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Raw brownies.

Who knew brownies could be packed with protein, omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, and antioxidants? These raw brownies are made with wholesome ingredients. Best of all, they are made without an oven! Unless you don’t have a dehydrator…then you’ll need your oven (but make sure to keep the temperature under 115 degrees, to keep these brownies alive and raw).

You will be totally surprised at how incredibly rich and satisfying these are with just six ingredients.

I don’t buy dessert or sweet things. It makes it a lot more fun when I’m in the mood for chocolate because it makes me get creative with it. I use to have a sweet tooth, but ever since I started drinking kombucha my sugar cravings have pretty much disappeared. But lets face it, I’m a 20 something year old girl….sometimes I want some chocolate. 🙂 I use to just mix cacao, coconut oil and honey in a bowl, and that would completely satisfy my need. But now…now I have upped my game. Now, I make raw brownies!

Originally I wasn’t going to put this recipe on the blog, but last night I promised someone I would. We had a movie night at the integrative medical and dental center I work at (NIHA). The evening was lovely, we watched the Greater Good documentary and our holistic pediatrician held a discussion afterwards about the importance and the risks of vaccines. She’s brilliant, so if you are in the DC metropolitan area, I suggest you check her out. Anyway, I was asked to make some snacks and what goes better with an educational movie than raw brownies? Nothing. My thought exactly. The platter of brownies started out full to the brim and after 2 hours it all had vanished. Someone even asked to take the ingredient list home! I promised I’d blog the recipe for them, and I thought you all would enjoy it. So here it is!

Brownie Ingredients

4 cups raw cashew flour (I grind my cashews in the food processor, but you can buy the actual flour if that’s easier)
3 cups cacao powder
1 cup almond milk
1 cup maple syrup
1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
2 tsp sea salt

Ganache Ingredients (optional)

1 cup coconut oil
1 cup cacao powder
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2-4 tablespoons hemp seeds

Instructions

If you are using whole cashews, put them in the food processor and grind. If you like chunky brownies, don’t process the cashews all the way because it will be too smooth, leave some chunks in there. But this is completely up to you. Depends if you dig chunky or smooth brownies. 🙂
Pour the cashew flour in a bowl and set aside
Add the rest of the brownie ingredients in the food processor and mix it all up. You should be really tempted to stick your finger in it now 🙂
Mix the wet ingredients with the flour and stir well, until it’s all combined
Using a spatula, spread about 1/2 inch thick on your dehydrator teflex sheet (or if you are using an oven, spread on a parchment lined pan) and dehydrate for about 5 hours (or in the oven at 115 degrees for 2 hours…every oven is different so the time may vary)
Flip the sheet of brownies over using a large spatula and dehydrate for another hour or so.
Remove from dehydrator or oven and let cool
You could stop with the brownies right here. But go big or go home. I like to pour on homemade chocolate for a second layer. The chocolate hardens into a thick shell, giving these brownies a wonderful snappy texture – best enjoyed straight out of the refrigerator
So you want to add more chocolate? Great. Ganache time 🙂
Blend all of the ganache ingredients in the food processor (except for the hemp seeds…leave those out)
Pour ganache over brownies, be careful because it may pour over the sides…but who cares 🙂
Sprinkle the hemp seeds on top of the ganache
Place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to let them firm up
Once the ganache hardens you can cut into brownie squares. I cut them pretty small because they are really rich and it doesn’t take many to satisfy you.
Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve because they can melt if left out too long.

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