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!
These look and sound amazing but I’ve tripped at the first hurdle. I’m trying to process the hazelnuts to a flour consistency. 15 minutes later, my food processor is overheating and I have a bunch of peeled hazelnuts and a very small amount of slightly damp “flour”! What am I doing wrong?! I’ve just wasted a whole bag of hazelnuts :(
15 minutes?! Oh no. I have no idea what could have caused that. It takes me closer to 15 seconds. After about 5 minutes, I already have hazelnut butter so I’m not sure how yours hasn’t turned into butter yet. It should look like this. I’m so sorry you’re having difficulties! If your ground hazelnuts look like that picture, then just go on with the recipe and you’ll be fine. Just make sure to give your food processor a little break. Good luck! :)
It sort of worked eventually, I don’t know what the problem was. Maybe just being too cautious with my food processor or maybe it just isn’t a good enough processor. I was so sure it was about to break on me! I may have wasted most of my evening but at least I didn’t waste the hazelnuts! Have formed the brownie dough into balls as I don’t have time now to make frosting or towers. It’s still yummy :) Thanks!
Aww. I’m sorry it was a waste of an evening! I’m happy, though, that you didn’t waste hazelnuts. :) And awesome that it finally worked out. Thanks a ton for the feedback and the rating! If you don’t care about the rawness of this recipe, you could roast the hazelnuts next time. When I’m making nut butter, I always roast the nuts first (and then let them sit for 5-10 minutes). They seem to break down quicker that way!
I have been looking for this recipe all my life. i’v e seen it before, but never tried or wasn’t ready. I have had cravings for crunchy, moist and definitely chocolaty – this is above and beyond what I have been craving. I made probably 1/4 last night. I used what i had – walnut and no vanilla. Still amazing. mmmm chocolate. The best part is that I feel no shame or “why did do that again” thoughts. i will continue to make these – forever! . btw – since our names are the same; i felt very compelled when I came across your site. Just sayin’ – thanks again!!
Hi Erin! Thanks for the rating and the review. :) I’m SO happy that hear that these went beyond your expectations. Yay! And walnuts?! Sounds good! Try them with the vanilla. They’ll be even better. ;)
I have no idea if your headache situation has been resolved or not, but I felt compelled to comment as I went through a similar situation a few years ago! I had a headache for 21 months – tried every medication, diet, therapy out there (fortunately I live in Canada (where MOST of our medical care is completely covered) the theories and treatments ranged from blood-pressure, to allergens, to tension, stress, etc etc etc. I felt like a pharmaceutical guinea pig! Finally on my (SECOND) MRI, the technician mentioned that it might be what they referred to as a 'low pressure headache' – that may sound strange, but it actually has to do with your cerebral spinal fluid (the fluid runs inside your spine and up into your cranium and it is under pressure enough to 'cushion' your brain in there…the short story is that this apparently happens to 1/10000+ people, and usually after having had an epidural during pregnancy (or a spinal tap from other medical treatment etc), which causes a small tear in the membrane that holds the precious fluid in there…mine was never found, but the treatment CURED me of my headaches almost instantly! I sincerely hope that you are already headache free (as these posts above are MONTHS old…but if not, it may be something worth looking into.
I sympathize immensely with having a headache/chronic pain — it's so hard to tell people that it is constant, especially when they don't see you doubled over in pain, or with cuts/bruises/scars etc – without any visual clues, people often assume that you are exaggerating or they will 'forget' that you are hurting.
Sending you healing vibes from Canada! thanks for your blog of delicious goodies. can't wait to try a bunch of them~~~ S here's the link to the Johns Hopkins med centre info re: CSF PRESSURE HEADACHES. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/specialty_areas/headache/conditions/low_CSF_headache.html
Hi! Thanks a bunch for your comment. I'm so happy to hear that your headache is better! And what you said about people not understanding that it's constant is exactly right. Nobody seems to understand that it's there every moment of every day of every month, no matter what I do. I still have my headache and nothing's helping. I read the link you sent me (thanks! :)) and some other pages about low pressure headaches but I have none of the symptoms, or rather, the opposite (like the headache is worse in the morning, headache isn't in the back of the head but in the front). Darn! I was hoping that could be it. I'll still mention it to the neurologist next time but the symptoms don't match. It gives me hope to know that there are other people out there who have been cured of their constant chronic headache. :) Thanks again for the comment and I hope you like the goodies!
I’ve had similar issues with headaches. I went to a naturopathic physician who told me my iron was extremely low and that was probably causing them. I’m on iron supplements to bring it back to normal and hopefully that will aleviate the headaches. He also told me that candida overgrowth can cause headaches and sweet cravings. Iodine deficiency can also cause headaches. You may consider having your iodine and iron (including ferritin) levels checked. According to research, there is no good way to check for yeast because our bodies are supposed to have yeast, but too much isn’t good! I hope that helps. Thanks so much for your awesome recipes!!
Thanks so much for your comment! I’ve been tested several times for everything possible it seems but since you mention there’s no way to check for yeast… I’ll look into that and ask the doctor about it next time I’m there! I hope that your headaches are gone. It’s really frustrating not knowing what the cause is, isn’t it? Thanks again for taking the time to write me! :)
Have you looked into taking magnesium for your headache? If the doctors haven't helped it couldn't hurt…
http://integrativemed.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/integrative-medicine/health-topics/the-benefits-of-magnesium.html
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5534/6-Powerful-Ways-to-Boost-Your-Magnesium-Levels.html
:)
They haven't helped. :( And I've been taking medicine since the beginning of the year and it does nothing. Really annoying.
I've had every blood test imaginable so I'll have to see if they tested my magnesium levels. If not, heck, I'll try it. Can't hurt, can it? Or maybe it can. Will definitely research. Thank you for the links and the tip! I appreciate it. :)
Alright, I saw this on wannabe baker 5 minutes ago and then again here. It's a sign–I must make. Mmm, can't wait! Gorgeous, mouth-watering photos btw!
Thanks! And haha. Definitely a sign! :)
Thanks :) If anything, I'll cheat here and there…can't give up chocolate forever. lol
amy L – Oh. That stinks. I hope you're eventually able to add everything back to your diet! Probably not very realistic but it's what I'm hoping for anyway. :)
Hey no prob, I'm only on the computer sporadically anyway. I appreciate you taking the time to answer me :) You're gonna love this…citrus fruits, including lemon juice, yep you guessed it, on the naughty list. lol White distilled vinegar is allowed, but I didn't even think of it at the time…not that it would have tasted very good but you work with what you can.
amy L – Aww, that stinks. And I'm someone who uses a lot of nuts. Sorry. :( I hope that you're able to add nuts back to your diet! And hopefully nuts don't turn out to be a problem for me. It's too bad that it's so difficult to find good subs. If you add lemon juice to the canned milk as a sub, does that still count as buttermilk and is therefore not allowed? And sorry I've been slow to reply… things are just too busy lately! I haven't even made a post since Monday. Yikes.
You are so very welcome :) The problem I find with healthier cereal bar or cookie bar recipes is it still has the nuts or nut butter. Hopefully I will be able to re-introduce nuts into my diet and find it's not a trigger. I hear ya … it was a bit daunting. The funny thing is, it's not the stuff I love (like chocolate) that I miss as much as the ingredients that are difficult to find a substitute for in my cooking/baking, like peanut butter and yogurt. I ended up making a curry dish with canned milk since yogurt/sour cream/buttermilk are all out. It was "ok" but I missed the tang of the traditional dish. Good luck going nut-free for a while. You may find you can have them in small amounts or occasionally.
amy L – Don't be sorry about the long comment! It's very helpful and I really appreciate it. :) What is it about my recipes that you can't eat? Sorry about that. I try to include grain-free and gluten-free recipes to be more inclusive, but I realize there are so many more allergens out there. I do eat a lot of nut butters and bake with a lot of nuts, but I didn't used to. I wonder if that could be something. And when I started eating them was about when the headache started. I'll go nut free for a while and see what happens! I guess I'm supposed to cut out all the dietary triggers but… hmm. I don't know if I can do that. I'll look into this book! I am happy that it helped you and that your headaches are better. :) And thanks for the caffeine and meds tip! My mother-in-law is a doctor and has warned me about those before too. They've already been thrown out. :) I'm going to read up on nuts and headaches now. Thanks again for your very thoughtful comment!
Followed Pinterest over to your blog…neat stuff! Sorry bout the long comment but as I was looking at your recipes thinking "ok, I can't eat most of these" I wondered if maybe nuts and or chocolate are a trigger for you?? I've suffered with migraines most of my life so I just read a book 5 weeks ago which has really helped. The book is called Heal Your Headache by David Buchholz (USA) and I got it from our local library. It said there are so many different triggers that we can't avoid, so the best way to manage migraines is to cut out ALL potential dietary triggers for 8 weeks and then you can try to re-introduce them one at a time (except for, sadly, caffeine) and having it daily for a week to see if it is a trigger for you. Top ones are caffeine, chocolate, MSG (in most all prepackaged foods), processed meats, all nuts and nut butters, citrus fruits n pineapple, bananas, aged products like cheese n yogurt n sour cream. Hope you find some relief!! Also avoid like the plague any pain meds with caffeine – excederin migraine has it – or you end up with rebound headaches! I am happy to say I don't feel on the verge of a headache every day like before, and if I do get one plain tylenol or motrin actually helps.
Gabrielle – Wow, you baked them?! I'll have to try that! Thanks for the idea. :) I'm so happy that you liked the brownies. Thanks for leaving feedback!
I found the topping a bit over powering (although I use a similar recipe to make a mousse), but the brownies themselves were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I baked them for 5 minutes to give them that crunchy "brownie" texture. Definitely my new go-to brownie recipe:)
I had headaches everyday too. Come to find out it was sugar and caffeine. Been almost completely without the two since July of last year (of course when my monthly comes I crave sugar and have had a few relapses, which I end up regretting). Best thing I've ever done for myself. No more pills!
Angela – Thank you! That's very nice of you to say. :) But I hope you noticed my note about these not really being like brownies! The original recipe called them cake, but it's way too dense for me to be cake. So… brownies. :) Hope you like them!
I'm in love with your blog. The food looks heavenly – I don't know where I want to start – but thinking it is going to be these brownies! I love love a brownie!
Christine – Haha. At long last? I posted them SIX days ago! :) I'm so happy to hear that you've liked what you've sampled already! I hope hubby will enjoy them too. It's great that you've got a guy that enjoys these date desserts. Lucky girl, you! Vanilla is a great addition to the frosting. Thanks for the tip and thank you so much for leaving feedback. As always. :)
Just visited, brand spanking new to your blog. But I hate hearing of a headache to last that long – I once had a cold that lasted over a year, terrible. I know headaches and I know migraines – what stressing you? In any case, what works for me – the salty, delicious ocean. The marinating of my body and mind in the salty, bashing, massaging waves. Give it a whirl, if you can.
Hi Erin,
Made these today at long last! I had no hazelnuts so substituted almond meal and that's worked well. Also, I used maple flavoured agave instead of the syrup. Then I added an extra little vanilla into the frosting. They are currently 'setting' in the fridge whilst we digest supper (however I did enjoy spoons, etc as I was making and they taste AMAZING!). My Hubbie is going to be delighted! I did exactly half the quantities of everything and made 12 double decker little circles (instead of the triple deckers). Super!!!!