Graham Cracker Blondies

Blondies are the non-chocolate version of brownies. I made the blondies before, but I never liked the taste of them. Simply too plain.

I subscribed New Morning's graham crackers via Amazon for many years because they were just cheaper than buying them at a local market. When I received the last order, the expiration date on each box was within six months. Listen, I luv graham crackers, but I honestly don't expect to eat 12 boxes of graham crackers within six months. That's just nuts!!!

I visited the New Morning's website to check for recipes. Let's face it. I could come up with a lot of recipes that used graham crackers. But to use up 12 boxes, I'd need more inspirations.

I came across their graham cracker blondies recipe, and it looked rather promising and easy to modify to dairy free. So I tested the recipe and was extremely happy with it. For the Fall flavors, I add about 1/4 cup of dried cranberry into the batter. They are easy to prepare, keep well in an air tight container, and travel well. Perfect for the lunchbox too.

Graham Cracker Blondies
adapted from Alltune Food's graham cracker blondies
makes 8 two-inch bars

2 large eggs
4 Tablespoon (2 oz) coconut oil or palm shortening
3/4 cup light brown sugar
18 full sheets graham crackers (2 packs from 3 pack box)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup raw almond, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips
cooking oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degree. Line the bottom of 8-inch square pan with a parchment paper then lightly spray the pan with cooking oil. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, oil or shortening, and sugar.
3. Process the graham crackers in the food processor until finely ground. TIP: Place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush them until finely ground. This will be a time consuming process. Process the graham crackers ahead and freeze them for future baking. Be sure to label the freezable bag.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the graham cracker flour, baking powder, almond slices, and chocolate chips.
5. Mix the graham cracker flour mixture to the egg mixture until just combine.
6. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake in a preheated oven until the tooth pick inserted comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.
8. Cool the blondies in a pan for 5 minutes then transfer them into a cutting board. Cut them into 8 or 16 equal bars. NOTE: Feel free to cut the blondies in any size. They will serve a big crowd.  

STORING: Keep the graham cracker blondies in an air tight container at a room temperature for up to 3 days. During Fall or Winter, they can be kept at a room temperature for up to a week.

Allergy Info: These graham cracker blondies are free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), and fish. To make them nut free (but not from coconut nut or palm) omit the almonds. The nuts are just for the crunch. I bet they would taste good with seeds. Hmm... I'll have to test out with pumpkin seeds and cranberries for the Fall flavor.