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? (Therefore making these brownies gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan, and all-natural.) What if I told you they were made only of things that were actually good for you – natural foods that contain important nutrients? 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.
Related: 10 Brain Food Recipes to Boost Your Mood
I must admit, I was skeptical at first. (Especially since the original recipe over at My New Roots claimed it would change my life.) However, after one taste of the chocolatey dough, I was a believer! I am still amazed that the combination of Medjool dates, walnuts, and cocoa powder can transform into a fudge-y “brownie” that is just as satisfying as the real thing.
Once you’ve tried them yourself, test them out on your family and friends (and make them guess the magical ingredients)! We did, and I think it’s safe to say 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?
Want other ideas for healthy desserts? Here are a few of our favorite healthy desserts on A Couple Cooks:
- Amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Tahini No Bake Vegan Cookies
- All Natural Strawberry Yogurt Pie
This recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, naturally sweet
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Raw Brownies
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 1)
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Yield: 10 small brownies
Yield:
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Pin RecipeDescription
The original recipe called for raw cacao powder which wasn’t easily accessible to us, so we substituted cocoa powder with good results. However, no substitutions with the dates! 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.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups Medjool dates (about 12)
- 1/4 cup almonds (unsalted)
- 1 cup walnuts (unsalted)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
- Cinnamon
Instructions
- Remove the pits from the dates. Chop the almonds.
- In the bowl of a food processor, place 1 cup walnuts. Process on high until the nuts are finely ground.
- Add 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea 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
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
58 Comments
kirstin
September 8, 2011 at 8:41 amYUM!! I don’t have a food processor but do have a vita-mix blender. Do you think I could use that?
Alex
September 8, 2011 at 8:59 amI don’t know about a weaker blender, but I think the vitamix could probably handle it – but you may have to stir in almonds rather than adding them at the end. Good luck!
Sonja
October 6, 2011 at 12:16 pmPer Kathy’s comment below, looks like this works in a blender! Let us know if you gave it a try with the vitamix… :)
Jennifer @ Raisin Questions
September 8, 2011 at 2:05 pmWow! Great, please report back if you try it in the blender. I also don’t have a food processor, but I am simply taken by this idea!
Kelly
September 8, 2011 at 3:44 pmCan’t wait to try these!!
Fran {The Flavorful Fork}
September 8, 2011 at 5:16 pmSounds good! I recently tried some no-bake Peanut Butter Power Balls and loved them. When you are using figs or dates, there really is no need for sugar. http://www.flavorfulfork.com/2011/08/peanut-butter-power-bites/
Christine
September 8, 2011 at 5:30 pmSounds wonderful. Yum!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
September 8, 2011 at 9:37 pmI will freely admit I am skeptical of these. But would love to try them and see what I think. Just not sure where to get some of the ingredients.
Erica
September 9, 2011 at 11:19 amAfter seeing your post yesterday, I was so intrigued that I had to give your recipe a try this morning. I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa which says that it is 100% Cacao. I have used this cocoa in other recipes, and it is not my favorite cocoa, but I thought I would try it since this recipe suggested the use of Cacao. I also have some Droste Cocoa which I prefer, and I think I will use that next time. Since the cocoa is the main flavor, I think it is really important that you use a good tasting cocoa in this recipe, so I think I would like it better with a different cocoa. I bought Medjool dates in the bulk bins at my grocery store, and I think my dates may have been on the dry side because my mixture was a bit crumbly. I am not sure how they are suppose to be though…this being my first experience with dates:) These were good, and I feel very good about the health benefits in the ingredients. I added some cinnamon to the “batter” and some ground green cardamom powder from the Indian food store. Thank you for introducing me to the world of raw foods. I saw this recipe when I was looking at raw recipes last night http://www.flavorfulfork.com/2011/08/peanut-butter-power-bites/ and I think that I may give it a try. My husband loves peanut butter, so I think he would enjoy these.
Sonja
September 18, 2011 at 11:02 pmThanks so much for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed it – cardamom is a great idea for adding another hint of flavor!
German Mama
September 9, 2011 at 11:29 pmSorry to barge in here but I am rather skeptical about your “sugar-free” claim. You don’t add sugar but if you do some research on the sugar content of dates, you will find that it’s extremely high! (I just wanted to bring it up. Feel free to delete this comment if you don’t like it.)
Alex
September 11, 2011 at 2:08 pmHi! We did not mean to confuse anyone about the presence of natural sugars in dried fruit. We simply believe that there are a lot of complex health benefits of eating a sweet made from whole fruits versus adding refined sugar to a recipe. Thanks for pointing it out!
Julia
September 13, 2011 at 8:09 amThey look delicious! And sound so simple!
Amrita
September 14, 2011 at 2:18 pmYou’re not serious, are you? Those are raw brownies?!
:-0 This one’s after my own heart!
Alex
September 18, 2011 at 10:21 pmHaha! So serious. You’ll have to try them out :)
Robbie
September 18, 2011 at 11:10 amThey look absolutely gorgeous!!! I’ll have to try those :) yummm they sound easy to make and they are not unheathy which is awesome.
ps: I love you blog (and the whole idea behind it) and your recipes are lovely!
Its on my faves! x
Alex
September 18, 2011 at 10:18 pmThanks so much! These brownies are so easy and delicious – you’ll love them!
Kathy
October 6, 2011 at 12:04 amI just made this (at 9:03pm!) with my Black&Decker blender. It worked ;)
Very yummy too!!!
Sonja
October 6, 2011 at 12:15 pmOoo, I’m glad to hear that this worked in a blender! Glad you liked them!
Shari
October 7, 2011 at 10:03 amThese are delicious! I’ve made them twice for different groups of people and everyone has really enjoyed them. Instead of squares, I formed the dough into little balls.
Sonja
October 7, 2011 at 6:02 pmGreat idea — I’ve done that too! (And pretended they were truffles :) )
The Savvy Sister
October 12, 2011 at 9:05 pmThese are just what I needed after my attempt at vegan chocolate mousse that failed. The moistness of the batter really surprised me, and NO REFINED SUGAR! YAY! The batter fit nicely into 12 mini muffin molds.
I hope it’s ok that I post a copy of this recipe and credit your site.
Thanks and keep this good stuff coming!
Sonja
October 12, 2011 at 9:15 pmGo for it – I’m glad you enjoyed it! (I got the recipe over at My New Roots – she has lots of great recipes with no refined sugar.)
We’ll keep them coming – thanks for the feedback! It’s great to know that people enjoy these types of “desserts” as much as we do!
Alex
October 12, 2011 at 9:22 pmIf you’re looking for another vegan chocolate recipe, you could try our tofu pudding too! (though it does have sugar – I wonder if honey would be good…)
http://www.acouplecooks.com/2010/09/chocolate-chili-tofu-pudding/
Lynda
October 17, 2011 at 1:24 amHave you ever heard of the brownie recipe made from black beans? Saw it on Dr. oz.
Sonja
October 17, 2011 at 3:56 pmI had not heard of it, but just checked it out! Looks like it uses the same type of ingredients as regular brownies (butter, sugar, eggs, etc) but adds black beans as well. If you like traditional brownies, that might be a good bet. Since my stomach has trouble handling the richness of butter, I tend to prefer the “raw” version :)
Hallie
February 13, 2013 at 7:34 amI was disappointed when I searched for and found Rocco DiSpirito’s “good for you” brownies after seeing them on his show, “Eat This, Not That.” The borwnies were filled with all sorts of processed foods that made me cringe. I kept searching and came across a recipe that I decided to try and I was very pleased with the results. Note that I used 8 medjool dates in lieu of the prunes, as that’s all I had on hand at the time, but they were still yummy. I’ve been wanting to make another batch for Valentine’s Day treats for my little fellas. http://www.blogher.com/vegan-chocolate-black-bean-cupcakes-really
Perhaps I’llbe making these brownies instead… :-)
Sonja
February 21, 2013 at 3:32 pmSounds great – hope you enjoy them!
Catherine
November 4, 2011 at 4:15 amThese are not substitute for the real thing. My husband and my daughter both rejected them outright. I find it to be more like a candy than a brownie–a chocolate candy that I do not feel sick after eating and tastes really good with glass of milk.
Alex
November 4, 2011 at 8:04 amI’m sorry that your family didn’t enjoy them! They certainly do not have a cake-like texture. I’m glad at least they didn’t leave you with a sick stomach :)
Sarah Haege
December 3, 2011 at 6:08 pmWow these look good but I’m super allergic to all nuts except for peanuts. Wish I could figure out a nut-less way to do these!
Sonja
December 4, 2011 at 7:14 pmWow, that’s too bad! You could probably try it with peanuts in place of the walnuts (and skip the almonds) – it would have a different flavor, but I think it might work! Let us know if you try it out!
Jennifer
February 10, 2012 at 7:59 pmThese are really yummy. I’ve made them a few times and now favor these date-based ones over the other ones! Mine have been pretty crumbly, and while I’ve pressed the mixture together and chilled them, they still have a way of breaking easily in route to my happy mouth. In my most recent batch, I used ground chia seed and water (3:1) to make an adhesive that also packs an nutritional boost! I used about 1/2T of the egg-substitute. It did help the brownie stick together and added some moisture, making it more of a fudge brownie. I think this would be especially helpful if one is going the truffles route!
Tallulah.C
April 11, 2012 at 11:14 pmThis recipe looks really great, however I was just wondering if there’s anything that would work as a substitute for the dates?
Thanks!
Alex
April 12, 2012 at 7:34 amI’m sorry – I haven’t seen any similar recipes without the dates. They are pretty essential to the texture.
Chef Paul
April 14, 2012 at 10:34 amI love this recipe, I am using it with my Baking Science class this week. We may feature it in our new cafe/bakery opening in August.
I was wondering if Tallulah C. objected to the dates, or dried fruit in general. It seems that it would be easy to substitute dried apricots, prunes, even raisins. The flavor and sweetness profile would change, but could be pleasing. Many thoughts for variation come to mind. Apricot, toasted almonds, extra virgin olive or nut oil for flavor and texture…
Thanks,
Sonja
April 14, 2012 at 2:02 pmGreat ideas! And these come from a real chef, everyone! :)
We have tried these with another type of date (deglet noir) and found they did not have nearly the sweetness or the texture of Medjool dates. However, we’ve never tried apricots or prunes — interesting idea! Some good food for thought :)
Tallulah.C
April 14, 2012 at 6:12 pmHi, thanks for all your suggestions. I was just thinking of trying it with different dried fruits, and I like your suggestion for toasted almonds! Thanks!
Cait
June 7, 2012 at 1:38 pmThese look so good! I have been trying to find a recipe for something like the Chocolate Brownie Pure bar. I’m thinking these might be like those and a whole lot cheaper!
Rhi
August 8, 2012 at 8:03 pmI don’t have the medjool dates, just ordinary. I’m going to attempt this today with them.
Beth
January 7, 2013 at 8:38 pmSounds super yummy! I’m on a health kick for the new year (we’ll see how long it lasts), & I’m so glad I found your recipe for the perfect dessert! :0)
Emily
January 8, 2013 at 1:50 pmI’ve been cutting gluten and refined sugars from my diet and was extremely excited when I found this recipe! I made it the other night and it turned out really great (even my fiance and super picky roomies approved!). Much better than other chocolate cake recipes I’ve tried that use dates and coconut flour. However, mine were super crumbly also. I may try the Chia egg mentioned above or maybe I didn’t process the walnuts fine enough. Definitely excited about this recipe though!
Sonja
January 8, 2013 at 2:03 pmHi Emily! I’m glad you enjoyed these! I’ve had mine come out fairly crumbly too at times. When that happens, I try to run the food processor for a bit longer; it will help to keep things together more. Sometimes if you run the processor for a long time, the mixture will all clump together into one ball in the bowl; usually that texture seems to stick together well in brownie form. It is also good to process the walnuts very finely before adding the dates. One last thing I do is to really press the brownies together into the pan, and then consider refrigerating them a bit to let them set. Give it a try and let me know what works!
Annetta
January 10, 2013 at 10:50 amI have a huge problem. Unless I double the batch, then none of my mixture will make it into brownies… this is too good, I can’t resist not eating entirely from the bowl.. omg
Alex
January 13, 2013 at 1:30 pmHah! That certainly is a problem :) Glad you like it!
Sonja
January 13, 2013 at 8:46 pmYou know, I have the same problem too! Luckily, loving dates and nuts isn’t too much of a guilty pleasure :)
Lisa
January 14, 2013 at 4:16 pmWow. This is my second recipe trial in three days. (First, the poblano stuffed peppers!) And I must say, that I loved these just as much. I am hooked to your ideas and your site now.
Sonja
January 14, 2013 at 5:36 pmSo glad you enjoyed them both! Hopefully you’ll continue to find recipes you enjoy (no pressure, right?! :)) Thanks for writing!
Leslie
February 22, 2013 at 5:16 pmWow, I never post comments on things but I have to say that these are really good! I’m a sweet lover and I feel a little less guilty eating these and they really satisfy my sweet tooth:-) Thanks for posting – I’m going to try the other recipes now too!
Sonja
February 25, 2013 at 8:59 pmGlad you enjoyed them, Leslie! And thanks for commenting too — it’s so helpful to know your feedback! Let us know if you try anything else :)
Megan
March 20, 2013 at 5:07 amThese are sensational, I am a newly converted healthy eater from Devon in the UK with a sweet tooth. I love the ooey gooey rich texture of these brownies and have shared them with colleagues at work and a few friends, they just can’t believe how delightful they are, even the rough, tough boys like them. Instead of using cinnamon I used peppermint extract for a mint chocolate kick (a personal favourite). Thanks for sharing your recipe, utter brilliance.
Alex
March 20, 2013 at 9:15 amSo glad you enjoyed the recipe! The mint version sounds good. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s totally adaptable. Have you seen our gingerbread and pumpkin spice versions? http://www.acouplecooks.com/tag/dates/
Anonymous
March 20, 2013 at 1:43 pmNot seen those versions! I think I will be spending a lot of time on your website. I like the look of your peach salsa.
Back to the brownies I’m going to see if I can persuade my sister to try these delicious treats.
Taking a sample to the chiropractor and the guys at the gym, Awesome!
ingrid
March 16, 2014 at 1:32 amLove these! So happy to have found this recipe! I add a little bit of coconut oil (1tbsp?) It Helps moisten them & holds them together nicely
Dani
April 24, 2014 at 11:32 amI’ll be honest, I didn’t believe you when you said you could make a brownie out of dates, cocoa powder and walnuts, but you pulled it off! Topped mine off with a few sliced strawberries to brighten them up. I’m so impressed.
Sam
April 18, 2015 at 8:30 pmHi! So I was really excited to make these, always looking for new ‘healthy’ desserts and so I made this earlier. I put it in the fridge for the required time but it was still very crumbly.. Anything I can do to make it more formable?? Thanks!!
Sonja
April 18, 2015 at 9:50 pmHi Sam! Thanks for writing. I would try adding another date or two and processing the dough, then tasting and adding more cocoa powder for a more chocolate-y taste. Sometimes the moisture in dates can vary. Did you use Medjool dates? The dough should be easily formable (not too crumbly) at room temperature, so adding a few more dates can help that. The only issue would be adding too many dates can make the dough sticky and gooey, so try not to overprocess. Let us know if this helps!
Natasha
February 18, 2016 at 3:53 pmI made these yesterday and my kids loved them! Do you know the nutritional facts for theses brownies?