Eating Raw was something I always chose to steer clear of, like if you give me zucchini noodles, please cook them…
Because of this, I didn’t like to try raw recipes because I would always prefer the cooked version. However, I recently made raw vegan brownies and they’re superbly delicious along with many other adjectives: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, you name it! The natural sweetness comes from dates, which is a key ingredient in healthy and vegan cooking and baking. Then, the base is ground almonds (almond flour), which is gluten-free, and contains monounsaturated fat which helps to prevent cardiovascular diseases. This swap makes the brownies raw because you can eat almond flour, but you must heat all-purpose flour before it can be eaten. Lastly, the chocolate-y goodness comes from cocoa powder, which is low in fat and calories as compared to actual chocolate. I then topped the brownies with an almond butter ganache, and I’m just like, “What’s not to love about this dessert?”
3 Ingredient Raw Vegan Brownies w/ almond chocolate ganache (yields 6 large brownies)
Ingredients:
For brownies
- 1 c. almond flour
- 10 pitted dates (I used medjool but any type works)
- 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp almond milk or water to make batter stick together better (optional)
For ganache
- 2 tbsp. almond milk
- 1/4 c. dark chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp almond butter + more for drizzle
Instructions:
- Throw dates into a blender and blend until the mixture resembles caramel.
- Combine almond flour and cocoa together in a large bowl.
- Add all the date mixture in and combine/kneed with your hand. Add some type of liquid (I used almond milk) if the batter is not coming together enough or if you like gooier brownies. (The reason I added a liquid was because the dates acts as the binding agent, but during my first try, I used enough dates to bind the brownies together and they were too sweet. So I cut back on the dates and simply used a different binding agent.
- Place the mixture into a square pan lined with parchment paper and press down until brownies are about 1 in. thick. Place in the fridge for about 5 min.
- In a small bowl, microwave almond milk for 30 seconds.
- Add the chocolate chips and almond butter and let the bowl sit for about a minute. After a minute, stir with a spoon until a ganache is formed.
- Take the brownies out of the fridge and pour ganache on. Place brownies in the fridge for about 10 min. or until ganache is cooled.
- Take the brownies out and drizzle with microwaved (makes it easier to drizzle) almond butter.
Seriously, these brownies are too good. TRY THEM. You won’t regret it.
-Jamie
