Raw Brownies and 30 Healthy & Whole Desserts

“Healthy desserts” is something of an oxymoron, we know. But right now, it’s the best term we have to describe desserts that are made of whole, nourishing foods. We’re all for splurging on standard desserts on occasion, but we’ll admit — sometimes a meal needs a sweet ending and we’re all out of our splurge quota for the week. So most often, we try to tailor the desserts we eat so that they contain nourishing whole foods. They’re better on the stomach and leave us feeling energized instead of sluggish.

We’ve devised the term “healthy & whole” to describe this type of dessert. What we look for in a healthy & whole dessert recipe is that it contains mostly real foods (like nuts, fruit, cocoa powder, milk, even chocolate on occasion), if possible contains natural sugars (like honey, maple syrup, or dates), and is relatively light on the refined sugar, refined flour, and butter (within reason).

What we don’t call a healthy & whole dessert are those not-too-healthy recipes with “healthy” ingredients added (like adding simply black beans to brownies or zucchini to chocolate chip cookies), or desserts that are categorized as healthy based entirely on calorie count and/or unreasonably tiny servings.

One of our first ventures into healthy desserts was the raw brownie, inspired by My New Roots. The thought that you could make a treat to satisfy your sweet tooth made only of dates and nuts changed our whole paradigm. We decided the photograph from our original post on the raw brownie needed a bit of updating, so we’ve re-photographed it here, updated the recipe, and added a list of the top 10 healthy & whole desserts from our site, as well as 30 extras from around the web.

Did you make this recipe?

If you make these raw brownies, we’d love to hear how they turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture and mention @acouplecooks on Facebook or Instagram.

This recipe is…

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

Raw Brownies + 30 Healthy Desserts

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Yield: 10 to 12 brownies

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Ingredients

• 12 Medjool dates
• 1 cup walnuts
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
• ¼ cup slivered almonds

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Instructions

1. Remove the pits from the dates.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, place 1 cup walnuts. Process on high until the nuts are finely ground. Add ½ cup cocoa powder and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt. Pulse to combine.
3. 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. Add 1/4 cup slivered almonds and pulse several times to combine.
4. In a small, square dish, press the dough into the desired thickness and shape (even if it does not fill the entire pan). If desired, place in the refrigerator or freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. Store refrigerated for about a week, or frozen for several months.

Notes

Adapted from My New Roots

Do you have a favorite wholesome dessert recipe? Let us know!

Our top 10 favorite healthy & whole desserts from A Couple Cooks

1. Raw Brownies (pictured above; recipe below) 

2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

3. Flourless Chocolate Cakes

4. Triple Berry Raw Brownie Parfait

5. Strawberries with Balsamic, Greek Yogurt, and Mint (not quite in season right now, but one of our favorites ever

6. Dark Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

7. Roasted Bananas with Toasted Coconut

8. Five-Spice Roasted Pears

9. Healthy Chocolate Milkshake

10. Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cranberry Clusters

20 More from Around the Web

Frozen Chocolate Bananas from Love and Lemons

Berries and Coconut Cream from Love and Lemons

Raw Almond Cacao Nib Bites from Oh Ladycakes

Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Mousse from Oh My Veggies

Vegan Fudgsicles from Vegetarian Ventures

Raw Carrot Cake with Citrus Frosting from The First Mess

Honey and Wild Blueberry Smoothie from Pinch of Yum

Prosecco Poached Peaches and Coconut Yogurt from Girl Versus Dough

Peanut Butter Bites from Sprouted Kitchen

Watermelon Granitas with Coconut Whipped Cream from How Sweet It Is

Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cherry Cookies from My New Roots

Grilled Pears with Cinnamon Drizzle from A House in the Hills

Vegan Salted Dark Chocolate Nut Bars from Dolly and Oatmeal on Food 52

Yogurt Brulee from Not Without Salt

Raw Vegan Banana Cream Pie from Minimalist Baker

Baked Figs with Honey, Ginger, and Vanilla from London Bakes

Ricotta Pear Stacks from Food Loves Writing

Avocado Chocolate Pudding from Edible Perspective

Strawberry and Quinoa Parfait from Foodie Crush

Peach Crisps from Cookie and Kate