I Tried the Viral Chickpea Blondies TikTok Recipe—Here’s My Honest Review

I’m just days away from my 30th birthday, but I’ll admit it: I have been influenced by Alix Earle. The 23-year-old internet sensation and Hot Mess podcast host has captivated millions with her partly relatable, mostly aspirational “get ready with me” videos and lifestyle vlogs. My 13-year-old cousin and I often discuss her now-viral makeup hacks (the Drunk Elephant bronzing drops had us sprinting to Sephora), but she’s now made her way into the kitchen with a protein-packed, dietitian-backed recipe for chickpea blondies.

Earle and her BFF Kristin (@kristinkonefal) copied a recipe from Jaclyn Savage, the registered dietitian behind the TikTok account @jacsavagewellness. 

@jacsavagewellness Chickpea Blondies 🍪 so addicting only a few squares made it for the final shot 😅😋 you would never guess the main ingredient is chickpeas! Ingredients – 1 can chickpeas – ⅓ cup cashew butter – ½ cup maple syrup (or 3/4 cup coconut sugar – I switch it up depending on what I have) – 2 tsp vanilla – ½ tsp baking powder – ½ tsp baking soda – sprinkle of sea salt – ⅓ cup almond flour – ⅓ cup dark chocolate chunks- I use the @hukitchen gems! Instructions * Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9” brownie pan with parchment paper.
* Open the can of chickpeas, rinse, drain and rub the chickpeas in paper towels to remove all the moisture. ** VERY important! Or the blondies will be too fragile
* Place the chickpeas in a blender (or food processor if you have one). Add nut butter, sweetener, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
* Blend on high until smooth
* Add flour and blend again on high for about 30 seconds until even
* Stir in chocolate chips, then spread the batter evenly onto the prepared baking pan. Optional – sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top!
* Bake 25-30 min or until golden and slightly crusty on top. ** Always insert a toothpick in the center to check doneness. If it comes out clean it is ready!
* Cool 10 minutes in the pan after baking. **Don't skip this step, or they will break!
* To avoid breaking, cool for at least 1 hour before slicing into. After 1 hour of cooking, store in the fridge before slicing into squares – it makes it much easier to slice when refrigerated and they’ll have a solid fudgey texture. Enjoy!🫶🏼 #dietitiansoftiktok #easyrecipes #healthydessert #healthylifestyle #balancedlifestyle #blondies #recipe #cooking #foodie #fyp #dessert #chickpeas ♬ Fire for You (Sped Up) – Cannons

Call it the investigative reporter in me or a hankering for something satiating and sweet, but I had to try this for myself. Here’s what I needed to recreate it:

Blake Bakkila

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas
• ⅓ cup cashew butter
• ½ cup maple syrup or 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• sprinkle of sea salt
• ⅓ cup almond flour
• ⅓ cup dark chocolate chunks

I’ll admit I used my regular ol’ Pearl Milling Company Original Syrup and a round brownie pan, but mimicked the recipe from there. You can find Savage’s specific instructions on her TikTok here, but this exactly is what I did:

Blake Bakkila

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prep a brownie pan by lining it with parchment paper.
2. Get your can of chickpeas and rinse and drain them in a colander before transferring them onto a paper towel. Cover them with another paper towel and dry them thoroughly—Savage emphasizes this step to prevent any blondie breakage.
3. Pour your chickpeas into a blender or food processor (I used the latter), and add the cashew butter or other nut butter of choice, syrup, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Blend on high until smooth.
4. Add in your flour and blend.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and spread the mixture onto your lined baking pan. 
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. I checked on mine at the 22-minute mark and they were good to go! 
7. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
8. Transfer to the fridge for “at least an hour,” per Savage’s instructions.

Blake Bakkila

Confession: I was a bit overeager and took them out after just under an hour. While a little more fragile than classic brownies or blondies, they held together relatively well and had the fudgy texture Savage described. Most importantly, and to my surprise, these were sweet, slightly salty, and not at all reminiscent of hummus.

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