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These raw brownies are impossibly fudgy and chocolatey! Made simply of walnuts, dates, and cocoa powder, they will rock your world.

Mmm, rich, chocolatey brownies. What if I told you that behind the rich and chocolatey taste, there was no sugar, no oil, no flour, no butter, and no eggs? What if I told you they were made only of things that were actually good for you? And what if I told you that they require no baking, and actually take only about 5 minutes to whip up? If you told me these things, I’d say you’d found the perfect dessert. Meet: Raw brownies. These raw brownies are vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free, and 1,000% delicious. Keep reading for the recipe!

How to make raw brownies

I was skeptical of raw brownies at first. The first raw brownies I tried were a recipe from My New Roots, and it claimed it would change my life. But after one taste of the chocolatey dough, I was a believer! What are raw brownies? Instead of making a traditional brownie dough with flour, sugar, and butter, these brownies are whipped together in a food processor. Raw brownies combine Medjool dates, walnuts, and cocoa powder into a fudge-y “brownie” that is just as satisfying as the real thing.

What are Medjool dates? These days, it’s likely you’ve had them even if you don’t know it! Medjool dates are large, chewy and sweet dates that are used to make natural sweets like Larabars (here’s a homemade version). It is important to find Medjool dates for this recipe, because they’re important for the texture: no substitutions! We were able to find them sold in bulk at our local grocery; they are also available for sale online.

Raw brownie partfait — Raw brownie yogurt parfait

Serving raw brownies

Now, if you can’t imagine a dessert without chocolate, you could add a few dark chocolate chips if you’d like. Or, you could top with a bit of sea salt if you prefer the sweet / salty combination. But these raw brownies are perfectly delicious as is. I eat them straight up, but my mom likes to serve them parfait style like in this Berry Brownie Yogurt Parfait. And of course crumbled over ice cream would be perfect too.

Once you’ve tried raw brownies yourself, test them out on your family and friends (and make them guess the magic ingredients)! We did, and they received rave reviews. So are they dessert perfection? Pretty darn close for us – not only do they make up for my lack of baking skills, they are all natural and thus totally guilt-free! Let us know if you too become a believer in this new kind of treat!

Looking for more healthy desserts?

Outside of these raw brownies, want other ideas for healthy desserts? Here are a few of our favorite healthy desserts:

This raw brownie recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, naturally sweet

Raw Brownies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 10 small brownies 1x

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Description

These raw brownies are impossibly fudgy and chocolatey! Made simply of walnuts, dates, and cocoa powder, they will rock your world.

Ingredients

Scale

1 ¼ cups Medjool dates (about 12)*
¼ cup almonds (unsalted)
1 cup walnuts (unsalted)
½ cup cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
Cinnamon

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Instructions

Remove the pits from the dates. Chop the almonds.
Place the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor. Process on high until the nuts are finely ground.
Add the cocoa powder and kosher salt. Pulse to combine.
Turn on the food processor. As the processor is running, add the dates one at a time. Once all the dates have been added, the mixture should be crumbly but easily formable (it may form into a ball depending on how long you process it). Throw in the almonds and pulse a couple times to combine (if a ball has formed, you can also mix in the almonds in a bowl).
Form the brownies: Line a small square dish with wax paper and press into the desired thickness (don’t worry if it does not fill the entire pan; the brownies are easy to shape). Alternatively, press the brownies into a mini-muffin tin or other mold. Place in the refrigerator or freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up; they can easily be cut when cold.
To serve, dust with cinnamon. (You also could add a bit of cinnamon to the brownie dough if desired.)

Notes

Adapted from My New Roots *Medjool dates are a type of date that is exceptionally large and sweet; it is important to find the real thing for this recipe. We were able to find them sold in bulk at our local grocery; they are also available for sale online. If you can’t imagine a dessert without chocolate, you could add a few dark chocolate chips if you’d like, or top with a bit of sea salt if you prefer the sweet / salty combination.

Category: Dessert
Method: Blended
Cuisine: American