Recipe: No Bake Chocolate Brownies

I flicked through The Happy Pear cookbook the other day to pick something sweet to make for dessert. I chose the No-bake Healthy brownies as I had all the ingredients. They were a big hit. They are extremely rich and very chocolatey. A small one or half a one is enough of a chocolate hit. They are sugar free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and gluten free if you use gluten free oats.

You will need:

340g pitted dates (Medjool or regular)
110g oats (gluten free if necessary)
60g walnuts
60g almonds
90g cacao powder (unsweetened)
1/4 vanilla pod/1 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Put the dates into the food processor and blend until smooth. I used regular dates and needed quite a bit of water to get the right consistency (a nice thick paste). Put the dates aside in a bowl.
2. Blend the nuts, almonds, walnuts and oats in the processor until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
3. Add in the dates in stages and blend.
4. Add in the cacao powder and the vanilla seeds from pod or vanilla extract and blend again. Add some water if necessary.
5. Line a flapjack tin with baking paper and pour out the mixture. Press down firmly and roll with a small roller or a glass until smooth.
6. Refrigerate for at least a few hours.
7. Cut into slices and serve.
8. These will last up to 10 days in an airtight container in the fridge or up to 1 month in the freezer.