Raw Chocolate Brownies Recipe

Because who doesn't love chocolate on Valentine's Day???

I'm sharing this recipe from an incredible resource - The Leaping Hare Wellness Almanac: Your Yearlong Guide to Creating Positive Spiritual Habits. It was given to me by my momma as a birthday gift several years ago and I've treasured it. I highly recommend checking it out & grabbing a copy for you or perhaps your Valentine.

I recently felt inspired to make these for the attendees of our New Moon in Capricorn Yoga Nidra & Sound Healing event... and they were a big hit (for almost everyone). Let's just say a few squares were missing before the yoga even began 😂

Small age disclaimer here... we had an adorable 5-year old with us after her mom got to enjoy the event, and I asked her if she wanted a brownie. She tried a bite and said, "Ew." In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have called it a brownie because I will admit it's certainly not like the cakey, sugary classic we all know and love. In my personal opinion... it's much better. But probably not going to be every kiddo's favorite dessert.

Now, let's get to the good stuff!

The book says this recipe makes 20... I believe I cut it into 12 generous squares.

You do need a food processor / power blender & to source some ethically grown cacao. We were blessed enough to enjoy cacao brought to us by my goddess of a mother all the way from Bali, so it was extra heart-opening for us all.

You'll need:

• 5.5 oz raw whole almonds

• 3.5 oz raw coconut oil, melted

• 2.75 raw cacao powder

• 14 oz fresh dates, stoned and chopped widthways into 3 pieces

• 4.5 oz raw walnut halves

• 3 heaped tsp xylitol crystals (I substituted with cane sugar)

• pinch of pink crystal salt

• 0.75 oz yacon syrup (I substituted with grade A maple syrup)

• 2 fl oz fresh filtered water

Steps:

1. Process the almonds until roughly ground.

2. Add the coconut oil, cacao powder, dates, 2.75 oz of walnuts, xylitol / sugar, and salt. Process until all ingredients are completely broken down, stopping as you go to stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon if need be. You'll have a thick, gooey, brown mixture when it's done.

3. Spoon the mixture into a large mixing bowl and stir in the remaining walnuts, syrup and water until it turns sticky.

4. Spoon into a 8 x 8 in silicone or glass cake mold. I lined mine with unbleached parchment paper to make removal easier. Use the back of the spoon (or your hands, if you like to get messy) to make sure the mixture reaches all of the edges!

5. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until firm, but not frozen.

6. Take the cake out of the freezer and slowly peel the sides of the mold away or lift using your parchment paper. While the brownies are still cold and firm, place them on a chopping board & slice into squares. Recipe recommends 1.5 in squares... but I say, just go with your gut ;)

7. Serve immediately, or keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. They taste just as yummy left-over!

Tip: Serve with ice cream for ultimate decadence or slice them smaller & serve them as indulgent little canapés at a party.

Here's how mine turned out:

Raw chocolate brownies... they taste WAY better than they look.

As you can see, I could've done a bit more of a thorough job getting the coconut oil fully mixed in (which is why you see the cloudy looking bits that hardened in the freezer). However, all in all, these raw chocolate brownies were incredibly enjoyable and I would absolutely make them again. This is the only picture we took before they were devoured, so that's proof right there of how delish they were.

Let me know in the comments if you end up making them yourself & please feel free to reach out with any questions. I'm definitely not a professional chef... but I always cook with love <3

Special thank you to my event attendees for being open to trying this new recipe with me and receiving the heart-opening medicine of the cacao so gracefully.

Happy Valentine's Day, loves!