raw-ish brownies March 6, 2010
Posted by molly in : desserts , trackbackever since i attended that vegan food workshop back in january, i’ve been dying to recreate the raw carob brownies that chooi-leng made. granted, they are not entirely raw (the topping is made from melted chocolate) but there is absolutely no baking required, and most important of all – no eggs, no gluten, no dairy, and definitely no soy! i’d say this is a winner.
i am bringing these “brownies” to a friend’s house for a late lunch tomorrow – so i decided to make them today and stick them in the fridge, giving them enough time to “set” and harden up a bit. i remember at the workshop the brownies had less than an hour in the fridge before we were all leaving, so i had the gooiest meltiest brownie in my hands – still delicious, but would have been awesome if it was all in one nice solid package.
the way i made them was a bit of an experiment, and a little bit different to the brownies we made back in january. first of all, there is no carob here – i used cocoa powder in the main brownie “batter”. i also got a bit overzealous with the moistness of the batter and added a splash of rice milk – highly unnecessary, as this made it impossibly sticky. so i’m only including the recipe for what i think it should be (rather than what i used today) – plus my photos of just the batter, and then with the melted chocolate on top (before putting in the fridge to cool and set).
this is a delicious and decadent dessert without the guilt – it’s pretty harmless, except maybe for the chocolate part 
no-bake brownies
yields a 15 x 20 cm tray full (the only ruler in this house is metric, i wonder why…)
the particulars:
- 2 cups cashews (soaked or unsoaked)
- 2 cups dates, chopped in thirds
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder (i used green & black’s)
- 1 bar dark chocolate, broken into small bits
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- 3 tbsp shelled hemp seeds blended with 3/4 cup water OR 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
- blend the cashews in a food processor, then add the chopped dates and cocoa powder. blend until fully mixed.
- melt the chocolate bits in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. add the hemp (or other non-dairy) milk and the agave nectar to the melted chocolate and stir until fully combined.
- scoop the cashew blend out of the food processor and press into a tupperware or glass container. pour the melted chocolate sauce on top. leave to cool – put in the fridge once mostly cooled and leave until ready to serve.
lesson learned: i’ve seen lots of raw and vegan brownie recipes around the web, and most involve walnuts or pecans instead of cashews. this would make for a nuttier brownie – so give it a go if you don’t really want a smooth or cashew-flavored variety.
Comments»
These look delicious! Just wondering – would it work with almonds instead of cashews (due to my nut allergy)?
Thanks for this recipe! I might like to try these sometime.
hey dena! they ARE delicious
hmm i think they would only work with almonds if they were soaked first. or you could try walnuts or pecans instead (if you’re not allergic)
you should alison! they are so easy to make and really yummy
Those look delicious! Though I like the idea of carob ones too, I may have to look back at your prior post!