rawesome brownies

Happy Saturday everyone!  It’s raining here, but I’m okay with it- I like the rain, something very soothing about listening to it on the windows. Plus it’s perfect tea weather, which is always good.

So today I want to share a recipe for raw brownies I made quite awhile ago now, but never got around to posting. So many other, more relevant recipes kept popping up at the time that these got pushed aside until I allllmost forgot about them. Which is actually really tragic (melodramatic much?) because these just might be the best brownies I have ever eaten, baked or otherwise.

These raw brownies were so easy to make, I can’t believe anyone bakes them anymore.

Like seriously, throw a bunch of ingredients in a blender put it in a pan, stick it in the fridge and that’s it.

Now of course, this would mean nothing if they didn’t taste, well, sinful. Dense and fudgey, just as a brownie should be.

But believe me, they do. They are as rich and decadent as any decent baked brownie I have ever had.

Added bonus: no refined flours or sugar needed! Just lots of whole food ingredients like nuts, dates, cacao, avocado and maple syrup, Loads of fiber, healthy fats and protein. Highly alkaline, high raw and 100% delicious.

These are definitely a double duty dessert- healthy and heavenly.

And one final note: PLEEEAAASSSE do yourself a favour and make the icing. The icing is the best part and no one will guess that you snuck avocado into this creamy, thick, rich, chocolatey topping.  I am considering making it again and just eating it as pudding. It’s THAT GOOD.

Ok my ridiculous gushing about these is now over, onto the recipe!

Rawesome Brownies (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Raw)

Makes 16 dense brownies

These were inspired by many recipes but the raw brownies @ Wayfaring Chocolate were there big one!

Brownies

• 1 cup raw pecans*
• 1 cup raw hazelnuts*
• 3/4 cup medjool dates, pitted and soaked for at least 4 hours (or a few minutes in hot water if you forget!)
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• pinch salt (to bring out the sweetness)

Icing

• 1 avocado
• 6 tbsp maple syrup (or agave for 100% raw)
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp coconut butter

*I’m sure this would work well with either all pecans or hazelnuts or any combination of nuts you prefer

Pulse the first four ingredients together until you get a mixture that will easily stick together when pressed into a pan. Don’t need to get all the chunks of nuts out, but most should be fairly small. Like this:

Press the mixture into an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper, making sure to get it even and nicely compact and put in the fridge while you make the icing. The parchment paper will make it easier to get the brownies out of the pan later.

For the icing, first melt the coconut oil and butter together in a small dish over low heat. Add the rest of the icing ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Then, while the blender is running, slowly pour the coconut oil/butter mixture in and blend until incorporated (a few seconds). This will help the icing firm up a bit when you chill it!

Frost the brownies and put back in the fridge for at least an hour before slicing. Lick the blender clean. Yes this is a mandatory step. You won’t be sorry you did ;) (Just please be careful of the blades!). When ready to serve, lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper and put on a cutting board. Slice to desired size. These are rich so I found cutting it into 16 was perfect.

Garnish with a raspberry or strawberry if you want and serve!

YUM

Now I’m off to go out and have breakfast with my mom! Enjoy the weekend!

I am submitting these to Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Allergy-Friendly Fridays, Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Wellness Weekends!