Healthy & Delicious Coconut Almond Whole Grain Blondies

Ingredients

- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup toasted sliced almonds
- ¾ cup sweetened coconut flakes

Recipe Steps

-Preheat the oven to 350°F.

-Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil, allowing it to slightly overhang opposite edges. Coat with cooking spray.

-Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling often, until fragrant and starting to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in brown sugar; let cool for 15 minutes.

-Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

-Whisk eggs and vanilla into the cooled butter mixture until well combined.

-Add the flour mixture in two additions, gently folding until just combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of each almond and coconut; fold the remaining almonds and coconut into the batter.

-Evenly spread the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the reserved almonds and coconut on top.

-Bake the blondies until light brown around the edges, 18 to 22 minutes.

-They will appear slightly underbaked in the center but will firm up as they cool.

-Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, for about 2 hours. To cut, grab the overhanging parchment or foil and transfer the whole batch to a cutting board, then cut into 24 bars.

Bonus Tips

Make In Advance For Best Taste: Cover and store airtight for up to 3 days; freeze for up to 3 months.

Try white whole-wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour in baked goods. It's made from hard white wheat berries, which makes it lighter in color and flavor than regular whole-wheat flour, but with the same nutritional properties. Look for it near other whole-grain flours. Get added flavor by storing it in an airtight container in the freezer.

For the best flavor, toast nuts before using them in a recipe. To toast sliced (or chopped) nuts, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes.

Cut The Perfect Bars: Grab the overhanging parchment or foil and transfer the whole batch to a cutting board, then cut into bars.