Frosted Animal Cracker Protein Blondies

Ok, this is a recipe I have been excited about for some time. It had been so long since I have had animal crackers, and then when I found the frosted animal crackers I remembered why I loved them so much as a kid. I couldn't help but making some delicious FROSTED ANIMAL CRACKER PROTEIN BLONDIES. 

Frosted Animal Cracker Protein Blondies

The key to low-calorie, protein-packed and amazing texture? Two things

Garbanzo beans

What? Yes, I know it sounds weird. You have probably seen some of my brownies before which use black beans, or my protein cookie dough which uses garbanzo beans. They give the recipe a really good fudgy, dense texture and you don't have to use near as much flour (or any in some recipes). The beans also add protein and fiber!

ONE Protein

We aren't joking when we tell you this is the BEST protein on the market for baking, cooking, and any other recipe you want to make. Of course it tastes like a milkshake on its own, but sometimes you need more than a protein shake. You do NOT want to use pure whey protein in this recipe. Whey absorbs liquid much more differently and will not bake the same. So, grab your ONE Protein for this one. 

You guys will seriously love these. The texture of the dense blondies combined with crunchy animal cracker is truly to die for! Enjoy and don't forget to tag us @macrosupps on Instagram if you try it!

✅Ingredients

1 can (250g) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

¾ cup (90g) flour (AP, oat, whole wheat, etc)

2 scoops (68g) ONE Protein, vanilla

1 tbsp (10g) sugar free vanilla pudding mix

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ cup (60g) Swerve granular sweetener*

½ cup (120g) plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

6 tbsp (92g) liquid egg whites

½ tsp butter extract**

½ tsp vanilla extract

25-30 (100g) Frosted animal cookies (plus a few extra for topping)

📝Notes

*Swerve is a sugar free sweetener that measures cup for cup with sugar but has 0g of sugar. It bakes and tastes just like sugar. It can be found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. 

**Butter extract can be found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. Helps give these blondies a buttery cookie flavor without added calories from butter. 

✅Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Drain garbanzo beans and rinse well. Add all ingredients (except for animal cookies) to a food processor. You can use a blender but it will take a bit longer to blend. Process until a smooth batter is formed. 
2. Add animal cookies and pulse a few times to incorporate. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment. Pour batter into pan. Add 5-10 frosted animal cookies to the top. 
3. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. The edges should be set and a knife stuck into the center should come out clean. Let completely cool at room temperature then cut into 16 blondie bars. Enjoy! 

🍽Yield: 16 blondies

💪Nutrition (per blondie): 90 calories, 6 protein, 13 carbs, 2 fat, 1 fiber, 3 sugar