Super Healthy Fudgy Date Brownies (GF, vegan, nut-free)
I’m all about a fudgy brownie normally. And what’s crazy is that these healthy date brownies are…pretty darn fudgy, despite being “free”.
As in, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, and nut-free. Somehow like magic, you get the best of both worlds.
These brownie bites are 100% fruit sweetened (with dates), but you’d never know just by tasting them. The three main ingredients are the dates, a good tahini, and cocoa powder, and these provide a rich and chewy texture that I love.
They’ve been perfect for when I’m craving something a bit sweet at the end of the night.
You’ll want pitted dates for this recipe, and they’ll work best if your dates are soft and squishy. If they’re too hard or dry, you can bring the water in the recipe to a boil and then soak the dates in it for 10 minutes to soften them, then chuck the whole thing in the food processor.
I’ve taken to ordering these pitted medjool dates in bulk, as they’re much more cost-effective and I love the texture.
Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease a mini muffin tin with oil or butter to help prevent sticking.
In a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, combine the dates and 1/4 of water, and process until the dates have broken down into a paste.
Add in the tahini, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and vinegar (and flax seeds, if using), and pulse and process until a sticky, uniform dough is created.
You may need to add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of water to help it blend smoothly. The batter will be thick and sticky but shouldn’t be completely solid. The pic below is a bit more solid than I normally make it now…usually mine is more batter-like.
Use a tablespoon or 1-ounce cookie scoop to help you scoop the batter into the greased mini muffin tin.
Wet your fingers and gently flatten each mound of dough. Press in one or two chocolate chips per muffin on the top of the batter if desired.
Sometimes the batter is thick enough that I use my hands rather than a scoop, but I’ve found that I like the final texture better with a wetter, stickier batter (even if it’s harder to work with).
In the pics below you can see what it looks like when it’s more of a dough vs. a batter…and the result is a drier, cake-ier brownie.
Bake until the tops look dry and the centers are still soft to the touch, about 10-12 minutes. I definitely like mine a tad underdone (though this does make them more prone to sticking in the pan, FYI).
Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool completely, at least 20 minutes, before attempting to remove them from the pan. They firm up as they cool, but are very fragile when warm.
Run a knife or offset spatula around the edge of each brownie to help loosen them to be removed, then finish cooling on a rack.
Serve immediately or store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week (they’ll keep a bit longer in the fridge).
These have been such an awesome sweet-yet-healthy treat for me as I’ve navigated these challenging dietary restrictions!
Other healthy sweet treats you’ll love:
- 5-Ingredient Healthy Chocolate, Date, & Tahini Truffles (GF, vegan, nut-free, no refined sugar)
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Baked Oatmeal (GF, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free)
- Blood Orange Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF, vegan, nut-free)
- Amazing Dark Chocolate Tahini Cookies (GF, vegan, nut-free)
- Easy No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote (GF, vegan, almond-free)
- Creamy 5-Minute Peanut Butter Pudding (dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan)
- Single-Serving Cherry Crisp
- Healthy 5-Ingredient Banana Brownies (GF, Grain-Free, No Sugar, Vegan)
- Indulgent-Feeling Dark Chocolate Banana “Nice Cream” (gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free)
Adapted slightly from Detoxinista
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Super Healthy Date Brownies (GF, Vegan, Almond-Free)
These super healthy brownie bites are gluten-free, almond-free, vegan brownies with dates & tahini...a perfect sweet treat or even healthy indulgent breakfast for those with food sensitivities or on an anti-inflammatory diet.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces or 170g of SOFT organic Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup of water (+ possibly a tablespoon or two more)
- 1/2 cup of runny tahini (or nut butter of choice)
- 5 tablespoons of quality dark cocoa powder (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- Strong pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
- A splash of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
- Optional: A handful of dark chocolate chips for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease a mini muffin tin with oil or butter to help prevent sticking.
- In a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, combine the dates and 1/4 of water, and process until the dates have broken down into a paste.
- Add in the tahini, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and vinegar (and flax seeds, if using), and pulse and process until a sticky, uniform dough is created. You may need to add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of water to help it blend smoothly. The batter will be thick and sticky but shouldn't be completely solid.
- Use a tablespoon or 1-ounce cookie scoop to help you scoop the batter into the greased mini muffin tin. Sometimes it's thick enough I use my hands, but I like the final texture better with a wetter, stickier batter (even if it's harder to work with).
- Wet your fingers and gently flatten each mound of dough. Press in one or two chocolate chips per muffin on the top of the batter if desired.
- Bake until the tops look dry and the centers are still soft to the touch, about 10-12 minutes. I definitely like mine a tad underdone (though this does make them more prone to sticking in the pan, FYI).
- Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool completely, at least 20 minutes, before attempting to remove them from the pan. They firm up as they cool, but are very fragile when warm.
- Run a knife or offset spatula around the edge of each brownie to help loosen them to be removed, then finish cooling on a rack. Serve immediately or store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week (they'll keep a bit longer in the fridge).
Notes
- If your dates aren't nice and soft, boil the 1/4 cup of water and submerge the dates in it in a bowl. Let it sit 10 minutes, then add the water and dates to the food processor as directed.
- The original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds, which effectively then with the water makes a flax egg. I found I liked the texture better without, as I like a fudgier brownie, but if you prefer more cake-like, give that a try.
- The original recipe calls for cacao powder, which I don't keep on hand. I prefer the flavor of a darker, richer quality cocoa powder; dutch process is my go-to, as well as Hershey's Special Dark
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These are absolutely delicious!