Decadent Date Almond Brownies
These moist and chocolaty cake brownies are great by themselves or to be used as a base for many other delectible sweet treats.
Servings:
16
Ready In:
30 min.
Calories:
160
Sugar Content:
5 grams
Bake Time & Temp.:
16min. @ 350F
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Jacalyn Brull
This recipe was born from my desire to find a healthier way to satisfy both mine and my family’s sugar cravings. How could I combine nuts and fruit together to make one of my husband’s favourite chocolaty sweet treats, have him actually like it and not feel like he was just eating something healthy that was a shadow of the original. I feel that this recipe succeeded and it is also amazingly versatile. By making slight changes, it can become more of a cake than a brownie and it can be made oil free or vegan. I have used this for a base to make a variety of brownies, cakes and even a trifle. I’ll post some of those recipes soon. For this one I “iced” it with a dairy free Mexican chocolate ganache.
The recipe is essentially all done in the food processor however if you do not own one, the same thing can be achieved by putting everything into a bowl and using s hand mixer. I personally prefer to do the date & hot water step in a separate pot, but have also tried it in the processor to save on the extra clean up and it works just fine.
To make the recipe more of a cake consistency: Change the amount of hot water to 3/4 cup and bake for an extra 4-5 minutes.
To make the brownie more fudgey: Use only 1 egg
To make the recipe Vegan: Substitute the two eggs with 2 “flax eggs”. This can be achieved by mixing 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons of water – 1:3 ratio per egg) and let the mixture sit until the flax seeds absorb the water and it becomes gelatinous.
Oil options: I have made this recipe with both organic coconut oil and grass fed ghee. They both work equally well, however the coconut oil does impart a slight coconut flavour in the background of the finished product. It’s a great option to use when making any brownie variation featuring coconut i.e the coconut macaroon brownie, the German chocolate brownie and others that I will share in the future.
To make the recipe oil free: substitute unsweetened organic applesauce- 1:1 ratio for the ghee/ coconut oil. The end result will be a bit lighter in texture, but equally delicious. Because the applesauce will increase the sugar content, I would suggest skipping the 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.
To maple syrup or not: I have made it both ways. I prefer it less sweet ( without the addition) and my husband prefers it a bit sweeter, so it’s personal preference. Since I am originally from Canada, any recipe is of course better with maple syrup 🙂
Cocoa powder: I recommend using a very dark cocoa powder. This will add to the intensity of the chocolate flavour in the end.
Almond butter: I typically like to use raw organic almond butter in this recipe, although I have been out of it a couple of times and have tried the roasted version in its place.The former is a bit healthier, but the latter adds a nice hint of “toastiness in the background.
Additions: There are all kinds of great ingredients to add in to the batter if you want; freeze dried fruit, nuts, coconut, cocoa nibs or chocolate chips. If you want to have the chocolate chips without the added sugar, there is a monkfruit sweetened chip by Choc Zero that is a good alternative. It comes both in white, milk & dark chips. Pictured below.
Coffee powder: I add in the coffee to enhance the chocolate flavour. Like the maple syrup, it’s technically optional, but I love the taste. If you are concerned about the added caffeine in espresso powder on top of that found in the chocolate, you can use instant decaffeinated or a roasted barley & chicory substitute. I’ve tried them all and they are all great.
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped Medjool dates ( about 11 dates)
1/2 cup hot water
1 tbsp. coffee powder ( *see notes above)
1/3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup ghee or coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter
1 tbsp. maple syrup ( optional. * see notes above)
3 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. sea or pink Himalayan salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
slightly under 3/4 cup almond flour
These are all of your ingredients. This picture shows the coconut oil instead of the ghee since that is what I originally used until more recently. It also shows the apple sauce alternative to the oil, but doesn’t show the ground flax seed option nor the other coffee powder options. You can see those in the photo above.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Remove the pits from the dates ( if they are not already depitted) and chop into small pieces.
Step 2
Boil the water and add in the coffee powder and cinnamon. You can either do this in a separate pot or heat the water in a kettle and add all to a food processor
Step 3
Turn off the heat and add in the chopped dates. Combine together and let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes to cool and allow the dates to absorb the liquid.
What it will look like when the dates have absorbed the liquid.
Step 4
Put date mixture into the food processor ( if doing separately) and process until smooth. It should have a butter like consistency and will look like the picture below.
Step 5
Add in the ghee/coconut oil, almond butter, vanilla, salt and optional maple syrup and process until smooth.
Step 6
Continue to combine the rest of the ingredients ; cocoa, baking soda, eggs and almond flour and pulse in between each one adding in the almond flour last and pulse just enough to combine but no more ( typically only 3-4 pulses). You can also just fold the almond flour in with a spatula after removing the blade from the processor.
Step 7
Pour batter into a well greased and parchment paper lined 9×9 pan. If you are planning on adding in ingredients such as chocolate chips or nuts you can either blend them into the batter in the processor after removing the blade, or use a spatula to incorporate them once poured into the pan. Bake for approximately 16min. at 350F ( each oven varies slightly). You can check doneness with a toothpick, but if you are adding in any chocolate chips &/or you want a nice fudgey consistency, it may give you a false reading. I find that it’s better to touch the top and gently press with a finger or two. The top of the brownies should have a little spring back when ready.
Step 8
Top with my Dairy Free Ganache recipe
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