blissful eats with tina jeffers: The raw brownie

Are you ready for a life changing event?  Once you have tried these raw brownies you will never look at dessert the same way again.  I am so enamored with these things that I skipped raiding my child's halloween candy stash in favor of one of these for an afternoon snack.  

They only require a few simple ingredients, take minutes to prepare and require no cooking at all.  And did I mention that they taste like the richest, fudge brownie you can imagine.  The walnuts act as a flour substitute and make them light and fluffySince there are only a few ingredients make sure to use the best quality ingredients you can find.  

These bars are the perfect substitute for an energy bar or other sweet tweet and they are full of healthy good for you ingredients.  Dates are loaded with potassium and are a good source of fiber, the walnuts supply healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids and the cacoa is one of the best sources of magnesium found in nature.  Even if you aren't interested in the health benefits these brownies offer you should give them a try because they are so delicious and so satisfying.  So there you have it, a life changing event just waiting for you to grab it.  You can thank me later, I'm off to eat a brownie.

The raw brownie

Ingredients:

2 cups whole walnuts, divided
2 1/2 cups Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup raw oats
1 cup raw cacoa
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Method:

Place 1 1/2 cups walnuts and the oats in a food processor and blend on high until the mixture is finely ground.  Add the cacao and salt and pulse to combine.  Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube of the processor while it is running.  The mixture should be crumbly but hold together when you squeeze it between your fingers.  Roughly chop the remaining 1/2 cup of walnuts and combine with the walnut-cacoa mix.  Press the mixture into a 9x9 pan.  Place in the freezer or fridge until ready to serve, it is easily to slice the brownies when they are cold.  Dust lightly with cacoa before serving.  Store in an airtight container.