Gooey inside, golden outside, extra thick Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Blondies! Made with hazelnuts, oats, flax, applesauce, and chocolate chips. Vegan, gluten-free, easy!
It was not my goal to make the hunkiest blondies you ever did see, but sometimes glorious gifts are just given from our ovens to us. And one and a half inches of hazelnut blondie heaven is like one of those gifts you didn’t even know you wanted but is better than your entire wishlist. My oven gets me.
With this amount of chip-filled chunkiness, is it even right to call them blondies? Ultra Thick Gooey Nutty Cookie Bars Bricks almost feels more appropriate. But Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Blondies feels more approachable, and this recipe is so EASY and un-intimidating I wanted the name to feel familiar too. Think: puppy sitting in a basket with a bow around it’s neck surround by a field of flowers level approachable. Wildly approachable.
If you are anything like me, your relationship with hazelnuts for most of your life didn’t extend much past chocolate hazelnut spread. Maybe the occasional nutty truffle here or there, but they don’t get nearly the attention almonds or pecans do. And personally I think they taste better than both. Yeah they’re a little pricey, but no more so than cashews by my very thorough standing-in-the-Trader-Joe’s-nut-aisle research. And the toasty flavor they bring to a batch of blondies is some seriously good stuff.
Instead of using hazelnut butter to make these hazelnut blondies, I used toasted hazelnuts ground up (with oats and flax) to make the “flour”. Hello hazelnut flavor and natural moisture. You could swap in other nuts here, but we both know hazelnuts + chocolate are very good together.
For the wet ingredients, you’ve got options: a) applesauce or b) nut/seed butter. Option A is more neutral in flavor, so the hazelnut really shines through. Option B makes them extra rich and buttery, but unless you make your own hazelnut butter most store-bought brands come with chocolate already in them which will turn these blondies into brownies. Almond butter or cashew butter tastes delicious as an easier alternative, but it will overpower the hazelnut flavor somewhat. I love both, so there’s really no wrong choice.
Sweetened with coconut sugar. Dessert-ed up with a little vanilla. Generously salted as any proper blondie should be. And then blondie bliss is just 30 minutes at 350 away. But this is an especially aromatic one while baking, so it won’t be a hard wait.
Blondies as thick as one blondie standing on top of another blondie with a center so chocolate-gooey and a crust so golden – they’re at the tippy top of your Things I Must Make list, right?
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Gooey inside, golden outside, extra thick Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Blondies! Made with hazelnuts, oats, flax, applesauce, and chocolate chips. Vegan, gluten-free, easy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cup (190g) roasted hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup (25g) flax meal (or whole seeds)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup (75g) coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup (180g) applesauce*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (60g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a high speed blender grind the hazelnuts, oats, and flax to a fine flour consistency.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce (or nut butter + milk), coconut sugar, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients along with the salt and baking soda. Stir to combine.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer to a baking pan (I used this 5×7″ glass dish) lined with parchment paper. Press flat, and sprinkle on a few extra chocolate chips.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F until golden brown on top.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
- Enjoy!
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
*Or 3/4 cup nut or seed butter + 1/3 cup non-dairy milk.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 305
- Sugar: 18g
- Fat: 17g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 6g
Keywords: easy vegan dessert, chocolate chip, cookie bars, blondies
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Blondies! Yes! I can’t wait to try these out!
Uh. . . is there anyway to make these nut-free? I know this sounds kinda silly considering that one of the main ingredients are hazelnuts, but I have friends with allergies.
If not, I just wanted to say that replacing the hazelnuts with peanuts would be kind of amazing. . .
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I made a batch with peanuts (great minds think alike😉) and yes AMAZING! But you can totally make them nut free, just use seeds instead. Hemp would be my top recommendation since they will add lots of moisture similar to the nuts, although if you do the non applesauce (with sunflower seed butter perhaps) version that’s not as necessary. Hope that helps!
I hope it’s not rude to ask, I’m just curious (new to your site), why do some of your recipes come with nutritional info but some don’t? Thanks, and sorry if this offends you.
Ah so sorry, I just forgot to add it to this one! Will add it in just a moment. And as of about 3 month ago all my recipes come with the nutrition info, but recipes older than that you will have to calculate it for yourself 🙂
Thanks Natalie! That’s very proactive of you!
Oh my goodness these look divine! I literally just ate one of your vegan vanilla cupcakes (AMAZING by the way!) and I’m not going to lie, I could probably polish one of these off as well 😂 these are going on my forever growing ‘Recipes to Try’ Pinterest board, for sure!
Haha vanilla cupcake followed by chocolate filled blondie sounds like the perfect snack pairing to me. I am so happy you liked the cupcakes, thanks for the feedback💕 I have an equally large to try pinterest board with mostly savory things (I try to cook, but honestly I am terrible at it😂), but somehow I always end up baking instead. Enjoy the rest of the cupcakes Shivani!
Looks amazing! But is it possible to make it both nut- and seed free? Can i replace it with some flour or anything like that? Xx
Hmm no seeds either? Can you do coconut? If so I would try all oats for the flour (go with 2 cups total instead of 2.5 since oats are much more dry than nuts) and instead of applesauce use 3/4 cup coconut butter. You need some kind of fat to keep them moist without the nut flour so I don’t recommend using the applesauce or they will be quite dry. Good luck!
Omg! Looks so good! Quick question, if i was to use walnuts instead, would I need to roast them too?
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Either way–roasted will have more nutty flavor, but un-roasted will work too😊
Thanks!! 😊
Can I use steel cut oats? Thanks!
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Sure! Since you are grinding them up anyways, any kind is fine😊
Thanks!
Can’t wait to try grinding my own hazelnut flour…such a good idea! Can’t wait to taste the hazelnut flavor in these bars!
It comes through so nutty and toasty, you should definitely try it! Cashew flour is pretty awesome too (if only nuts were cheaper😬 Ha!)
Oh yes, gimme all the hunky chunky blondies, please! That is how I like mine too, thick, don’t give me no skinny blondies, hahaha. And I love hazelnut and chocolate chips together, so damn good. These look so epic, super moist, super dense, fudgy and amazing…all of the above. And it can’t get any more simple than those awesome ingredients too. I have all those ingredients in my pantry as we speak. And I laughed at your comment about most people not having hazelnuts past chocolate hazelnut spread. Would you believe I’ve never even tried traditional dairy nutella? I’ve made a vegan version of it but I actually make some hazelnut chocolate chip cookies that I love even MORE than that hazelnut chocolate classic flavor….perhaps it’s because I can taste the hazelnuts more..who knows. Either way, I won’t say no to them either being the star or submerged in chocolate, haha. The texture on these babies looks fantastic and perfect. I’ve found the perfect use for my hazelnuts now!
Oh yes, gotta have that blondie heft lol. 8×8″ pan…HA. I need like a 6×6″ square pan to use for brownies because otherwise they always come out too thin. I mean I guess I could just make more batter, but these measurements are so nice and neat as is😊 Really, you’ve never had nutella?? I honestly didn’t try it until later in life and was not a huge fan, but if we’re going to get a little spendy and go for the rawtella that stuff is crazy good🙌 But I agree, even then the chocolate overpowers and hazelnuts are so yummy all by themselves. Swap me a cookie?🍪🍪😘
Hi Natalie,
I hope you can help, I know you haven’t used it in this recipe but I’m wanting to try another of your recipes.
I just wondered if you knew whether we can use ground up tapioca pearls for the tapioca starch? Do you know if this would work? Have you ever tried this?
Hope you can help!
PS I LOVE all your videos & recipes. I LOVE how you make them with such healthy & nutritious ingredients especially dates, I love them! Keep them coming!
I’ve never tried grinding up tapioca pearls into flour, although I’ve hear that it does not work what same way as tapioca starch that you buy already ground. Sorry! But I am so so happy to hear you are enjoying the recipes 🙂
HI Natalie
I want to make these ones too for my birthday party:-)
Can I use 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 1 cup hazelnuts, because I really love chocolate:-)
Thanks for your advice
Yep, that should work! Sounds delicious, more chocolate is never a bad idea😉 Enjoy!
Holy hunky heaven!!! Gimme a second to just take in the size of these 😍😍😍 There’s some serious magic happening in your kitchen. And then the fact that they have two of my very favorite things….chocolate and hazelnuts!!! I need these!! Hazelnuts have pretty much been a staple since I was a kid ❤️ I use them every week to make milk or just simply roast up with a little coconut oil + maple syrup, BUT blondies?!?! Pretty much genius. You’ve gotta stop tempting me with oats, OK? First with the crumble and now this! Gah! 😂 The texture on these seriously looks amazing…something that can’t quite be achieved in the grain-free world. I’m on the hunt for a dessert recipe for tomorrow’s family gathering and this just might be it (and I already have all the ingredients)! I’ll report back if it happens! Happy weekend, my friend! xo
Okay so you must have a very cool and nut diverse mother–hazelnuts a staple?? That’s awesome and I bet your homemade hazelnut milk would make the best matcha latte of my life. That is really the only thing that motivates me to make homemade nut milk, MUCH better lattes😆 Ha yes, coconut flour just can’t quite pull off this level of thick and defined crumb. Although you’ve inspired me to do a grain-free blondie too…also I just love blondies so it wouldn’t take much to convince me to embark on that yummy mission😊 I still vote go for the pie though😏🍫🍫
I made those yesterday and they turned out perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your original and delicious recipes. This is by far my favorite platform for healthy & vegan snacks. ❤️
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I am so happy you liked them Claire! That means a lot to me <33
I made those this morning,and they were just gorgeus!Thank you for recipe!
PS Best thing about youre recpies are those small advices ,how thing behave <3
I am so happy you enjoyed these, Jasmina! Sounds like the perfect morning treat to me. And that’s lovely to know that the little tidbits of advice are helpful too😊
A lot of warm hugs from Bosnia and Herzegovina! :*
Can I used hazelnut flour instead of hazelnuts? I have flour and I don’t currently have the nuts… well only a handful.
Yep, hazelnut flour will work! But I suggest measuring by weight because the amount will be different, probably about 1 cup. Hope that helps!
Natatlie, can hazelnut flour be used for the oats as well?
Hmmm I do think it will work, but you might need more of it since its much less drying that the oats. Try 2 cups total!
Wow these look absolutely heavenly Natalie, I can’t wait to make them! The only problem I have is that I don’t have any flax meal/seeds.😭 Would I be able to substitute? Thank you so much in advance! (Also sorry for being so late to the party!😅)
You could use chia seeds/meal if you have that. Or add 1/4 cup cornstarch, arrowroot, or tapioca starch instead. Happy baking!
Great, thank you so much!! I’m so excited for these!😆 Also, I just want to say that you really are the best (and pretty much only) food blogger I follow and I deeply appreciate the amount of care and effort you put into everything you do regarding feastingonfruit. Thank you so much for your beautiful recipes, stories, photo/videography and your kind, helpful replies. Please keep up the incredible work!❤️
Wow Saskia, that is so kind of you to say and truly means a LOT to me❤️ Thank you for all the support. Much love!
Can I sub out the coconut sugar for equal measurements of white or brown sugar?
Yep! Brown sugar will taste best and most similar, plus it adds some extra moisture too 🙂
Hi Natalie! Just a quick question on making the flour. I have the dry container for my vitamix, which makes flours, but when I add the oats, nuts and flax meal it gets very moist and not like a dry flour. It’s so moist it gets stuck in the container. Hmmmm any thoughts? I even turned on the AC thinking it might be our high humidity! :). Didn’t help. Maybe my container is too small? It’s 32oz. Anyway, just thought I’d see if you had any ideas. Thanks!
Hmm so are you grinding all those things together? The heat will cause higher fat things like nuts to emit natural oils which will create moisture and may cause it to get stuck if you blend too long. That shouldn’t be an issue with oats, but maybe with the nuts/seeds/coconut. It’s super humid here too, so that shouldn’t be the issue. Try blending in smaller batches and just turn it up to high pretty quick, blend, and shut it off. Don’t go low and slow in other words. Hope that helps, let me know if it works better!
Thank you so much, Natalie! That helped a lot! I broke it into thirds and poof, it worked perfectly! They’re so delicious!! I appreciate your advice!
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Yay! I am so happy they were a success 🙂
This recipe looks delicious! I can’t have oats, any recommendations for a substitute?
Hmm maybe try buckwheat instead. Or since we are basically grinding it to a flour you could use about 3/4 cup GF flour instead 🙂
Another awesome recipe! These are delicious and so easy to make. I’m taking a batch to a party with both vegan and omnivore guests and I’m sure everyone will love it. Thank you 🙂
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YAY!! I am so happy you like them, I hope they are a delicious hit🤗 Thank you for the lovely feedback!
I have made this recipe now 3 times…and will continue making it! It is a winner! I have high-level allergies and, consequently, on a very restricted diet…even how much oats I eat is necessary for me to track. However, I do indulge in this wonderful recipe periodically because all other ingredients in this recipe I can eat. Keep publishing such wonderful recipes! Love it!
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Aw that makes me so so happy to hear Sheryl!! I am so happy you like these and that they work for your diet🤗 Definitely will keep em coming, and let me know if you ever have any specific requests!
Seriously? You would accept requests? I would love more recipe experimentation with any one or more of the following flours: tigernut, tapioca, sorghum, teff and sweet potato. I often make pancakes with cooked sweet potatoes too. The only leavening I can have is baking soda. Thank you so much! I’ve read many of your recipes and find your creativity with ingredients mouthwatering!:)
Yes absolutely! I love to know what sorts of things you’d like to see, and actually I’ve been wanting to do more with tigernut so that works out perfectly 🙂 Stay tuned…!
Wonderful!
I made these tonight and they are AMAZING! Seriously, they are so moist and the texture/flavor is perfect. I’ve made a few of your recipes and they are always super tasty but these blondies knock it out of the park. Bravo and thank you so much for all of your hard work! I don’t give my 2 yo processed sugar, so I made your vanilla cake with chocolate frosting for his birthday, and he’s always excited for some of your date-sweetened hot coco! You are my go-to for healthy yummy treats. <3
Also, for those of you struggling to get flour consistency with the nut/oat mixture, I've found that my ancient food processor does best if I blend the oats first, then once I get the correct texture I add the flour into the mixing bowl, then blend the nuts separately. Otherwise I get nut butter every time. Hope that helps someone. 🙂
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Wahooooo!! I am so happy you loved these, Kaytie🤗 One of my personal faves too, the hazelnuts add so much moisture and richness and flavor. Aww I bet that cake was adorable hehe, I am so happy some of the recipes can work for your kiddo too☺️ Thanks for the feedback and the hazelnut flour NOT butter tip too!
Hi Natalie
Thanks for another great recipe, you really know how to rock the vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free many-more-free dessert. Real life saver! Thanks a lot ❤️
For this recipe, can I substitute the coconut sugar by date paste by leaving out the apple sauce?
You can try it, but it will change the texture and may make them less rich/moist without the coconut sugar in there. Good luck!
As always, thanks a lot, Natalie!
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