No-Bake Pecan Brownies

It’s fair to assume that eating clean and indulging are mutually exclusive. Whenever I wanted to “eat clean” in the past, I tended to focus on everything I couldn’t have… and that usually led to giving up two days in.

Thankfully, I’ve discovered that you can have your processed-sugar-free goals and eat your cake, too (or in my case, BROWNIES).

Similar to those chocolate chunk truffles I keep mentioning, these brownies are so rich and chocolatey. Honestly, I prefer them to traditional brownies now.

They couldn’t be simpler to make since they require no baking and a whopping four ingredients; and, best yet, they’re grain-free, processed-sugar-free and Paleo + vegan friendly to boot.

The wondrous mini food processor by Cuisinar

For starters, pull out your handy dandy food processor (if you don’t have one, I highly recommend this mini one by Cuisinart.

It takes up barely any space, is so easy to clean, and (if my recipes are any indication), you’ll quickly make up for the $40. Plus, it’s great for any painstaking chopping you have to do for other recipes as well (especially onions or carrots… SUCH a time saver!).

Ok, enough of my love affair with food processors…  let’s get this brownie party started!

No-Bake Pecan Brownies

Ingredients (makes about 9 squares):

• 5 Medjool dates (pitted)
• 1 c. raw pecans or walnuts or a half-and-half mix of the two
• 1/4 c. coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cacao powder

Directions:

Place dates and coconut oil in the food processor and blend until it’s as smooth as possible. If it clumps into a ball, use a spoon to spread it out again.

Add the pecans or walnuts along with the unsweetened cacao powder and blend again.

Empty contents into a baking pan. Pat down with a spoon and refrigerate for about three hours. Top with crumbled nuts. For leftovers, keep refrigerated for best results.

And since you have that food processor out, might as well make some raw coconut cashew cookie bars while you’re at it. 😉

XO,

– P

P.S. If there’s a particular dessert that you love that you’re having trouble “giving up,” please let us know in the comments. We’d love to see if we can recreate a processed-sugar-free version for you! 🙂

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