Salted Cashew Dark Chocolate Brownies [Date Sweetened + Whole Wheat]

These brownies are:

whole wheat

date-sweetened

dense + fudgy

made entirely in a food processor

topped with cashews and sea salt

 & utterly delicious.

Let’s make them! 

A thick, sticky batter gets blended together right in the food processor and scraped into an 8-inch square pan.

Generous handfuls of chopped dark chocolate and cashews go on top to get golden and toasty in the oven.

After a quick trip in the oven, flaky sea salt gets sprinkled on top, and then you can dig right in! 

Earlier this year I made a batch of chocolate hazelnut brownies with a CBD-infused ganache on top that I declared so utterly so perfect in every way that I wasn’t even going to attempt to create another brownie recipe for the remainder of the year.  

And I wasn’t planning to, until now. 

See, Kevin has a serious love for chocolate covered cashews and I have a unusual obsession with making packaged products at home, so we’ve been stocking up on raw cashews and roasting, salting, and chocolate-dipping them ourselves for a fun project every month or so. I’m usually more of a chocolate covered almond person, to be honest, but after making (and eating) dozens of chocolate dipped cashews, I couldn’t get the idea of salty cashews on top of brownies out of my head. 

So, here we are. 

I based this brownie recipe off these date-sweetened cookies, which I suspected would make killer brownies from the moment I made them. I did absolutely nothing different besides eliminating the cinnamon and adding cashews, chocolate chunks, and sea salt on top. And yet, they somehow transformed into the dense, fudgy, dark chocolate brownies of my dreams. 

I think you’re going to LOVE these brownies! If you make this recipe, let me know what you think Leave comment below, or take a picture of your brownies and share it with me on Instagram so I can see how they turned out!

P.S. Next week is THANKSGIVING WEEK here on Baked Greens! I’ll be sharing a brand new recipe every single day of the week, culminating with a huge round-up of Thanksgiving recipes on Monday 11/19, so keep your eyes out if you’re in the market for some Thanksgiving inspiration! 

Salted Cashew Dark Chocolate Brownies [Date Sweetened + Whole Wheat]

2018-11-09 08:53:05

Yields 9

These brownies are date sweetened, whole wheat, dense and fudgy, ultra chocolatey, and made entirely in a food processor in under 30 minutes! Topped with chunks of dark chocolate, cashews, and flaky sea salt for the perfect salty-sweet brownie.

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Total Time

30 min

Total Time

30 min

Ingredients

1. 1 cup medjool dates, pitted (about 8-10 large)*
2. 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, at soft room temperature**
3. 1 large egg
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour***
6. 1/4 cup cocoa powder
7. 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
8. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
9. 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
10. 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
11. 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
12. a few pinches of flaky sea salt, for topping

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper or grease with coconut oil or olive oil spray.
2. 2. Put dates and coconut oil into the bowl of a food processor and puree until fully combined, with no chunks of dates remaining. Add egg and vanilla, and process again to fully combine the egg with the date mixture. Finally, add all dry ingredients and pulse just to combine.
3. 3. Remove the blade from the food processor and use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading to form an even layer. Sprinkle with chocolate chunks and cashews, and use your fingers to gently press them down into the batter.
4. 4. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until cashews are golden and brownies are just barely cooked through.
5. 6. Sprinkle brownies with flaky sea salt, then let cool completely before cutting and serving. Leftover brownies keep at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5. Since they're made with dates, these will spoil more quickly than traditional brownies, so I recommend storing in the fridge.

Notes

1. *Be sure you're choosing dates that are large, plump, and sticky. I always buy Medjool dates in bulk on Amazon (link in blog post) or find them in smaller containers in the produce section of every grocery store. Drier dates like Deglet Noor do not work here.
2. **If your coconut oil is solid/hard at room temperature, either run the sealed jar under hot tap water for a minute or two to soften it up, or pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds.
3. ***White whole wheat flour has the same nutrition profile as regular whole wheat, but a much more mild flavor and texture. If you can't find it (Trader Joe's sells it, and I can usually find King Arthur Flour White Whole Wheat at every grocery store) opt for Whole Wheat Pastry instead or a 50-50 blend of all purpose and whole wheat. Oat flour or a gluten free all-purpose blend would both work well here, too, if you'd like these to be GF.
4. To make this recipe without a food processor: First, soften the dates by microwaving them in a bowl for 30 seconds. Then add them to a mixing bowl and use a fork or a potato masher to fully mash them until there are no chunks remaining. Add the coconut oil and mash it into the dates with the fork, then add the egg and switch to a whisk, whisking vigorously until the three are combined. This will take a while, but eventually it will form a homogenous mixture. Finally, add in all dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Top with cashews and chocolate, and bake as directed above.

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