Eating Well: Raw Chocolate Brownies with Coconut Flakes

“OMG, I think I died and went to heaven!” was my initial reaction as I bit into the raw chocolate brownies I made today. You see, I LOVE chocolate…it’s my addiction and I am not ashamed to admit it! However, rather than stuffing myself with over-processed milk chocolate bars, I thought I would find a recipe for healthy and easy chocolate brownies that would satisfy my cravings.

Various food bloggers have come up with brilliant ideas of making raw brownies that require no baking, no flour and in some cases, no chocolate! So they are essentially vegan and gluten and refined sugar-free.

I found this great recipe from a plant-based food blogger Sophia von Porat and adapted it to my taste.

INGREDIENTS

Brownie base

1 cup of walnuts and/or almonds (I used half and half. You can also use other types of nuts, such as pistachos, hazel or cashew nuts)
1 cup of pitted dates
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1 pinch sea salt
1-2 tbsp of nut butter (peanut or almond butter)

Brownie topping

1/2 cup of coconut oil
Several squares of dark chocolate
Desiccated coconut chopped nuts for decoration (optional)

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup
1 pinch of sea salt
Few drops of vanilla extract

METHOD

Chop nuts in food processor into smaller pieces (but be careful and don’t over-process them), add cocoa powder and salt and mix well. Then gradually add dates and keep processing until mixture turns sticky. Transfer this batter into a bowl. If it doesn’t stick enough in your hands to form brownies base, add a table spoon or two of nut butter and mix again.

Place brownies batter into a big plastic container and press it against the bottom of the container. Many recipes suggest using baking pan for raw brownies, but I found using plastic container much easier for cutting and popping brownies out once they are ready.

Next prepare brownies topping by melting coconut butter in the microwave and adding either chocolate squares (as I did) or cocoa powder, honey, salt and vanilla extract. Mix them well until they turn into gooey ganache. Pour it over brownies base making sure it spreads evenly. Transfer container into freezer for about 30 mins until chocolate topping becomes hard.