Created by Laura Wright
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5 from 1 vote
Superfood brownie bites are gooey and rich like brownie batter, but made with feel-good ingredients and topped with raw chocolate glaze!
Another pantry recipe for you since my vegetable/fruit selection is a little random at the moment. Usually this is where my creative juices tend to shine, but I thought I’d share these superfood brownie bites because I’ve been making versions of these for so long, and feel almost wrong for not sharing them with you.
A scoop of vegan ice cream or basic sweets like these are more my pace when it comes to dessert these days. Low effort is the move. Also, I think most of you know how I feel about baking/dessert-crafting in general. The projects start out innocent enough, but they don’t always end well haha.
I stick with what makes me happy or what challenges me in a positive way. I have enough self-awareness to know that spontaneously embarking on a gluten/dairy/sugar/grain/nut-free cake adventure is going to end with rage-snacking on the couch later because I couldn’t get it perfect on the first try. Not a quitter, just focused on my strengths! :)
Versions of this superfood brownie bites recipe populate the internet for sure. I might be overly confident because this is a recipe that I’ve tweaked over time, but I really do think they’re the best. They’re fudge-y like the gooey middles of a proper brownie and totally silky all the way through. The chocolate flavour is enhanced by maca, mesquite, and cinnamon, and I dip them in a cacao glaze to really take it all over the edge.
Date and nut bites were one of the first things I learned how to make when I decided to go vegan. Snacks! It’s funny how I always go back to making these little things when I’m trying to get back on track or establish more of a routine in my day to day. I get that same rush of curiosity and feeling of investment in my wellbeing every time I make them too. Doing the pre-game to help yourself make the feel-good choice will never stop being a source of empowerment for me.
If you’re a fan of these brownie bites, you might also like my No Bake Chocolate Mint Cups.
Superfood Brownie Bites
Superfood brownie bites are gooey and rich like brownie batter, but made with feel-good ingredients and topped with raw chocolate glaze!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Setting Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
Servings 30 bites
Ingredients
Bites
- 1 ½ cups raw pecans
- ⅓ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup raw cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon mesquite powder
- 1 tablespoon maca powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates they should be soft
- 1 tablespoon coconut butter
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk I used coconut
Cacao Glaze
- 1 ½ tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
Sprinkles
- finely shredded coconut
- goji berries
- bee pollen not vegan
- hulled hemp seeds
- flaky sea salt
Equipment
Notes
- If you don’t have the mesquite or maca powders, feel free to leave them out. You may not need the tablespoon of non-dairy milk at the end if you do this though. I think both powders work so well here and would encourage you to give them a go here if you haven’t tried them before. Even my local, small town bulk store sells these powders now and they add a special sweet, malt-y, and flavourful quality to the bites.
Instructions
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, pulse the pecans and cashews until you have a meal consistency. Add the cacao powder, mesquite, maca, vanilla powder, sea salt, and cinnamon. Pulse to mix evenly.
Add the dates and coconut butter to the food processor and run the motor on high, scraping down the sides of the bowl here and there. The mixture should just hold together if you pinch it with your fingers. Flip the motor on to high again, and pour the non-dairy milk in through the feed tube. The dough should ball up and appear glossy, but not too sticky and wet.
Scoop out the brownie bite mixture in 1 ½ teaspoon measures. Roll the portioned mixture into balls, set on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and slide into the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Make the cacao glaze: In a small saucepan, combine the coconut oil, cacao powder, and maple syrup. Whisk over low heat until combined. Set aside.
Retrieve the superfood brownie bites from the refrigerator. Dip each bite into the cacao glaze and set back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle each bite with the sprinkle of your choice.
Store superfood brownie bites in the refrigerator.
Author: Laura Wright
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: cacao, cashews, cinnamon, coconut, coconut butter, coconut oil, dates, fall, flaky sea salt, food processor, goji berries, hemp seeds, maca, maple syrup, mesquite powder, non-dairy milk, pecans, spring, summer, vanilla, winter
22/06/2016 (Last Updated 05/08/2023)
Posted in: breakfast, cashews, dessert, gluten free, grain-free, quick, raw, refined sugar-free, snack, sweet, vegan
25 comments
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Mary 
These are phenomenal! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!!!Reply
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Emma I finally made these and used walnuts and a small amount of sunflower seeds instead of pecans. Also omitted the maca and mesquite cause I didn’t have those on hand. And WHOAH, they turned out seriously amazing. They legit taste like fudgy brownies! Definitely some of the best energy balls that I’ve made. I can only imagine what they’re like with pecans and the rest of the ingredients!
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Aiden I think I messed up!
The dough wasn’t balling up when I added the coconut milk so I added an extra tsp… and then another when it still wasn’t balling up.
I feel silly now, but the dough was super wet/oily. For future reference, what could I do instead of adding more liquid if I have a similar problem? Just process it longer…?
Thanks,
Aiden
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Laura So sorry for the late reply! Were your dates soft? If not, give them a soak in boiling water for five minutes, drain them thoroughly,and THEN proceed with the recipe.If your dates were soft though, it sounds like you just needed to run the food processor a bit more. Sometimes when I have energy ball mixtures that aren’t sticking as much as I’d like, I’ll add a tablespoon of almond butter or a touch of coconut oil to give that moisture boost that I need.
-LReply
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Smadar I’ve made raw desserts in the past and tend to find them a bit “healthy” tasting, but these bites are pure bliss!!! Thanks Laura.
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Maria I don’t have vanilla powder. I have vegan one vanilla protein powder, would that substitute?
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Laura I would use vanilla extract instead!
-LReply
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Lindsay I can’t wait to make these!! Need to find out about mesquite powder… Not something I’ve come across before!
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Jenny Any idea how long these would keep I the fridge? I could I freeze them if I made a huge batch? They are frickin delicious!!! Xxx
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m.l. what do you think i could sub instead of pecans? i cannot get them here in spain (at least not organic). but i can get almonds, cashews, hazelnuts… thanks for any advice.
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Laura I think I’d go with cashews since their consistency is sort of soft (similar to a pecan). Almost any nut would work though, honestly!
-LWReply
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Cassie I love these kinds of desserts! Sometimes, I add some almond butter or peanut butter into the date dough, which make it very difficult to roll everything into balls before eating them all! Sometimes I stock my fridge with tons of fruit, but as quickly as we can get it stocked up, we finish all the fruit too!
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Nina - Nourish atelier Just reading this recipe gives me cravings, Laura. And the photography is so beautiful, love the warmth and how I can taste these bites through the screen. I wish I had these now. x
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Jeanette These look amazing.
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Tuulia These kinds of bliss balls were the first thing I made years ago when I got into raw treats, and I still love them! So easy, yet so satisfying. And this look gooooooood! Plus, I really love how you take photos while making the recipe, I just always go straight to the end result! Have to practice my patience I think :) xo!
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Jessie Snyder Laura, I dont know how you do it – but these are stunning. And I’m all for that prep ahead and be armed with healthy snacks when hunger strikes, so empowering – xx
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Abby @ Heart of a Baker Ohhh weee girl, these are the prettiest brownie bites I’ve seen! I love that combo of truffle like center and healthy vibez sprinkles! xo
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Eden Passante These look amazing! And with all those superfoods, I won’t feel guilty for eating a lot of them at once!! Yum!
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Sarah | Well and Full I’m always interested to see various bloggers’ permutations of date/nut bites because somehow their personalities always shine through. But let me tell you, girl, these brownie bites give all those other versions a run for their money ;)
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Allyson Woah. I need to up my snack game- and search out mesquite powder. I can’t wait to try this.
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Rosie These look and sound delicious! I am always looking for new uses for my mesquite powder because I cannot get enough of that caramel taste. Sadly though I malabsorb fructose and so cannot eat dates (or most other dried fruits)… are there any suitable substitutes you can think of? Would love to hear your advice :)
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Laura Hi Rosie,
I think you might be able to get away with some cooked sweet potato or pumpkin in place of the dates. It will make for a wetter batter though, so I’d start with a 1/2 cup of either one and work up if necessary.
-LReply
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Christine Even though I love baking and coming up with gluten/sugar/dairy/etc etc etc desserts, little bites like these are the most frequent sweet around my place too. My go-to is pretty similar except I always add lucuma, it adds a caramelly vibe to chocolately fudgey bites and is so delicious. Hooray for simple but amazing treats!
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Tori//Gringalicious Superfood! So what you’re saying is that I can eat them ALL right? Haha, these look amazing and I totally love your sprinkle choices!
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valentina | sweet kabocha I love superfoods – I wrote about them in my book and I used them in quite a lot of recipes! And these bites are just perfect for so many different occasions, from the treat on the sofa after dinner to a party with friends ^_^
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