unique denseness, which contributed to my naming them "bites". After a few disappointing attempts at inventing recipes with Chobani (baking really is a science, and I'm no scientist!), I'm glad this one was a tasty success.
Pumpkin Dough Bites
Makes 8 brownie-size pieces or 16 square-inch"bites"
Ingredients
- 6 oz Greek yogurt (here, I used Chobani Plain, 0%)
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp applesauce
- 2 "eggs" - I used 2 Tbsp flaxseed + 6 Tbsp water. Combine and let sit for a few minutes before using.
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (about 1/2 can) pumpkin.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a pan (I usually use 8x8, but when that was not available, I used the loaf pan pictured above) with nonstick oil (I rubbed with coconut oil).
- Mix together the oil, applesauce, pumpkin, and yogurt.
- In a large bowl, combine honey, sugar, vanilla, "eggs" (flaxseed+water), and beat together.
- Pour and stir the flavor mixture (step 2) into the large bowl and mix.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the dry mix into the large bowl and stir until all the ingredients are combined and a smooth batter has formed.
- Spread into the pan and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool before cutting and serving.
Wow that texture looks seriously perfect. My pumpkin things never look this nice because I dump like a cup of cinnamon in.. :)
ReplyDeleteOoooo looks so pretty! I'm not always a pumpkin fan, but this looks quite good. :)
ReplyDeleteThese look great! I'm a huge pumpkin nut - and an even bigger Greek yogurt lover! I definitely want to make this :)
ReplyDeleteTotally pinned these...and I will be making them. They look delicious!
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