These bars, made with winter squash, are ooey, gooey, delicious and make for a perfect sensible treat!
Chocolate Chip Squash Blondies are grain-free, nut-free, dairy-free dessert bars are a great way to get more vegetables into your diet while still enjoying the occasional treat. Feel free to use any variety of winter squash or substitute canned pumpkin puree or mashed sweet potato if that’s what you’ve got on hand.
Winter squash are a great source of vitamin A and they’re high in fiber. Lower in carbs than white potatoes, they keep blood sugars stable so you can stay fuller longer. And they pair wonderfully with savory herbs, garlic and onions and sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger so you can use them at just about any meal (and dessert too!).
And did we mention chocolate?
There’s just something about the combination of sweet squash, spicy cinnamon and chocolate that’s totally irresistible so you may want to make a double batch and freeze some for later. (Trust us on this one!) We like to use mini-chips to they stay evenly distributed throughout the batter rather than sinking to the bottom (but who are we kidding, would that really be a deal breaker?!)
Now lets get to the Chocolate Chip Squash Blondies recipe!
Chocolate Chip Squash Blondies
These bars are ooey, gooey and delicious! Instead of chocolate chips, you could add dried cranberries, cherries or raisins. Instead of butternut squash, substitute pumpkin puree or mashed sweet potato.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut flour (such as: Bob’s Red Mill)
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- 3 large whole eggs (at room temperature)
- ½ cup butternut squash puree or pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup coconut oil or butter, melted
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (such as: Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips)
- ¼ cup walnuts or pecans (omit for Nut-free)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs. Then mix in squash, vanilla, honey and oil until well combined.
- Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Transfer batter to 9×9 square baking dish.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow bars to cool slightly before cutting into 12 bars.
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/12th of pan
- Calories: 146
- Fat: 9g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Carbohydrate: 13g
- (Sugar: 7g)
- Protein: 3g
Dietary
What’s your favorite way to use winter squash? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below (or simply tell us what you thought of this recipe!)
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Heather says
I made these and love them! I am making a double batch next time!! yummy!!!
Stacie Hassing says
So great to hear Heather! You can also sub sweet potatoes or pumpkin too if you’d like. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy!
Rima says
Hi,
Do you think I can use all purpose gluten free flour instead of the coconut?
Thanks,
Rima
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Rima,
Due to the nature of coconut flour (it absorbs ALOT of water) there isn’t a way to substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour without a significant amount of trial and error.
Perhaps this recipe for Gluten-free Blueberry Muffins would be of interest to you as it’s made using all-purpose gluten-free flour? You can substitute chocolate chips for blueberries and could easily replace the liquid called for in the recipe with squash or pumpkin puree – then bake in a 9×9-inch baking pan rather than a muffin pan.
Hope that helps!
Bethany says
I just made these. They have the consistency of bread, kind of like banana bread, not like brownies at all. Not sure if I did anything different but they definitely don’t look firm like the picture you have.
Stacie Hassing says
Hmmmmmm….not sure what happened there! I’ve made this recipe several times and I haven’t had them turn out the way you described. Sometimes different brands of coconut flour can result in a different texture. Sorry about that!
Lauren says
I had the same experience! They’re yummy but not chewy like brownies. The only thing I did differently was use a combo of walnut and avocado oil because that’s what I had on hand. Maybe with butter they’d be chewy.
Stacie Hassing says
We’ll have to test this recipe again maybe with a different flour. My guess is it’s from the coconut flour as that can be a tricky flour to bake with. Sorry they didn’t turn out for you. If you’re looking for a grain-free brownie recipe with the perfect text I recommend trying these https://therealfooddietitians.com/the-best-fudgy-paleo-brownies/ (so good!)
Ana says
I made this yesterday and my family of 4 ate in minutes. Today I am making it again, and is a double batch!!
Thank you so much for sharing.
The only thing I did differently it was to add all spices, ginger powder and nutmeg.
Stacie Hassing says
So great to hear your family loved the Squash Blondies!
Loisann says
Thanks for the yummy recipe! My kids, husband and I really enjoyed these. I’m sure to make them again soon. 🙂
Stacie Hassing says
That’s awesome! So great to hear!