Sunday, April 15, 2012

Vegan Wheat Free No Bake Brownie Bites

This is waaaay off topic, but I worked at Kohl's for about 3 years, starting when I was 18. They would occasionally have lunches or parties for whatever reason, as most companies do. One time, as I was clocking in for an evening shift, I saw that there had been a party earlier in the day and there was a container of delicious fat filled brownie bites, nearly empty, still sitting on the break table. I LOVED those things but didn't have time to eat any and didn't want them to be gone when I took my break, so I wrapped 3 up in a napkin and put them in my locker. I then promptly forgot about them, and as a teenager, I was a total mess all the time. It wasn't until I was cleaning out my locker 2 years later that I found those brownie bites again, hard as little rocks but perfectly preserved.
Aaaanyway, these delicious brownie bites taste nearly identical to those brownie bites of my yester years, but contain no wheat, eggs, or milk, and are loaded with healthy stuff (and then rolled in sugar, cuz you can't win all the time!) These were very simple to make even though I only had raw almonds and had to roast mine first.
BTW, to roast raw almonds, heat oven to 350 and spread almonds onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the outsides have a deeper brown color than they started with and a few have split slightly. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool.

Vegan and Wheat Free NO BAKE Brownie Bites

15 pitted dates
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup whole roasted almonds
1 Tbl agave nectar (or honey, if not vegan)
2 Tbl water (plus more, if needed)
3 Tbl or so powdered sugar

In a food processor or fancy-pants blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, process almonds until fairly well ground. It does not have to be like almond flour, but you don't want any huge chunks. Add dates, cocoa powder, agave nectar, and water. Mix until it forms a sticky mass. If it seems to dry or crumbly, add water 1 tsp at a time until you get the desired consitency. Using damp hands (I stood by the sink and rinsed my hands after every 3rd ball), for 1 Tbl dough at a time into a balla nd place on waxed paper. Pour powdered sugar into a shallow wide bowl, and roll brownie bites until completely covered in powdered sugar. If you have too much sugar, roll them between your hands again and a lot will come off. Keep these in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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