Bombshell Blondies

Whether cooking on a stovetop or baking pastries in the oven, the best virgin olive oil can take your recipe from good to savory without any additional effort. In this particular recipe, when you combine Lucini's award-winning extra virgin olive oil with ingredients such as pumpkin, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate, you can create a pastry that is flaky, moist and downright delicious. Learn how to start baking with olive oil with this simple yet delectable recipe.

Recipe Summary

Moist, flavorful bars that leave just a hint of extra virgin olive oil. Recipe Servings: 16 portions Recipe Preparation Time: 10 minutes Recipe Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup cooked or canned pumpkin 1/3 cup Lucini® Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil® 1/2 cup brown rice syrup 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 1/2 cup semolina flour Pinch sea salt Generous pinch ground cinnamon Pinch ground ginger 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1 3.5oz ark chocolate bar, coarsely chopped (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil an 8 x 8-inch brownie pan. Using a hand mixer, whip together pumpkin, olive oil, syrup, almond milk, and vanilla. Fold in flours, salt, spices, and baking powder to form a smooth batter. Fold in nuts and chocolate, if using. Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (these are meant to be moist), between 25–35 minutes. Do not overbake. Allow blondies to cool for a full 30 minutes before slicing into squares so the flavors can develop as the blondies cool. Store in a sealed container. - Courtesy of Chef Christina Pirello Moist, flavorful bars that leave just a hint of extra virgin olive oil.