These healthy raw hazelnut chocolate brownies are grain-free, dairy-free and vegan! Perfect for when you need chocolate now!
I was tempted to shape these brownies into balls again but I don’t want to overdo the ball thing. So here we have little brownie towers. :)
I love these things. No bake. Not so much sweetener and they’re actually tasty. They don’t really taste like brownies or cake, though. Just a little disclaimer. And the chocolate avocado frosting doesn’t taste like frosting with tons of butter and sugar, but I’d take this version over the sugar filled one any day.
Something else I love about these raw hazelnut chocolate brownies is that you can easily make a small batch and overeating, something I have a problem with, is no longer a problem.
I’ve had one loooong headache for 13 months now. Not headaches every day, but one long headache. Every second of every day. No matter what I do or don’t do. And pain relievers don’t work. If I get an “extra” headache, they get rid of that, but the base headache is always there. But it’s really light and more annoying than anything. I’ve been to every doctor imaginable (and I’ve been going to physical therapy for almost a year) and they can’t find anything wrong with me, so my neurologist put me on some “pain management” medicine. She warned me that I’d gain weight and crave sweets, but I really thought, “Eh, whatever. I already do that.” What I didn’t realize is that I’d basically be living off of sweets. Seriously. I hadn’t had vegetables in weeks when I realized that I had gained tons of weight. And my fat pants were now too small. Whoops.
Sonia mentioned that she needed to lose weight, and I know I definitely had to, and since then we’ve been weight loss buddies. In 3 weeks, I’ve lost 3.5 kilos (7.7 pounds). YAY! I’m well aware that’s more than you’re supposed to lose, but I’ve been getting more than enough calories and hardly exercising (because it makes my head hurt more), so I think my body is just in shock. In shock from not having sweets as every meal of every day.
I definitely recommend getting a weight loss buddy if you want to lose weight! I could have never done it without Sonia, who cheers me on and reads my food and exercise diary every day. And if you know someone’s going to read your food diary, you don’t really want to write down that that you ate 4 cookies for breakfast, half a pan of brownies for lunch, and pizza for dinner, which was totally typical for me just a month ago. I’ve even cut back to two sweets a day! That’s probably a lot to some people but that’s a miracle for me. And yesterday? My first sugar free day ever (with the exception of tons of fruit). It wasn’t intentional… it just sort of happened. WEEEEEE! :D
So having a baking blog and not having anyone to really share the goodies with kind of became a problem and that’s why you’ve seen more non-baked goodies around here lately. You can easily make 1/2 or even 1/4 of the batch and these are no exception! They’re soft, chocolately and satisfy any sweet craving you might have.
I found this raw hazelnut chocolate brownie recipe on The Wannabe Chef last week and made them the next morning. I just couldn’t wait. Evan’s picture just made them look so sinful!
Raw Hazelnut Chocolate Brownies
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 5 2×3-inch frosted cakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups (254 grams) raw, unpeeled hazelnuts
- 1 heaping cup (172 grams) dates
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup (I used 3 tablespoons and it was fine)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 avocado (avocados come in all different sizes so I'll just say mine was 287 grams with the pit and 212 with just the meat)
- 6 - 7 tablespoons (88 - 103ml) maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (28 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 - 3 teaspoons espresso powder (not instant coffee!)
For the cake:
For the frosting:
Directions
- In your food processor, process the hazelnuts until nicely ground. It won't be as finely ground as store-bought almond meal, but a little coarser. Don't process too long or you'll have hazelnut butter. It shouldn't take any more than 20 seconds. Add the dates, cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla and process until a sticky dough forms.
- Place the dough between two Silpats or pieces of parchment paper and roll out to about 1/4 of an inch thick (or really, however thick you want it). Cut them however you like (I used 1 1/2" circular cookie cutters) and form the excess dough into a ball, roll out again and cut out more shapes.
- For the frosting, in the bowl of your food processor, combine all the ingredients until thoroughly combined and no chunks of avocado are left. It took me a few minutes to do this but it was possible. If it's not sweet enough, add more maple syrup.
- The espresso flavor was really light even with quite a bit of powder, but I still liked the difference it made. Add the frosting to the cake and store in the fridge.
Recipe adapted from Chocolate Hazelnut Cake {Raw/Vegan} - The Wannabe Chef
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57 comments on “Raw Hazelnut Chocolate Brownies (grain-free, dairy-free, vegan)” — Add one!
I just bought some raw hazelnuts the other day and now I will use them in your recipe! I have recently gone over to a paleo diet after doing a Whole 30 diet at the end of the summer, and since I love baking, have spent a lot of time looking over paleo recipes.
I, too, have had a long term headache. It’s been almost 4 years for me now, and, like you, have gone to every doctor imaginable and tried many kinds of medication. Most people just don’t understand how I can look “normal” all the time and not constantly talk about it, but after a while the constant pain becomes the normal, although it does vary in intensity. I gave up on trying medications since nothing worked for me. Going gluten free three years ago did help some, and that is why I tried the Whole 30 recently, to see if there was anything else (dairy?) that could be eliminated from my diet that might make a difference. Sadly, my headache remains, but I do feel healthier. Best of luck to you, and pass along anything you discover in the future in case it might help me, too!
YES! Or colleagues who ask you, literally every single time they see you, “Do you still have a headache? Like… even right now?” So frustrating. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had a headache for so long, too. I also still have mine and stopped trying different medications at the beginning of the year. I have an issue with my neck and whenever my neck hurts for a few days, my baseline headache hurts more. You’d think that’d be a good clue but apparently not good enough because I still have my headache. :( I’ll let you know if I find anything out and please do the same for me! Thanks for your comment.
I have embarked on a journey into natural health. I’ve learned some neat things about the health of the body. I started on Netflix with four documentaries. Gerson Miracle, Hungry for Change, The Beautiful Truth, and Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. One of the things I’ve picked up along the way is this. When your body becomes over toxic from eating too much sugar, refined grains and rice, excessive meats, excessive dairy, preservatives, dyes, MSG, hydrogenated fats, pesticides, and a host of other contaminants that become Cellular Garbage, our Kidney and Liver cannot excrete them as quickly as they are coming in. When this happens we break down according to “genetic inherited” weak points. Fibromialga, Diabetes, cancer, Headaches… Our bodies attempt to protect vital organs from toxins in our bodies by storing them in tissues instead of letting them flow through the blood. Even though you are eating more healthfully now, you still may have years of stored up toxins. It takes regular safe, clean kidney cleanses. I’m just starting out down this path. A great way to track progress is to look at your tongue. The cleaner your colon becomes, the better your tongue will look. If you have a crack down the middle or your tongue then your colon is too sluggish and you need more fresh raw produce. If you have teeth prints left on your tongue when you put press your teeth into your tongue gently then you are mineral depleted. Even when we take in the nutrition we need sometimes, if your colon is clogged your body will struggle absorbing what it needs. I hope this helps.
Thanks for your comment, Deserae! I didn’t know that about the stored up toxins or the thing with the tongue. I’ll definitely have to look into that! I also have Netflix and will check out those documentaries. Thanks again for taking the time to comment!
Hi, this recipe is almost exactly what I’m looking for – just two questions if you have a chance to read them: is there anything with which I could replace the maple syrup? Or would I be able to leave it out altogether? Maple syrup isn’t always in stock in near me (Ireland), and the brand available is usually full of added sugar, so I’d like to avoid it, if possible. Also, I’ve been looking for raw desserts/biscuits that use oats – do you think if I added oats to the cake part of the recipe, they’d hold together as small bars, a bit like flapjacks?
Hope your headaches have improved since you made this post. You said they’re near the front of your head, ruling out a spinal issue – did your doctor ever suggest it could be eye related? I have larger than average pupils, so sometimes too much light gets in, which gives me headaches, though thankfully not on a par with what you get.
You could use agave syrup or honey, but if you use honey, there might be a slight honey taste. And adding oats should work! I just have no idea how much to add. I recommend adding 1/2 cup (or even 1/3 cup) and then adding 1/4 cups until you like the consistency. And thanks for the tip on the headaches! I still have the headache (2 1/2 years now :( ) and haven’t seen any improvement despite 2 years of different kinds of medicines. I’ve been to the eye doctor several times and they claim my eyes are fine. I hope that you’ve found a way to manage your headaches! They are no fun at all.
Thanks for the reply – I’ll give that a try.
Wow, 2.5 years, that’s awful. Luckily, I don’t consistently get headaches, and normal over-the-counter pills do the trick. Must be horrible to not have a reason for them. Hope you get an answer soon.
Thank you, Ali! I’m just so used to it at this point. :( I do hope that it disappears one day, though! Thanks again for your comments.