raw coconut brownies

These raw brownies are utterly ridiculous.  Ri-dic-culous.

We should play a little game.  I think that you should make these raw brownies for your friends, kids, boyfriend, neighbor, mother-in-law, whoever, and don't tell them that they are made without eggs, butter, sugar, flour, or anything besides raw, healthy ingredients.

Then, after they've had a few bites ... wham! You drop the bomb on them.  These babies are raw AND healthy! I bet they wouldn't believe you.  

At first I wanted to call these the "no" brownies:

No sugar, no flour, no butter, no gluten, no problem, no you'll never know the difference between these and not so good for you brownies. 

But then I decided that putting "no" in front of a recipe title might be a bad idea. 

Then I wanted to call these the "yes!" brownies:

Yes, they are actually really good for you. Yes, every ingredient is super and has actual proven health benefits. Yes, you could eat these a few times a week with zero guilt.  Yes, these brownies will make you more popular with your friends.   

But, then I though, let's not get crazy, we can just call them what they are: raw coconut brownies.

raw coconut brownies 

Prep Time / Cook Time
15 minutes / 1 hour for refrigeration

Ingredients

2 cups of dates, pitted
1.5 cups of walnuts
1/2 cup of raw cacao
1/4 cup of coconut shavings

For the topping:

1/4 cup of coconut shavings
1/2 cup of chopped almonds
about 1/2 teaspoon of flaky sea salt (optional)

Directions 

• Place the walnuts, cacao, and coconut shavings into a blender and blend until they are well combined and the walnuts are a fine consistency. 
• Then begin to add the dates in 2-3 at a time.  The mixture will become sticky and crumbly, and blending becomes tricky the more dates you add. If you're having trouble, just make sure all of the dates are well chopped and you can worry about mixing it in with the rest of the ingredients after. 
• In the pan or dish you will be storing your brownies in, dump in the mixture and continue to work the ingredients together until everything is well combined. Then begin to press the mixture into the form and thickness you would like for your brownies.   
• Sprinkle the coconut, almonds, and salt over the brownies.
• Cover and freeze or refrigerate for at least an hour or until you are ready to eat . Cut them into squares, rectangles, hearts, what have you, and serve.  

Enjoy.