I was inspired to make these no bake brownies because I am in need of boosting up my iron levels, and needed a fun way to do it! I basically took the idea from my walnut-date-balls and turned them into brownies.
I wanted a frosting to go with it, and I have heard of banana frosting and avocado frosting, so I experimented with both and found that I like the avocado more than the banana. I found that I wasn’t able to mask or hide the banana flavour, whereas I was able to mask the avocado. You can try it out yourself and see which you like best.
I was thinking of adding shredded coconut to them, but I changed my mind last minute. I may add them next time if I am in a coconut mood. I am thinking of adding chia seeds or oats next time as well.
You can control how sweet you want them. I add the icing sugar a spoonful at a time until I am happy with it. Adding sugar, of course, is totally optional. I need to add it as I find the dark cocoa very bitter. You can add any other kind of natural sweetener that you normally use and experiment with it, or not add anything at all. Taste and go from there.
What you will need for the brownie base:
- 30 Tunisian or 25 medjool pitted dates (or any dates you have)*
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1/4 cup dark cocoa
- 3-6 tbsp icing sugar or more if desired
- 2 kitchen spoonfuls of water*
Remove pits from dates, blend in processor until dates turn into a paste like texture. Combine dates in a large bowl (or continue using the food processor) with the nuts, icing sugar, and cocoa. You need to sprinkle the water a little at a time while blending as the mixture is dry. Stir until you get the texture that you desire. You may need more or less than 2 tablespoons of water; it’s best to start with little otherwise it will get too soft. Taste the base. If you want you can add more icing sugar if you want it more sweet.
Press down in a 8×8 inch pan lined with wax paper.
* I didn’t use a measuring spoon, I used a regular soup spoon. I would start with 1 tablespoon and add more if needed. Sprinkle the water until you get a the right texture, it shouldn’t be dry or too mushy.
What you will need for the frosting:
I found that adding the vanilla helped mask the avocado, but you don’t have to add it. You can taste it without it and see how you like it.
- 1 ripe avocado
- 4 tbsp dark cocoa
- 4 tbsp roasted or creamy almond butter
- 1 pkg vanilla sugar or 1/8 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- icing sugar
Mash the avocado until smooth. Combine with the almond butter, cocoa, vanilla (if using), and 1 cup icing sugar. Stir together until it becomes a smooth and glossy icing.
Taste the frosting and if you like, you can add more icing sugar to it for added sweetness. I usually end up adding 2 cups in total. That is because I find cocoa powder to be bitter; it’s still not sweet enough for my liking. I tried it out on my friends and they found it to be perfect, so you can taste as you go.
Spread frosting over the brownies and chill for one hour before cutting into. Serve the same day or store in refrigerator until the next day. Freeze leftovers and just to let you know, they freeze great. You can also eat them straight from the freezer. Enjoy!
*Medjool dates are larger than Tunisian dates therefore you can use less.
*Update, I started to make them with baking dates 13 oz pkg (I used Ziyad’s brand) it’s really soft and easy to work with. It makes it so much easier to make these bars since I make them often.
OMG, loved them & now I feel like making a batch right now. They were the best brownies on earth esp with all the good stuff in them. You did an amazing job, enjoyed each bite of it. Your pictures make me want to bite off my desktop screen, LOL.