Healthy Date Brownies (100% Fruit Sweetened!)

Healthy Date Brownies (100% Fruit Sweetened!)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: gluten-free, vegan

Keyword: date brownies, healthy brownies

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 13

Total Time: 23

Servings: brownies

Calories: 59kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

If you’ve tried a healthy brownie recipe before and felt disappointed, don’t give up until you try these date brownies. They’re shockingly good. Made with Medjool dates, almond butter, and ground flax seeds, they are the healthiest brownies I’ve ever made, yet they taste remarkably like the two-bite brownies you can buy at the store. Just read the comments below if you don’t believe me!

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Ingredients

¾ cup Medjool dates , pitted (6 ounces)
⅓ cup water
½ cup almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
5 tablespoons cacao powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a mini muffin tin with spray oil, or your favorite oil, to help prevent sticking.
In a food processor fitted with an "S" blade, combine the dates and water and process until the dates have broken down into a paste. (They may turn into a ball in the processor, which is also okay.)
Add in the almond butter, ground flax, cacao powder, baking soda, vanilla, and vinegar and process again until a sticky, uniform dough is created. (If you need to add 1 more tablespoon of water to help it blend smoothly, that's okay.) The batter will be thick and sticky.
Use a tablespoon or a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into the greased mini muffin tin. Use your fingers to gently flatten each mound of dough. Because the dough is very sticky, it helps to wet your fingers with water before pressing each mound down so they won't stick to the dough. Note: I usually get 18 to 20 brownies from this batch, so you won't fill the entire 24-cup mini muffin pan.
Bake until the tops look dry, about 12 to 15 minutes. (The centers will still feel slightly soft to the touch.) Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool completely, at least 30 minutes, before attempting to remove them from the pan. They firm up as they cool, but are very fragile when warm. Run a knife around the edge of each brownie to help loosen them to be removed, then serve immediately or store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

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Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 20 brownie bites. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

Chocolate Chip Addition: If you don't mind a bit of added sugar, you can add up to 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips to this recipe for a double chocolate brownie. I like to press some chocolate chips on top before baking.

Update Note: This recipe was updated in January 2023. I decreased the vinegar and vanilla by 1 teaspoon each (the recipe used to call for 2 teaspoons of each) and swapped the cashew butter for almond butter, since brands can vary so much on cashew butter lately. I also started using 1/3 cup water instead of 1/4 cup as previously written, because I always had to add extra water. Feel free to use the original amounts, if you prefer it that way.

Nut Butter Note: Any nut or seed butter will work with this recipe, but keep in mind that you will definitely be able to taste whichever option you use. So, if you use peanut butter, you'll have a peanut butter-tasting brownie, and if you use sunflower butter, you'll have a (nut-free!) brownie that tastes like sunflower butter. So, make sure you love the flavor of whichever nut or seed butter you choose.

Vinegar Note: The vinegar is included to react with the baking soda, causing these to rise as they bake. You won't taste it, so it doesn't matter which variety you use. If you want to omit the vinegar, use 1 teaspoon of baking powder instead of the baking soda.

Nutrition