We’ve been having a total love affair with these raw brownies for the past couple weeks. A little nibble here, a little nibble there. I’m actually amazed that they’ve lasted this long, but just a small square is enough to satisfy my chocolate cravings. That’s how you know a chocolate dessert is the real deal. Plus, if the dancing in my belly is any indication, they are a big hit.
Lately, our evenings go something like this: We put on the hockey game (we’re avidly following both the Pens and Habs series which is basically another full time job) and I’m on my laptop doing some nursery planning as I scream at the TV. Eric is searching the freezer for these brownies. Nursery planning leads me to the uneasy discovery that I have zero home décor ability (not to mention decision making skills), but I still hold onto the hope that I can turn the room into the DIY nursery of my dreams. I curse those picture perfect rooms on Pinterest as I eat my brownie and watch hockey. Eric reassures me that the dresser we picked up at the second hand store is going to be transformed into something amazing for the baby’s room. I’ve always wanted to be a crafty goddess, so now I’m excited to start this project and see what I’m really made of.
And O.M.G., these brownies. This raw brownie dough is made up with protein-packed hemp hearts, walnuts, Medjool dates, raw cacao powder (cocoa powder works too!), vanilla, and Himalayan sea salt. Just throw it into the food processor and voila. To add some crunch, I pulsed in some cacao nibs and chopped walnuts. The crunch is essential! The result is a chocolaty brownie-like dough all without the using the oven, flour, sugar, or butter.
But I didn’t stop with the brownie dough. Of course not. Go big or go home. I poured on homemade chocolate for a second layer. The chocolate hardens into a thick shell, giving these brownies a wonderful snappy texture – best enjoyed straight from the freezer. The contrast of the firm chocolate shell and the chewy brownie is just heaven!
This recipe is quite versatile though so have fun playing around with it. I imagine you could make several different variations on these just by changing the nuts/seeds, extracts, topping, etc.
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Two-Layer Raw Chocolate Brownies
Yield
12 squares
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
30 minutes
Total time
Who knew fudgy, decadent brownies could be so packed with protein, omega-3 fatty acids, fibre, and antioxidants? Don’t let the healthy, wholesome ingredients fool you though; these no-bake brownies will blow your mind with their intense chocolatey flavour and satisfyingly dense, chewy texture. Recipe inspired by Sweet Talk Blog.
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 1 cup (100 g) walnut pieces
- 1/2 cup (70 g) hemp hearts
- 1 1/2 cups (275 g) lightly packed pitted Medjool dates*
- 1/2 cup (40 g) raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 to 3 teaspoons (5 to 15 mL) water, or as needed
- 1/3 cup (33 g) chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons (18 g) raw cacao nibs or chopped walnuts
For the homemade chocolate:
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) virgin coconut oil**
- 1/2 cup (40 g) raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Sliced fresh strawberries, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan (or an 8-inch square pan for thinner brownies) with a piece of parchment paper, leaving some overhang to remove the brownies in one piece.
- Place 1 cup of walnuts into a food processor and process to a fine crumb. Be careful not to overprocess, as too much break-down will turn the walnuts into butter.
- To the food processor, add the hemp seeds and pitted dates and process until finely chopped and sticky.
- Add the cacao powder (or cocoa powder, if using), vanilla, and salt and process until thoroughly combined. The dough should be slightly sticky; if it’s not, add water one teaspoon at a time and process the mixture again. I often add 1 to 3 teaspoons of water to achieve the right consistency.
- Add the 1/3 cup walnuts and 2 tablespoons raw cacao nibs (or additional chopped walnuts if using), and pulse the batter until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. If you have a pastry roller on hand, you can use it to roll the dough until smooth on top. Otherwise, simply press the dough down with your hands and ensure the edges are even. Place the pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
- Prepare the homemade chocolate: Melt the coconut oil over low heat in a medium pot. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the cacao powder (or cocoa powder, if using), syrup, salt, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined.
- Remove the brownies from the freezer and pour on all of the chocolate topping. Carefully transfer the pan back to the freezer and let rest on a flat, even surface. Chill uncovered for at least 20 minutes, or until the topping is firm enough to slice. You might find the homemade chocolate will freeze a bit unevenly, but this is normal!
- To remove the brownies, run a knife under hot water for a minute or so and carefully slide it along the ends of your pan to loosen the slab. Using the excess parchment paper, lift the brownie slab out of the pan and place it onto a cutting board. Run the knife under hot water again and wipe off excess water. Pressing the knife down slowly, slice the brownies into squares. Top with strawberries, if using.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days, or tightly wrapped and frozen for 1 to 2 months. You can enjoy the brownies frozen, chilled from the fridge, or at room temp...your choice! I personally love them semi-frozen.
Tip:
* You’ll want to use soft, fresh Medjool dates for this recipe to ensure your batter is sticky enough. If your dates are firm, try soaking them in water for 30 to 60 minutes—drain well and use as directed.
** Instead of the homemade chocolate topping, you can melt 3/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips in a small pot over the lowest heat, stirring until smooth.
These are deadly!!!! YUM
These are GREAT, Angela! They don’t give me the sugar crashes that I have with regular sugar. I’ve been trying to stay off refined sugar the past weeks to see what it does to my skin and mood, and your brownies have helped me do it :-) Thanks!!
Btw, I used pecans instead of walnuts (for some reason walnuts make me feel sick) and it worked out perfect!
I just made these – oh my god they’re delicious! And so easy to make! I couldn’t find the hemp seeds so I used linseed and my dates were dried so I softened them for 2 minutes in hot water. Definitely recommended!
I made them with a mixture of sunflower and seasme seeds instead of hemp. They turned out amazing. Thanks for the great recipes.
These are so good! I made them a couple of days ago and I can’t stop snacking on them. Thank you for so many terrific recipes!
Oh my gosh ! This looks so amazing I can’t even think straight! Talk about sunday afternoon snacking on the roof terrace! Not to mention guilt free! Love your blog!! Keep up the excellent work!!! I would like to interview you for my blog if that is possible! Please do get in touch xxx
I have made these brownies twice now for my family and they are a MAJOR hit with a husband who is a chocaholic, and two little ones who keep a “clean” diet. The first thing I thought after trying one is “who cares if it’s healthy???? It’s awesome!” The only change I made was with the second amount of walnuts… I simply chopped them up and put them on top of the bottom layer and then spread the chocolate top layer over it. Amazing! Thank you so much for all you share with us.
Man, these look so good but I tried it and failed! As I was making it I wondered how is this going to work with such small amount of liquid? (just vanilla extract?) My food processor and vitamix couldn’t handle it. so I ended up trying to mix it by hand. It just ended up clumpy and very dry. I couldn’t get it to mix so eventually I added applesauce and a banana. Still too dry! so I added some coconut oil. It’s not bad but not great :/ I wonder if there is an ingredient left out of this recipe? or did I miss something huge? Do you just need a really high powered food processor?
Hi Luna,
Yes you definitely should use a sturdy food processor for this recipe and not a blender. There aren’t any ingredients left out. Hope you have better success next time. Just curious – which brand of food processor are you using?
My Tefal blender comes with a mini grinder and chopper that aren’t exactly power houses. So I did the nuts and dates separately (and just a few at a time), and then mixed everything really well by hand in a bowl, along with the rest of the ingredients. Seemed to work fine. Hope that helps, as they are so so worth the effort, being pretty much the best thing I’ve ever eaten.
Can’t wait to try theseeee!! And enjoy them with a large glass of milk!! Yummy, my bump and I thank you!!! :D :D :D :D xxxxx
Just made these – just Fabulous! The challenge will be to limit myself to 1-2 of these bad boys/day. Should be called “Not Yo Mama’s Brownies”. They’re better – and infinitely more satisfying.
These brownies nearly burnt out the motor of my food processor and then were very hard to spread. I was thinking that maybe they weren’t worth it, but I just tasted my first one and they are so worth it. Thanks so much for the great posts and the cookbook. I enjoy it all and am a faithful follower.
These brownies are AMAZING!!! Talk about death by chocolate, wow! The coconut oil in the homemade chocolate gives it a nice coconut flavor along with the intense chocolate, love it! Also, I only ate one brownie and feel very satisfied. I have a huge sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chocolate, and these brownies did the job and then some.
I made these awesome Brownies yesterday and everyone loved them! For future reference, I made them mostly one-handed with my 8 month old baby on my hip!!
These came out phenomenally. I didn’t freeze them, just kept them in the fridge and they came out perfect. This is my go to recipe for chocolate brownies now. I love that I can eat one, feel satisfied (the texture of the brownie is so similar to fudgey brownies and the chocolate on top is SO GOOD) and I don’t feel that sick weighed-down feeling I would get after regular flour brownies!!! I would add some organic sprinkles to the top or raspberries while the frosting is still cooling. So good. Thanks for sharing!!
Can I say wow! Just had the first finished bite. Wholesome, dense, chewy, with brownie taste! Don’t skip the salt; it’s essential. I used a slightly smaller pan, too, so they could be thicker. I’m so excited to have my freezer stocked with these!
These turned out delish!
It was a little crumbly – I would add more dates to the brownie mix to keep it held together. I made this for friends and they loved it! Melts quick, so serve it straight out of the freezer :)
Oh. My. Goodness. These are seriously good!
Just made these tonight and they are absolutely delicious! I’ve been craving brownies (the kind with white sugar and white flour) but I’m trying to stay away from that stuff. These definitely satisfied my cravings! I’ve never tried one of your dessert recipes, but it’s safe to say that I will be trying many more, and soon. Thank you!
We make ‘energy balls’ (essentially the brownie base recipe in balls) all the time but I never thought to add a chocolate top! How silly of me not to think of adding chocolate- chocolate goes with everything!
Hi Angela,
I’ve been making these brownies since they appeared on your blog time and time again. They’ve become a staple in my house, as soon as we run out of them I make another batch. They are delicious!
Rosa