The Raw Brownie

Well hello there!

Important things today. I've got brownies for you!

Raw chocolate brownies to be exact.

Showered with more chocolate.

This is not the first time I've made raw brownies. I'm not really sure why it's taken me so long to share this recipe. These are not your typical fluffly, cakey brownies that are baked. The dough is made up of walnuts, cashews, Medjool dates, raw cacao powder, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. Whip this up in your food processor and you should end up with a 'brownie' dough that looks very much like a larabar in texture and appearance. Next: press the dough into an 8x8 pan for ideal thickness. Place the pan in the freezer for at least 10 minutes and cut into squares. 

Violá! You have yourself raw brownies!

The end result kind of blows me away everytime. All without the need for flour, sugar, eggs, or butter...Not that they don't have their own place. Whether you are gluten-free or vegan or simply none of the above these brownies will rock your socks off.

The Raw Brownie

by Jennifer Trennum

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: raw food processor dessert gluten-free grain-free sugar-free soy-free vegan cashews cacao powder dates walnuts bars brownies

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Ingredients (12-16 brownies)

• 1 1/2 cups whole walnuts
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 2 1/2 cups Medjool dates, pitted
• 3/4 cup raw cacao powder or dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. This will make it easy to lift out the brownies later on.

Place the walnuts and cashews in your food processor and blend until the nuts are ground to a fine crumb.

Add the cacao powder, vanilla, and sea salt; process until thoroughly combined.

Add the pitted dates and blend until finely chopped. The mixture will be sticky and should easily hold together when pressed. You can test this by pressing a tiny bit of the mix between your finger and thumb.

Evenly press the brownie mixture into prepared pan. Place in the fridge or freezer for about 10 minutes, cut and serve. Store leftovers in the freezer.

notes

Before serving try dusting a little extra cacao powder on top of the brownies for presentation and extra chocolatey taste.

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No oven required.

Have a happy chocolatey week!

Maple Cashew Cream Frosting

Let's fast forward ahead to Spring. Who's ready?

With any luck it looks like there might be an end in sight after all. The temperatures actually might break 0˚C in the next few weeks. Woohoo! I've had it with this freezing cold winter weather. I want spring flower, warm breezes, and longer days.

So today I give you a recipe inspired by Spring. 

This also may have something to do with maple syrup season being right around the corner. Fingers crossed.

I'm also working on a healthy gluten-free carrot cake recipe, totally inspired by Spring and this maple cashew cream frosting. I'm hoping that one turns out!

On that note, let's get back to this frosting. It's a little reminiscent of traditional cream cheese frosting, but without the cream cheese. Instead it's made with vitamin rich cashews. I wouldn't go expecting the taste of butter cream. But this is a super creamy, rich, maple sweetened frosting.

Cashew cream is one of the most versatile things you can have in your kitchen. You can make it sweet or savory and use it in everything from spreads, dips, sauces, to frosting and more. It's a great option when you need to make a recipe dairy-free or vegan.

I would advise you to slather this on anything and everything!

I would strongly suggest:

• muffins
• quick breads
• cupcakes
• doughnuts
• cakes
• pancakes

Anthing baked and that you can put frosting on, really. Or even better, you could stuff in into muffins!

Maple Cashew Cream Frosting

by Jennifer Trennum

Keywords: blender food processor how-to frosting/ icing dessert snack gluten-free low-carb vegan vegetarian Cashews maple syrup Icing/ Frosting

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Ingredients (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 3-4 hours (or overnight)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt

Instructions

First, drain and rinse your cashews. Place all ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth, creamy and thoroughly combined. For a thinner consistency add more milk. Scrape the sides of the blender as needed.

Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to thicken and firm up. The longer it chills, the thicker it will get.

Keep the frosting refrigerated in a sealed container.

notes/ substitutions

Cow's milk may be substituted for almond milk if you prefer.

If you are using this to frost cakes or treats that will not be served immediatley, keep the frosted treats chilled until ready to serve.

The frosting will keep fresh for about 1 week stored in the fridge and longer in the freezer. Store in a tightly sealed container.

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