Hormone Balancing High Protein Blondies for the Luteal & Menstrual Phase

These plant-based chickpea blondies are the perfect PMS-friendly dessert to curb cravings and help balance hormones during your luteal & menstrual phase.

Back when I was in high school I was fully vegan and for a while posted my meals on a small instagram that i’ve recently restarted to share my current wellness journey on - both cycle syncing and beyond. One of the first posts I shared over a decade ago was these gooey high-protein plant-based blondies. I’m not the biggest fan of hummus so this recipe has grown to be one of my favorite ways eat more chickpeas and honestly one of my favorite sweet PMS treats.

Chickpeas and almond flour provide fiber and plant-based protein to help stabilize blood sugar, while tahini and peanut butter add healthy fats and dark chocolate provide magnesium to help balance mood and reduce cramps.

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Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas (14oz can)

  • chickpeas need to be drained, rinsed, and rubbed well with a paper towel to remove all skins - this will help make for a super smooth batter

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 3 tbsp tahini

• 3 tbsp natural peanut butter

  • i’ve also used the Peanut Butter Company’s white chocolate peanut butter which is really good but not the healthiest ;)

• 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/3 cup almond flour

• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate (70% cacao or higher) + 2 tbsp for topping

• dash of vanilla extract + pinch of sea salt

• flaky sea salt for topping

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Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper oiled with coconut oil

2. In a food processor, combine chickpeas, maple syrup, tahini, peanut butter, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and salt and blend until mixture is super smooth

3. Slowly add in almond flour and blend for another ~30 seconds until fully mixed

4. Fold in chopped dark chocolate, pour batter into the lined pan, and smooth out batter into the corners of the pan

5. Sprinkle batter with the extra 2 tbsp of chocolate and bake for in the oven ~30-40 minutes (or until the edges are golden and the center is set)

6. When done, remove from oven, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan to cool on a cooling rack for ~1hr (if you try to cut these early they’ll likely break)

7. Cut into ~12 squares and serve - these hold well in the fridge and get even better overnight as they set. Store in fridge in an air tight container for ~5 days.

I like warming one up quickly and serving with chocolate PB banana nice cream as a healthy PMS-friendly dessert to make during your luteal phase and keep for curbing cravings into your period.

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Cooking Time: ~15min prep / ~1.5h until ready to serve

Servings: 12

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