Cashew Brownie Batter Bites
If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you may remember that I went to raw culinary school.
I ate raw while I was there, and learned so much about nutrition, plating and knife skills. I also learned what it’s like to lack knife skills. I sliced my hand hacking a coconut, and there was that one time I sent a piece of frozen cheesecake flying through the air as the plate shattered. I pictured myself becoming invisible but alas, I stood there red-faced for a second before cleaning up and then hiding.
At 105degrees, I finally became confident in creating my own recipes, I drank a ton of green juice and also ate dessert every day.
Raw Desserts
Raw desserts are pretty insane.
It’s hard to believe that something so creamy and decadent was made without white sugar, flour or butter. (Even though I wouldn’t kick a little butter in the face… My egg burritos would be sad and lonely without it)
It takes a little while to get used to, but once you’ve tried some recipes and experimented, pretty much anything can be raw-ified. Another bonus is that there’s no such thing as messing up a recipe. If it doesn’t work out as planned, it can just become something else.
Raw Cashew Brownie Batter Bites
And some things are even better than the originals… like these brownie batter bites.
This is a favorite raw recipe, and one I like to make for vegan naysayers. A little softer than a usual truffle, and similar to raw brownie batter. They’re absolutely sensational with dark cacao or carob and a kick from cayenne.
The base is soaked cashews,
which yield a surprisingly smooth and creamy texture.
Bonus: they freeze well, so if you don’t eat them all right away (I’ve never experienced this, but) you can freeze the rest to enjoy later.
Hope you love them! 🙂
Cashew Brownie Batter Bites
A decadent chocolate treat, reminiscent of brownie batter. Here’s the kicker: There’s no butter, flour, refined sugar or raw eggs.
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for at least one hour or overnight, rinsed
- 1/3 cup honey (maple syrup works well, too)
- 1/3 cup carob powder (you can use cocoa powder instead, but remember that it’s stronger so start with 1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/3 cup water (or more as needed to thin the mixture out to blend)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- Optional: 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/8 teaspoon – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for a little kick!
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, blend the cashews, honey, water, vanilla, sea salt and spices until very smooth.
- Next, add the cocoa or carob powder and blend until well-combined
- Add in the coconut oil and blend LAST – this is what’s going to give these a gorgeous texture
- Pour into a bowl (and save yourself some, of course), and place in the fridge or freezer to slightly firm
- Now, the messy part! Roll into balls and then into extra carob or cocoa powder. Garnish with a little cayenne if you’d like. You can either store these in the fridge for a softer texture, or in the freezer to make truffles.
Notes
- Don’t have a high-speed blender? No worries. The food processor or a regular blender will work well, just make sure to soak the cashews longer.
xoxo
Gina
Have you tried raw desserts? What’s your favorite? I absolutely adore this raw chocolate tart and my beloved macaroons. 🙂 A fun first raw dessert experiment is banana soft serve. It’s extremely simple to make and has a beautiful ice cream texture.
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I love these kind of snacks! They’re so easy to make and taste delicious! These bites sound amazing!!!
Gina, these look amazing! I’ve wanted to try a lot of raw recipes but have stopped because they include cashews. The fiance can only eat peanuts and almonds and is allergic to the rest. Do you think soaked almonds or peanuts would be good in this recipe? Have you seen any yummy raw recipes that include what we call the “safe zone nuts”? (yes, it sounds dirty, lol)
haha safe zone nuts 😉 i don’t think they would have the same texture or flavor. what about coconut meat?
i think a couple of bananas (or 1/2 avocado 1/2 banana mixture) would work, too. it would just have a bit of a banana tang to it
Oooo I’ll try the banana/avocado mixture this weekend since we’re both fans of those. Will post another comment if it comes out yumtastic! 🙂
These no baked bites are my favorites of the moment! I’ve been making a ton of them lately and just can’t get enough. These cashew ones look awesome! Cashews are probably my favorite nut ever.
These look awesome! I’m loving all of your recipes lately. I’ve never experimented TOO much with raw desserts. Typically I love the butter and sugar if I’m craving a dessert, but a raw dessert is always a nice option. 🙂
Yum!!! This look so good and I’ve been looking for a healthy, but sweet treat for the afternoon. Can’t wait to try these 🙂
Also, I love the new lay out for recipes! Is it a plug in?? Either way, looks great!
thank you! yes, it’s called recipe card. you can customize the layout, font and colors, too
I love everything about this post – the recipe, the plate/cup combo and the printable/saveable recipe option! Where did you get that plate/cup?
thank you! bed bath and beyond. from our wedding, 6 years ago 🙂
I’ve never tried raw desserts before but these look so tasty!
I desperately want to leave work now and go home to make these. Be still my heart. I’m doing a ‘sweets only on days that start with s’ thing this month, so, alas, I must wait. I don’t have all of these ingredients at the moment either (which is probably a blessing for my willpower right now), but I can’t wait to try them!
These look so decadent and delicious. I’ve only ever used raw soaked cashews to make cheeze for kale chips, but I’m totally going to give these a try. Question: should the coconut oil be melted or solid?
mine is in between since it’s in the pantry, so if it’s solid i’d warm it up a little
let me know how you like them!
Cool! Thanks. I will let you know!
These sound amazing!!! I can’t wait to make these and share with my vegan, pregnant sis in law! Thanks for all the yummy recipes!
Never had a raw dessert but you are quickly convincing me that I should. The banana soft serve looks simple enough to start with.
These look awesome! 🙂
OMG these look killer!!!
What is the yield of this recipe? Looks delicious!
I got about 12 huge ones
Thanks!
OH yum!! I have never made raw chocolates, but I am going to start soaking my cashews now! (: I have a Ninja Blender, so hopefully it will get the job done! (:
I’ve never really tried raw desserts before but I have gotten on board with the gluten free variety! I think they are so much more gooier and yummier! Luckily there is gluten free bakery around the corner from me because I’m lazy. These don’t seem too difficult though!
Yum! Do you think they would be terrible with walnuts instead?
Walnuts tend to get kind of sour when soaked and blended
I love love love raw dessert bites! Lately, I made some with almond meal, honey, choco chips, coconut butter and shredded coconut – Heaven!!
Thank you for this recipe!
Ermagerd. These looks absolutely amazing!! I have only ever tried banana soft-serve on my own (which ACTUALLY tastes like ice cream. So cool) but these look pretty darn awesome…I might have to venture into the raw dessert side of things more often!
Cashews will always be my favourite nut…and considering that I tend to prefer the raw dough to the baked brownie, I think I’ll have to give these a shot!
I’ve tried raw desserts but only purchased. It’s so cold in New England all the time, it’s hard to go raw.
HOLY YUM!! These look ABSOLUTELY amazing… I am trying these this weekend & cannot wait! A holiday weekend deserves a yummy treat like this =) THANKYOU!!!
Dessert tonight! I have everything to make these.
These look amazing! I’m a sucker for anything dark chocolate. Maybe I can even get the hubs on board! 😉
-Lauren
I’ve never made any raw desserts, but I think this could be my first. I recognize all the ingredients and it looks pretty easy…and delicious, of course!
These look amazing! I also have battlewounds from making food. A scar on my left hand from slicing an avocado…(who does that?) and a faded burn mark from the oven.
Omg yum! Thanks for the recipe, this looks fabulous!
Wow, these look super amazing. I am salivating.
I love no-bake recipes. I will definitely try the recipe this weekend.
The cayenne sounds like a divine addition.
These look so rich and delicious! I just experimented a few days ago with raw energy bars, so raw desserts should be next on the list!
These look so good! I wish I wasn’t allergic to nuts though because it seems like the majority of raw deserts are made with nuts. 😛 Are there any nut-free ways I can make the creamy cashew base for this recipe?
i suggested a mix of avocado and banana. you’ll probably taste the banana a little, but it would have about the same texture
Who knew there was such thing as raw culinary school?! I’m impressed, and intrigued.
Ok, pinning this recipe for sure. I’ve never had a bad experience with a raw dessert, and these sounds fantastic.
YUM! These look so tasty! Do you ever see yourself going raw or fully vegan again?
i don’t. i loved the recipes, but my body is more energized with some animal protein in there
These sound delicious. I knew I bought a wee bit more cashews this week for a reason ;).
I love anything with soaked cashews — so creamy! These sound delish.
I have been loving on all things raw this summer, I think it’s a heat thing. This post inspired me to experiment with some raw desserts this week! I’m thinking a tart is in order… I also definitely got caught up reading some of your old posts, love all the raw deliciousness!
Great, this look like a luxurious dessert and not something raw and healthy 😉 I’d love to have some send over… yum.
these look delicious! thanks for sharing 🙂
all i have to say is… YUM 🙂
These look so good. Do you think you could cheat and use cashew butter?
I made these tonight…how long do you usually refrigerate before you roll them? After 2 hours mine are still wayyy too soft to roll. Not that I’m opposed to eating it by the spoonful if I need to. 😉
did they ever firm up for you? try the freezer for a little while, or at the “worst,” spoon some into a bowl and eat it like a pudding/mousse 😉
Hi Gina!! They look super yummy!!! I want to try it asap!!
http://definingayesha.blogspot.com/
Hello!
I have never used soaked cashews in a recipe before. Are we essentially making cashew butter by soaking them and then blending them? Could I instead use a nut butter that is already made?Thanks!
What can I substitute for coconut oil??
Try applesauce 🙂
mmmmm, these look so tasty, like little truffles! Raw desserts are my favourite kind of sweet 🙂
I love carob too but don’t use it enough so I’m especially grateful for this recipe.
These look like such a wonderful and quick snack. I love how versatile cashews are, and the chocolate doesn’t hurt, either!
Hi Gina! I love your blog and can’t wait to try this recipe. I like that a lot of the recipes you post are quick and easy with ingredients I likely already have in my kitchen. I was wondering what app or program you used to make your printable recipe cards? Thanks!
it’s called recipe card 🙂
Like I said, thank you for not using dates! My goodness, finally a brownie bite recipe that does not rely on those awful things, hahahaha. Ok, I’m kidding, but seriously they ALL seem to use them in those raw brownie recipes. Except for myself, I always use syrup in my raw brownies and desserts too, but sometimes like to try other recipes, but never can since everybody always use dates….well, NOW I CAN! haha! Can’t wait to try them!