Dark Chocolate, Orange + Fig Blondies [Vegan + Whole Wheat]

These healthy whole wheat vegan blondies are tender, gooey, and the perfect holiday treat! They’re studded with orange zest, dried figs, and dark chocolate and sprinkled with flaky sea salt for the perfect salty-sweet blondies that taste like Christmas!

We’re in the home stretch to Christmas, so I though it was fitting to share a recipe for blondies that are loaded with festive Christmas flavors.

I’m talking orange zest, brown sugar (or coconut sugar, sucanat, etc), almond AND vanilla extract, and plenty of dark chocolate. If those flavors don’t transform blondies into Christmas blondies, I don’t know what would.

Let’s make them!

A simple dough is mixed together in 1 bowl, then pressed into an 8-inch pan and baked for 10-12 minutes. We want these bars to stay as soft in the middle as possible, so it’s essential not to bake them for too long. A super simple recipe + short bake time means you can be eating these blondies literally 20 minutes from now.

It also means that these bars are the ideal dessert to bring to holiday parties or for last minute guests, since you can throw them together in no time flat.

I’ve loved having them around for a mid-afternoon snack to power me through gift wrapping sessions and photo shoots, and think they’d make a fun homemade gift for friends, too!

And, while I think figs are pretty great, you could totally use any dried fruit you love here. I’m thinking tart cherries, unsweetened dried cranberries, chopped dates, or even something fun like dried mango or persimmons (omg dried persimmons are THE BEST dried fruit ever) would be incredible in these bars. FYI- Trader Joe’s has a great dried fruit section, if you’re looking to up your dried fruit game.

Or, you could leave the fruit out and add chopped hazelnuts, pecans or pistachios, or just double the chocolate (maybe throw in some white or milk chocolate for a little variety? If you’re mixing it up, you might as well GO WILD!).

If you’re into the combination of chocolate + orange, you are going to FLIP over these super simple whole wheat blondies. If you try them out, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below or take a picture of your blondies and share it with me on Instagram– I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen! Happy baking, friends!

Dark Chocolate, Orange + Fig Blondies

Chelsea Colbath

A simple, vegan, whole wheat blondie studded with lots of dark chocolate, dried figs, and orange zest!

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Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 9 blondies

Ingredients

  

• 1/3 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup milk of choice I used unsweetened almond
• 2/3 cup organic brown sugar sucanat, or coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour can sub oat flour for GF
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
• 6 dried figs or any dried fruit of choice
• zest from 1 large orange or 2 clementines

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper or grease with olive oil/ coconut oil spray.
• Place the coconut oil and milk in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30 seconds, or until oil is melted. Alternately, this can be done in a small pot on the stove over low heat.
• Pour oil-milk mixture into a mixing bowl and add sugar and extracts. Stir to combine, then add flour, baking powder + soda, and salt and stir well to combine.
• Remove the tough stems from your figs, then thinly slice them length-wise. Add the figs, chocolate, and orange zest to the bowl and stir once more to fully combine.
• Pour the dough into your prepared pan and press it out to fully cover the surface of the pan (it will be a thin layer). Press a few extra pieces of chocolate on top, if desired, to make it look extra pretty.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until blondies just barely look done. Let cool in the pan before cutting into 9 and serving. If desired, a few pinches of flaky sea salt on top make for a nice salty-sweet contrast. Leftovers keep well at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Dark Chocolate, Orange + Fig Blondies [Vegan, Whole Wheat]

Yields: 9

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond)
• 2/3 cup organic brown sugar, sucanat, or coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (can sub oat flour for GF)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
• 6 dried figs (or any dried fruit of choice)
• zest from 1 orange or 2 clementines

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper or grease with olive oil/ coconut oil spray.
2. Place the coconut oil and milk in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30 seconds, or until oil is melted. Alternately, this can be done in a small pot on the stove over low heat.
3. Pour oil-milk mixture into a mixing bowl and add sugar and extracts. Stir to combine, then add flour, baking powder + soda, and salt and stir well to combine.
4. Remove the tough stems from your figs, then thinly slice them length-wise. Add the figs, chocolate, and orange zest to the bowl and stir once more to fully combine.
5. Pour the dough into your prepared pan and press it out to fully cover the surface of the pan (it will be a thin layer). Press a few extra pieces of chocolate on top, if desired, to make it look extra pretty.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until blondies just barely look done. Let cool in the pan before cutting into 9 and serving. If desired, a few pinches of flaky sea salt on top make for a nice salty-sweet contrast. Leftovers keep well at room temperature for up to 5 days.