Hey guys! I’ve been really strict on my diet plan lately, which left me craving brownies.. naturally. I do know I have so many different variations of brownie recipes on here.. but this one takes the cake (brownie). I’ve been seeing date sweetened brownies floating around the internet for a while, and I’m not sure what took me so long to try them and create my own.. but oh man, I’m sure glad I did.
I was NOT hopeful when they came out of the oven.. would they be like my other healthy brownie fails? I mean, I’ve gone through A LOT of healthy brownie fails to yield the brownie recipes I have on the site. I was SO nervous about this one.. but man, what came out of the oven was a piece of heaven.. I could not believe how amazing these tasted. My kids and my husband DEVOURED the batch that night. I don’t even think there are any left for me..
This is the perfect, fudgy brownie. No one will ever know they aren’t sweetened with white sugar and won’t spike your blood sugar like white sugar would! The amazing thing about using dates as a sweetener is you’re getting extra vitamins, minerals, and fiber. White sugar is nutritionally void, spikes your blood sugar like crazy, and can cause behavioral issues.. the list goes on and on!
While these brownies aren’t keto, they’re lower in carbs than your standard brownie. They definitely are paleo, and even contain all Whole30 compliant ingredients, minus the ganache!
NOTES!
OK.. Notes. Here we go.
*If you want crackly tops.. When you take these out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes.. then gently with clean hands press the brownies down and pull slightly to create cracks.
*Dont be concerened about how much they rise in the oven, they flatten tremendously once cooled
*Add your favorite healthy ganache to the top, then a nice flaky salt!
*You must have a food processor to make this recipe, unless you have actual date paste.
Date-Sweetened, Salted-Ganache Brownies!
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Almond Butter I made mine myself by processing almond flour, 45 seconds at a time until it became almond butter.
- 1½ cups Medjool dates, pitted (or about 12 ounces)
- ½ cup brewed decaf coffee cooled, OR you can use water
- 1 egg Room temperature, OR 2 tbsp flax meal for vegan
- ⅔ cup good quality cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips of choice I used sugar-free
- 3 tbsp heavy cream or coconut milk for vegan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a 6×6 or 8×8" pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang to easily remove brownies from pan. (Note that 6×6" is recommended for a thicker brownie.
- In a large food processor with an "S" blade, combine all ingredients and process until smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The center will be slightly soft.
- Cool for 30 minutes in pan, then remove with help from the parchment overhang.
- Let cool for an additional 30 minutes before slicing.
- While your brownies cool, prepare your ganache.
- Combine 1 cup chocolate chips of choice with 3 TBSP of heavy cream and microwave for 45 seconds. Whisk until smooth. L
- Let ganache cool for 5 minutes, whisk again, and then add on top of brownies.
- Add flaky sea salt and serve!
