Brownie Bites with Buttery Vanilla Frosting

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(click on image to enlarge)

About 24 brownie bites

Sometimes you just want some comfort food. This weekend was one of those times. I woke up on Saturday morning, wondering what I was going to bring to the raw pot-luck that day. My mind was filled with thoughts of easy to make, savory stand-by’s, but nothing jumped out at me. As I looked at the what I had in the cabinets, it dawned on me that it might just be a comfort food kinda day.

I couldn’t be more pleased with how these turned out. Folks at the pot-luck gave them a big thumbs up and of course, the plate was empty when the pot-luck was over. Soft, sweet, chocolaty, just like how a brownie should be, but with the frosting on top, these will take you right into comfort food bliss!

Visit my blog for more gourmet raw desserts! http://www.therawdessert.com/

Ingredients

  • ***For the brownie bites
  • 3 cups Pecans
  • 2 tablespoons Almond Butter
  • ¼ cup Agave
  • ¼ cup Cacao, (fine powder)
  • 1 pinch salt, (sea, cave, etc)
  • 1 pinch salt, (sea, cave, etc)
  • ***For the frosting
  • 2 cups Cashews
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract, (or 1/2 bean)
  • ¼ cup Agave
  • ½ cup Water

Preparation

Let’s start with the frosting as it needs a few minutes in the fridge to set. Dump your cashews into the food processor/blender and process into a fine flour. Add in the vanilla, agave and half of the water into your processor/blender. Because this frosting is going to be thick, it can be hard to get it all mixed up by the blades. Add in more and more water (no more than the 1/2 cup) to thin it out and pause every few seconds to mix things up by hand. Be careful of the temperature of the frosting, it will heat up fast. Once you have the frosting mixed up, fill up your pastry bag, cone, press, etc. and set it in the fridge to firm up.

Now for the brownie goodness. Dump the pecans into your food processor and process them down to a fine flour, then until it stops moving — some of the pecans will break down and release their oil and they will start to clump and turn into pecan butter (yum!). Give it a good stir by hand and then toss in the rest of the ingredients. Continue to process until the mixture forms a solid ball. Transfer to a bowl and give the dough a good stir by hand to make sure it is mixed well.

Grab a small amount of the dough and roll into a ball with your hands. Press the ball down with your thumb to flatten it out and make an impression in the middle. Place the flattened brownie bite onto a plate. Prepare the rest of the dough in this fashion. Next, take your frosting out of the fridge and have at it! Fill up the indentation of each brownie bite with ‘a healthy amount’ of the frosting.

These can be eaten right away, though the brownie dough is soft at room temperature. Put into the fridge for thirty minutes to firm up, or if you will not be serving them right away.

Comments

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hannah.hunnicutt writes: (July 02, 2008)

yummy!!!

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rainstorm writes: (July 02, 2008)

Oh wow those sound gooddd!!

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RawKidChef writes: (July 02, 2008)

Can I use young coconut flour instead of the cashews? I don’t digest them well. thanks

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angie writes: (July 03, 2008)

Beautiful :)

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therawdessert writes: (July 03, 2008)

@RawKidChef - Have you tried really raw cashews? I noticed a big difference in flavor, texture, color, size, etc from cashews that I ordered online (really raw) to what I get in the store. Cashews have a great soft texture, pulverize well and bind well. I bet young coconut flour would be a great substitute - you could even just make a frosting with fresh young coconut meat and small amounts of water/agave. Let me know how it goes!

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therawdessert writes: (July 03, 2008)

Thanks for the comments everyone! Let me know what you think after you have had a chance to try them.. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

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rawleen writes: (July 03, 2008)

Yes it’s hard to find truly raw cashews at the store. I buy them online from either Tierra Farms or Natural Zing. Also, you should soak them for at least a half an hour. That makes them easy to digest. Therawdessert~ This looks scrumptious! I can’t wait to make and bite into one of these!!! I love your beautiful presentation!!!

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redbird writes: (July 03, 2008)

These look fabulous. Definitely on my top ten list to try, and sooooooon!

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Aziah writes: (July 22, 2008)

These are the BEST brownies, raw or not raw, that I have ever had! YUM!!!!

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yogiwannaberaw writes: (August 14, 2008)

Hi. These tasted delicious and they were really oily. Did i do something wrong? Hmmm. I used the ingredients listed.

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roseyonnex writes: (September 21, 2008)

Very good! Frosting is fabulous!! I actually used macadamia nuts for frosting. SAD husband says to me, “Oh, my gosh, another raw desert again??” After all my failed attempts, he really likes these!!

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