My friend P.B. forwarded me the following recipe, which I’ve modified only slightly and renamed ‘Better Than Brownies’.1 It’s been a great hit so far — people really seem to like them.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts, soaked at least 4 hours and rinsed very well
- 10 pitted dates (I use Medjool dates)
- 1 1/4 cups cacao powder for dark-chocolate brownies or 3/4 cups cacao for normal brownies (please see the variation suggestions below for more details).
- 1 ground vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla powder
- pinch of salt
Directions
- Process the walnuts slightly to break them into smaller pieces.
- Add the remaining ingredients.
- Process the mixture, adding very small amounts of water if necessary, until it starts to come together. Do not over-process. You want small chunks of walnut to remain. Do not add too much water, else you won’t get a good batter.
- Scoop the mixture into a dish (e.g., an 8×8 baking dish) and press the mixture down firmly with the back of a heavy spoon.
Better Than Brownies
You may consider adding a topping to the brownies. Each time I’ve made them, I’ve sprinkled some cacao nibs on top. At one potluck I attended, P.B. decorated his brownies with goji berries. In the future I plan on experimenting with raw icings for the brownies. I’ll report any good results here. Please share your successes in the comments section below.
If you find the brownies a little too bitter, try adding more dates or reducing the amount of cacao slightly. (Please see my comments in the recipe variation section below.)
It’s probably wise to keep the brownies in the fridge so they keep longer. I also find that many dense desserts like these brownies do well after a bit of refrigeration.
An interesting possible use for the brownies is breaking them into small chunks and adding them to a raw ice-cream. Raw Brownie Chunk Ice Cream — sounds good, agree?
Recipe Variations
My friend P.B. informed me in October (2009) that I had misheard his recipe, that “technically [you] only need 1/2 cup to 1 cup, unless you like it to be very bitter like dark chocolate.” This would explain why I always found the brownies a bit too intense! That said, I brought the dark chocolate version to a few potlucks and they were a hit. So I suggest you try both the ‘normal’ Better Than Brownies and the ‘dark chocolate’ Better Than Brownies to see which you like best.
I recently received a kind e-mail from a site visitor who tried out the recipe. Because this individual is sensitive to cacao, he replaced the cacao in the ‘dark chocolate’ version with organic raw carob powder. He also used organic sun-dried prunes in place of the dates. He was happy enough with the results that he took the effort to write and thank me for posting the recipe. 
Since this individual was successfull in replacing the dates with prunes, I also wonder if the nice organic sun-dried raisins I get from OrganicLives would also work as a replacement for the dates. The next time I try making some Better Than Brownies, I will try using organic raw carob powder & sun-dried raisins and report on the results.
Better Than Brownies (raw vegan) made with organic raw carob powder and topped with sun-dried shredded coconut
Notes
Why Better Than brownies? Your typical cooked brownie contains foods of slavery, suffering, and death like eggs, butter, and dairy milk. Even typical vegan brownies contain foods that do not promote good health like processed sugars and flours. Better Than Brownies contain wholesome ingredients and taste as good or better than a typical cooked brownie. There’s no need to feel guilty about indulging in these brownies!
I use almost exactly the same recipe, but only use 1/3 cup of cacao powder. I’ve tried using carob powder, but didn’t like it as much – despite carob being caffeine-free, it nevertheless had what I could only describe as an intense coffee flavour.
A tip though – start with only 9 dates in the mixture, and process. Add an additional one to two dates to taste depending on the consistency of the initial mix. Sometimes the dates may be drier or more moist than at others, and this approach gives a bit more control and consistency to the final product, allowing you to adjust as required.
As for raw vegan icing that is absolutely to die for, try this:
3 medjool dates
1 avocado
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
pit and process the dates along with the agave nectar, untill smooth. Then add the avocado and cocoa and process until smooth. The result is a rich creamy chocolatey icing that tastes like it should be unbelievably bad for you!
Hi, Damien!
Thank you for the detailed comment — wow
Good point about the dates. I’ve been using Medjool dates which tend to be very sweet and moist. I believe the person I got the recipe from was doing similarly. You’ll definitely have to adjust the date portion of the recipe accordingly if you’re using a different variety of date (e.g., Hunza Valley dates).
I’ve yet to try carob powder. A friend of mine used carob powder and was thrilled with the results (even making the recipe for their mother). But this same friend is sensitive to chocolate – so this person couldn’t compare it with the chocolate version.
I’m not that big into agave necter – do you have a suggestion for what might be a suitable substitute for the agave in your icing recipe?
One of the things I love about raw (vegan) food is that it’s very difficult to eat badly, even when eating things like the Better Than Brownies that taste like they should be bad for you. I’m thinking of addressing this aspect of raw *vegan* food in an upcoming post — I may even include before and after photos of what I looked like on a “healthy” SAD diet and what I look like now.
Wishing Everyone success, health, and happiness!
Your friend,
M.E.B.
Graffiti Near Me Blog
Hi, Everyone!
I tried making some of the brownies tonight with 3/4 cup raw organic carob powder rather than organic cacao powder. The results were actually OK
Definitely good enough to serve at a potluck (especially if I know that any of the guests are sensitive to cacao).
I think next time I may not soak the Medjool dates if I’m using less carob or cacao powder, else the raw vegan brownie batter is too moist. I topped the brownies with sundried shredded organic raw coconut.
With the more moist batter, it’s easier to form. I think I may try rolling such a batter out, topping it with sun-dried shredded raw organic coconut. Then roll it up and add more sun-dried shredded raw organic coconut to get a “Swiss-roll” like brownie confection
If it works out, I’ll share my success here on Eat Raw Vegan.
Wishing Everyone Health and Happiness!
Your friend,
M.E.B.
Yoga Blog
[...] finely sliced carrots, celery, cucumber, and yellow pepper in the nori rolls. For dessert, I served Better Than Brownies (chocolate version topped with sun-dried shredded [...]
Hi, Everyone!
I just made the raw vegan brownie recipe (raw organic carob version) with organic raw pecans instead of organic raw walnuts. I’m very happy with the results. Now, when I’m out of walnuts and want to make a brownie-like raw vegan dessert, I know I can use high-quality raw organic pecans instead. Excellent
Wishing Everyone Health and Happiness!
Your friend,
M.E.B.
Follow @MarcusBarnes on Twitter
Another great recipe – thank you!
WOW!! Thank you ! this is a very inspiring recipe! i’m going to try it out tonight!
My boyfriend and I are Raw food vegans, we love brownies and have tried a lot of brownies recipes.
One of our favourite is like an iced brownies, a recipe that i came to myself with a banana base and you need to put it in the freezer for it to stick together. It’s a gorgeous recipe but doesn’t come 100% close to the usual cooked brownies we have in the S.A.D world. I am so excited about trying yours! I will let you know how it turns out!
xoxo!
Better than brownies? I’ll see… tonight! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hey M.E.B.! I stumbled across your blog today searching for recipes to use my raw walnuts with… I like your blog! I’ll keep an eye on it. The picture of your brownies looks decadent, I think I’ll try it out with carob powder and cocoa nibs on top.
The raw icing I make for my black bean brownies is a hass avocado, cocoa powder and honey/ agave nectar. It’s make a creamy but really thick icing! I’ve tried it with soaked and blended dates (like a date sauce) – It was tasty but not as amazing. If you check out my blog UnReFiNeD you might come across some ideas.
I’m about to start a big cross-Canada road trip, starting in SK, going to NS, and kinda ending in BC. Once I get there, I’d love to go to all kinds of events like those you mention! So I’ll probably be quizzing you about various food sources and events once I get there. I’m a low-raw vegan foodist hoping to try out high raw once I settle down again, which might be in BC.
[...] choose things like SCRUMPTIOUS raw brownies that aren’t only delicious, but they are actually really good for [...]
Is it possible to make these with almonds instead of walnuts? I’ve not done much if any raw “baking” and I happen to have huge bags of almonds already in my cupboard… Any thoughts?
Hi, Jenny!
The walnuts really give it that “brownie” taste. I’ve made a similar dessert using high quality almonds and the result is not the same. However, it’s still good – more like a chocolate almond fudge. The other thing you can do with all those almonds is make home made almond milk. I have a recipe for raw vegan chocolate cake that I’m currently working on that uses almond flour, that is, dehydrated nut pulp from making almond milk. So please check back to Eat Raw Vegan regularly!
Wishing you success on your raw vegan “baking” adventures!
Yours truly,
M.E.B.
Editor, Romance For Love
Hi, Everyone!
Here is a nice variation on the brownie brownie recipe above that I’ve been enjoying recently – replace the vanilla powder with vanilla bean. Vanilla bean has a rich “liqueur”-like taste. You can use about half a vanilla bean (approx. 4cm) to replace the 1 tsp of vanilla powder to start, adding more vanilla bean if you find you want additional vanilla flavor for the brownies.
Please share any additional variations of the recipe above that you’ve been enjoying!
Have a great day
Romantic
Will the brownies still come out fine if I were to use pure vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean/vanilla powder? If so, how much should I use?
Thanks!!
Hi, Marisa!
Yes, the brownies will still come out OK if you use pure vanilla extract. My preference is to use organic vanilla bean powder.
I’d start with one tablespoon of vanilla extract. Process, then taste test. If needed, add more vanilla extract.
Please let us know if you’re happy with how things turn out with the substitution suggestion above!
Have a great day!
Eat Raw Vegan
i love your blog! and i’m glad there’s finally a recipe for brownies that don’t need butter, oil, or eggs!
i was wondering if i could use regular dates for this recipe or do i have to use medjool dates.
ALso, are prunes an okay substitute for dates if i don’t have any?
Thanks!
And if you have any other recipes that are raw like a chocolate cake, that would be fantastic!!
Hi!
What is the purpose to soak the walnuts? Will the recipe come out if I don’t soak at all?
Thanks!
Christine
Hi, Christine,
If you’re using raw nuts, soaking helps improve digestibility (please do not consume the soak water!). In this recipe, it also helps make the walnuts less bitter while also providing an adequate level of moisture to the recipe to help you get that proper doughy-brownie texture. You will still get an OK result without soaking, but I don’t recommend it – soaking for even 6 hours will help you get a better, more digestible result.
Have a great day!
Editor, Eat Raw Vegan