Meet my new solution to your next chocolate craving.
These brownie bites are something special. They are a simple combination of dates, walnuts, and cocoa powder, but they taste far more rich and decadent than you’d expect. Walnuts are a nutritional powerhouse, which have been shown to help reduce cholesterol, as well as increase omega-3 fatty acids in red blood cells. Studies have also shown that walnuts can particularly help with decreasing fat deposits in the mid-section. Paired with mineral-rich dates, these treats are a truly guilt-free indulgence.
Oddly enough, my favorite aspect of these brownie bites is that they remind me of the fudgy chocolate filling found in Keebler E.L. Fudge cookies. Crazy, I know, but they really do. I adored those cookies growing up, so this was a happy surprise on my part! I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do.
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Raw Brownie Bites (Vegan, Paleo)
Makes about one dozen
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw walnut halves
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol free, if you prefer)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup soft dates, pitted (about 10 Medjool dates)
1 tablespoon water
Additional cocoa powder, for coating (optional)
Directions:
In a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade, grind the walnuts into a fine meal. Add in the rest of the ingredients, and process again until a sticky, uniform dough is formed. Scoop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper, to prevent sticking. Roll the balls between your hands, and roll them in cocoa powder, if desired.
Store the balls in the fridge or freezer, and serve them chilled for the most firm texture. (I prefer them frozen, myself.)
Quick and easy brownie bites that are exclusively sweetened with fruit!
- 1 1/2 cups raw walnut halves
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol free, if you prefer)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup soft dates , pitted (about 10 Medjool dates)
- 1 tablespoon water
- Additional cocoa powder , for coating (optional)
- In a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade, grind the walnuts into a fine meal. Add in the rest of the ingredients, and process again until a sticky, uniform dough is formed. Scoop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper, to prevent sticking. Roll the balls between your hands, and roll them in cocoa powder, if desired.
- Store the balls in the fridge or freezer, and serve them chilled for the most firm texture. (I prefer them frozen, myself.)
Notes:
- I prefer the taste of walnuts in these brownies, but feel free to use any other nut you like, including pecans or almonds. (Seeds may work, too, for a nut-free version.)
- If you don’t have access to dates, try making these with another dried fruit, like raisins, instead. The flavor will be different, but still tasty!
Enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite chocolate dessert?
Rhonda
These are awesome! As for the people freaking over the natural sugar in the dates…..relax, it’s meant to be an occasional treat, not a daily meal. Some people, like myself, love sweetened chocolate. Yes, dark is healthier, and I do eat it but I’d be lying to me and you both if I said I actually liked it. I only recently started eating clean and to be honest if I couldn’t occasionally dabble in a little sweetened chocolate luxury I don’t know that I could stick with it. Do I indulge daily? No. But once a week or every other week I like to sink my teeth into something as decadent as this and feel much less guilty than if I were scarfing a Hershey bar. Dates also have significant fiber, potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium & Vit B6 in addition to that sugar….so it’s not like consuming empty sugar grams with no nutrients. There are plenty of other chocolate recipes on here that stay in the low/no sugar realm….feel free to try one of those if you don’t like this one.
Elizabeth
“Yes, dark is healthier, and I do eat it but I’d be lying to me and you both if I said I actually liked it
-too funny!
Miyo
Wow! This looks so yummy. How long can they be kept in freezer?
Tyra
Just made these and they were absolutely perfect. Filled my chocolate fix.
Sarah
These are fantastic and the perfect little treat after a day full of veggies and meat.
Luciana
Hi. This recipe is delicious! But is there a substitute for the dates since I’m trying to eat low sugary stuff? Also, what are the nutrition facts? Thanks.
Sam
Made these the other night and followed a recipe similar to this one.. The mix was very crumby and not formable so when it was put it the freezer, I just pulled out a tray of cold crumbs! Any way I can save it? Thanks!!
Charlene Carr
Hi, Megan,
These are delicious. Thank you!
One quick question. They were super oily, as in my hands and the food processor were dripping with oil. Does that mean I processed it far too long or are they meant to be like that?
Thanks!
Megan Gilmore
Yes, if they release that much oil it means they were processed too long! I just had that happen to me last week when I over-processed a batch of date energy balls (I forgot the food processor was running) and it’s such an oily mess! Definitely shouldn’t happen if you process until it just becomes sticky.
Charlene Carr
Still fully safe to eat though? (Provided I store then in the freezer?) Unprocessed oils can go rancid pretty quick, right?
Megan Gilmore
I would definitely keep them chilled, but I’ve never had a problem with that. We do usually eat them quickly, though– within a week on average.
Mac Dav
My own initial stab at these was a little too “loose” and oily, so I slung in a handful of oatmeal and gave it all another couple of pulses and that worked a treat!
Emily
YUM! wow these are perfect. It’s so hard to find sweets to make for a gluten free and diary free household. And these are great grab on the go snacks too. Can’t wait to try them out.
JLTarn
I made these last year, and my husband loved them!! I am getting ready to leave them for Santa. 🙂
Sheila
Have you tried other nuts as a substitution for walnuts?
Lisa | Mummy Made.It
These look great. I usually have a tub of protein/energy balls in the fridge to help with the Hangrys!
Laura
Made these with a mix of raw almonds and cashews…tasty!
Jill
I know that walnuts are enjoyable to many, but since they are deadly to me this recipe is sad. I’d love to try this without the nuts, or possibly with pistachios?
Rob
Would roasted hazelnuts be a nice substitute for walnuts anyone?
Louise
I used hazelnuts and cashews instead. They were so good!!
Annette
These look amazing, will be trying this weekend. I am curious why the recipe specifies walnut halves when they are going straight into the food processor? Any nut in pieces versus whole or halves is going to be cheaper.
Megan Gilmore
I just specify because of the way the volume of walnut halves fills up the cup. Walnut pieces will be more dense, so if you use pieces there will probably be more walnuts in your measurement– which isn’t a huge deal, I just try to be precise!
Annette
That makes sense — accuracy is of utmost importance in a recipe, of course. I will experiment with using walnut pieces and see what happens. Thanks for the reply!
Jen
Just made these tonight. So good! Thank you.
Tania Saliba
I can’t stop making these, all of us love them and my bunch don’t usually like anything that’s healthy! Thanks so much for sharing, so glad I found this site.
Paloma
Hi! Do you think it would work to dehydrate this recipe? I want to travel with them!
Rebecca
I just made them. These are delicious and satisfying. Thank you for the recipe.
Annette Price
I finally made these last night. What a great treat to have around when the urge for chocolate strikes. I like that they are not too overly sweet, but very chocolatey. Yum!
KHG
Have made these twice in the past month to serve as a treat with a cup of tea in the evening – hits the spot every time. Pro tip: DO NOT forget the 1T water..! Second time I used 1T and a little more, made the bites a bit sticker and they stayed together better while I was rolling them together. May not be necessary for all, but worked for me. Thanks for the great recipe!
KHG
Pro tip #2: make sure your dates are fresh..! Just returned to this recipe (for the 50th time) for a quick treat but the dates were too sticky and jammed up my food processor (although I have a mini-processor so that could’ve been part of it). But, still love this recipe and will be going to the store to get fresh ingredients today!
dana
i have pre-ground almond meal; do you know if i would still use 1.5 c?
thank you!
Julia
Put it all in the food processor, and if it doesn’t hold together, just add more dates until you get the consistency you want!
Cinn Jenn
Yum! I finally got around to making these. Wish I hadn’t waited! I forgot to add the water but mine are still quite soft and stick together well. After reading the other comments, maybe I let it run too long in the food processor. I also added just 4 drops of stevia extract, because I like my chocolate really sweet. Will be making them again!
Kimberly
Just made these and I LOVE them! They’re easy AND healthy! I had less than a cup of walnuts in the house so I made up the difference with almonds (putting a tiny bit less because I noticed they filled the cup more tightly than the walnuts) and it worked out beautifully. Thank you for a healthy way to satisfy our sweet tooths… er, teeth? 😀
Patti
OMG, I know from reading the ingredients that I am going to love these. Thanks for making the recipe available!
Maxie Durel-Crain
Made these today. Soooooo good! My only regret is that I didn’t buy enough ingredients to make 2 batches!
Julie T
These are perfect for when I need a chocolate fix. My kids LOVE them so much too. I can’t tell you how many batches I’ve made of these this year. I love so many of your recipes but this is def one of my favs.
Kaeli
So good! Have made these twice.
I add in 2 tblsp of dark chocolate and 1 tblsp of cacao nibs
Thanks for the amazing recipe!!:)
Misty
I’ve been struggling to meet the 6-dates-a-day quota for pregnancy since dates are too sweet for me, and THIS SOLVES MY PROBLEM. I could eat a million of these at a time, they’re soooo good and not too sweet. Plus I think my baby likes them. 🙂
Bec
Oh my gosh these are amazing!!!
I didn’t have fresh dates, only packet pitted dates so I soaked then drained them before putting them in the processor! I didn’t add the tablespoon of water as th soaked dates were quite soft!
They were perfect and it’s very hard to not eat too many! Thanks!
Lily
I was out of dates last week for our umpteenth batch of these so made rhem with raisins instead. We all actually love them more made with raisins!
Suellyn
Just made these and they are wonderful. Didn’t add the extra salt. Perfect for that afternoon chocolate crave. Thank you.
Lauren
these are amazing!!!
Gina
I followed a recipe from a different site last week and they didn’t work out but these were perfect and so easy to make! I substituted vanilla extract with orange extract and they were amazing, thank you for the recipe!
Liza
exactly what I was hoping to find. I just had 3 of them. they are so lovely! many thanks!
Linda
OMG! These were soooooo yummy!!! I added some figs, chia and flax seeds and these are absolutely PERFECT for chocolate/sweet craving! I even ‘tricked’ my guy into trying one and he said they were ‘Okay brownie-ish’ (he hates all things vegetable and fruit or good for you). Love love love these! Thank you so much! I am new to this eating clean lifestyle and I was struggling to find yummy things. I am struggling with a low body pH so I am now gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, grain free, paleo/vegan/organic/alkaline. Phew! Thanks again!
Randy
Anyone know the nutritional information? How many is a serving? The carb and sugar count?
Shellzbellz
I used the MyFitness Pal app to figure out nutritional info. Based on 6 servings (2 bites per serving), each serving is 301 calories and has 35g of carbs (27 g sugar), and 5 g protein.
Shellzbellz
If you consider each bite a serving, there are 150 calories per serving, with 18 g carbs (14 g sugar) and 2 g protein.
Mary
These were amazing and absolutely delicious. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a sweet but health snack.
Cara
Sooo tasty and very SATISFYING! When I want to indulge I Don’t feel the slightest bit guilty. Yum!
Allison
FAB! Just made these and I was skeptical of the overall time described in the recipe, but much to my disbelief making these brownies was quite fast (~10 minutes or less)! I’m also happy to say that these ingredients were easy to find in the grocery store too, not like some paleo, vegan, etc. recipes.
Michelle
Are these Whole30 appropriate? I believe yes…..?????
Megan Gilmore
Ingredient-wise, yes. I think they are “anti-dessert” in general, even if it’s made with compliant foods, but I would go for it personally. 🙂
Michelle
Thanks Megan! Yes, anti-dessert but I AM going to go for it because it falls within the specified guidelines sooo……I like to tread the line if you know what I mean. Not starting for a week…will let you know how they are. Prepping for it now! Thank you!
Martha
Easy and great recepy
Theresa N
I have been making these for several years now, 2 batches at a time. Absolutely love them. Every other time instead of water added, I use fresh squeezed orange juice & add orange zest to the paste/dough. I added some dried cranberries once, delicious. My husband turns his nose up with my grain free lifestyle, but loves the bites.