One glance at these photos and you will know why I love to follow Courtney’s blog, The Fig Tree. Goodness, is this girl talented! And not only that, she is such a fantastic human being (and I mean that with all sincerity). I have had the awesome privelege of getting to know her outside of the blog and she is just an exceptional woman. Always willing to say something kind, to reach out and be supportive , and just knows how to be a good friend overall. I dare you not to fall in love as well…

Hello everyone and Happy Friday! My name is Courtney and I’m the food-lover/photographer behind The Fig Tree blog. The Fig Tree celebrates the best of both vegetarian + vegan cuisine. The blog’s focus is mainly on whole, natural, unprocessed foods. However, I like to include some delectable and sinful sweets here and there for good measure. And delectable and sinful is what I have for you today! Playing on the abundance of fresh local strawberries at this time of year, I decided to make vegan strawberry chocolate blondies. Hope you enjoy them!


Before we proceed with the recipe, I would just like to say that I am so very honoured to be doing a guest post on Fork and Beans today. Cara is a huge inspiration to me and it’s such a treat to be apart of her space today. I adore her creativity and her passion for creating delicious, unique treats. One of the things I like most about Cara is that she is a true, genuine cheerleader. She’s always rooting for you. You always feel like you have a friend on your side. She always seems to be encouraging other bloggers. Her enthusiasm is infectious and her optimism really inspiring. Even when times are tough, she seems to have the ability to make others smile and laugh. She is truly a great person to know. :) But, I don’t need to tell you guys that! Looking through Cara’s blog, it’s clear that she has inspired and encouraged many bloggers – not only me!


So, without further ado….vegan chocolate strawberry blondies!
Chocolate Strawberry Blondies Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup of Earth Balance butter; melted
  • 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • equivalent of two eggs using a natural egg replacer
  • 1 cup of all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup of diced strawberries
  • 1/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips (or vegan white chocolate chips)

*Note: I used Orgran No Egg Natural Egg Replacer
Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350′F. Using a strip of parchment paper, line the bottom and two sides of an 8 X 8 inch baking pan. Set aside.
  2. Combine the melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Add the pure vanilla extract and the egg replacer. Whisk until well combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder.
  4. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Note: the batter will be quite thick. If the mixture appears a little too thick, add another tablespoon of water.
  5. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries and vegan chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared baking pan
  6.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the blondies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a tooth pick inserted in the middle yields moist crumbs.
  7. Remove blondies from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove blondies from pan using parchment paper and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, cut blondies into squares and enjoy. Enjoy them warmed up with a scoop of coconut ice cream or at room temperature with a cup of tea.

Thank you so much for checking out my guest post today. And thank you so much to Cara for inviting me to participate in her awesome Friday Feature : People You Should Know. It’s been an honour, Cara :) Keep doing what you do. Keep encouraging others and inspiring so many people. Your words are invaluable :)

Please feel free to check out The Fig Tree and drop me a line. I appreciate all comments so much! I look forward to getting to know + discover other awesome food bloggers out in the blogosphere!
Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend! And a very happy, adventure