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Raw Walnut Brownies on a white marble table. The brownies are sitting on baking parchment and walnuts are scattered around them.
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5 from 5 votes

Raw Brownies (vegan & gluten-free)

Simple to make and requiring no baking, these raw brownies are healthy and delicious. They're also vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free.
Prep Time10 minutes
Freezing Time1 hour
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: comfort food, gluten-free, healthy, vegan
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 9 small brownies
Author: Elizabeth Emery

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups walnuts
  • 7-8 small dates
  • ¼ cup cacao powder
  • ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1½ tablespoon coconut oil
  • Pinch of salt

Optional

  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder or essence

Instructions

  • If you have a food processor, place all ingredients into it and blend until a sticky dough forms.
  • If not, add the walnuts to a blender and process until they form a flour. Blend the dates the same way until they are broken into small pieces. Add the walnut flour, date pieces and all other ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix together with your hands until a dough forms.
  • Scoop the mixture into square or rectangular plastic tupperware (about 10-15cm wide), press it down flat with your fingers and score into small squares or rectangles with a flat knife.
  • Leave in the freezer for 1-2 hrs to set (if you can wait that long!), pry the square brownies out of the container using the flat knife, and eat.
  • Store any leftovers in the freezer.

Notes

Budget Tips

Walnuts - If walnuts are expensive where you are right now (or if you can't eat them), a great coast-saving tip is to use half walnuts and half sunflower seeds in this recipe. You can get away with using ¾ cup walnuts and ¾ cup sunflower seeds instead of 1½ cups walnuts, and it can make a big difference to the cost.
Vanilla - Vanilla powder is made from ground raw vanilla beans and gives an amazing flavour because it's unprocessed and pure, and unlike vanilla essence isn't blended with alcohol.
That said, it's also incredibly expensive right now due to sourcing issues, so while it's a lovely ingredient to include, it isn't necessary. Feel free to use vanilla essence instead, or skip it completely.