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 

1. 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).
2. Mix together the oil, applesauce, pumpkin, and yogurt. 
3. In a large bowl, combine honey, sugar, vanilla, "eggs" (flaxseed+water), and beat together.  
4. Pour and stir the flavor mixture (step 2) into the large bowl and mix. 
5. 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. 
6. Spread into the pan and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool before cutting and serving.