Sometimes all you want is to have your cake and to eat it too. This island coconut blondies recipe packs a nutritious punch without sacrificing flavor or texture.

Easy Recipe, Simple Ingredients

These blondies are easy to prepare and use only easy-to-find ingredients from your local grocery store, like brown sugar, olive oil and eggs.

Cannellini beans boost the fiber and nutritional density, but you don’t taste beans in the final product. What you get is a nutty nuance that’s pleasant and blends beautifully with the shredded coconut and dried apricots.

The addition of olive oil instead of butter and other fats makes this a great choice for people with lactose intolerance who crave a bite of something sweet without the dairy.

The recipe also calls for whole grain flour — another great way to get more nutrients and fiber into your diet. I tried it with a gluten-free flour mix and the blondies came together without a hitch.

Trying to eat healthier? See more delicious recipes.

Useful Tips

I suggest using an 8″ x 11″ baking pan, which is big enough to fit all of your batter but not so big that you’ll end up with a flat pancake of a blondie.

I also recommend using a small amount of olive oil (or butter, if dairy is okay for your family) to grease your pan before you get started. This will make removing your finished blondies much easier once they’ve cooled.

Add Fruit Toppings

As per the recipe, I topped the final, cooled blondies with slivers of toasted coconut and a few pieces of chopped, dried apricot. If you’ve got dried mango, pineapple or papaya, those would easily work too. Given the tropical flavors in these blondies, I would suggest sticking to tropical fruit if possible.

I served them after a weekend lunch with a good cup of coffee, and they were a hit. They’re so tasty, you’d never guess they were made with healthier, more nutritious ingredients than your average blondie. My very picky brother-in-law even went back for thirds. I didn’t tell him about the beans. Why bother breaking the illusion?

Get more information about specific health terms, topics and conditions to better manage your health on bcbst.com. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee members can access wellness-related discounts on fitness products, gym memberships, healthy eating and more through Blue365®. BCBST members can also find tools and resources to help improve health and well-being by logging into BlueAccess and going to the Managing Your Health tab.