Chewy Chocolate Vegan Date Brownies

July 14, 2010 { }

I’ve been baking all day, Monday through Friday, and whenever I can on the weekends. How many times should I make Blueberry Crumble Bars or Quinoa Carob Chip Cookies for a cookbook? Until I get them just right.

The recipe for a cookbook seems to be 3 parts cooking and 1 part writing, with lots of thinking in between. That’s the one very big singular thing that’s been going on lately.

And, then, once in a while I sneak in a different recipe just for fun. I know – most people would take a break from baking. Not me.

The Forgotten Recipe Brownies

I have a sort of obsession with brownies. About four months ago I made the perfect brownie. It was late. I was tired. And, in my fogginess I thought I’d write the recipe down later.

It’s not an unusual thing for me to do. Most of the time, I note changes as I go but quite often I get in a groove and don’t bother to stop until the food is in the oven.

Well, when the time came to write down what I did I couldn’t remember. A total blank.

I’ve tried relentlessly to recreate my perfect brownies. These are quite different from the Forgotten Recipe Brownies but they’re still darn good. And I made sure to write it down.

Out of the Oven

When I took them out of the oven I thought there was no way in the world they’d taste good. They just looked ‘wrong.’ But, after they cooled and sat for an hour to so I was taken by their earthy, slightly sticky, chewy texture.

Eat these for a snack, dessert, or even breakfast – they’re sweetened with nutrient dense dates and they’re fat free. I didn’t try to leave out the fat. It just happened.

What to do with leftovers? If you have any, layer these chocolaty treats with wax paper, wrap them up, and pop them in the freezer. No need to defrost – they freeze just solid enough so you can still bite into them.

Some other brownies recipes you might like…

Fudgey Teff Brownies from Gluten-Free in SLC
Avocado & Black Bean Brownies from Cara’s Cravings
Triple Chocolate Fudgey Brownies from Flour Arrangements
Egg Free, Grain Free Vegan Brownies from The Spunky Coconut

Do you have a favorite brownies recipe? Tell me about it.

Print friendly recipe
Chewy Chocolate Vegan Date Brownies
makes 16 brownies

1 cup (175 g) pitted medjool dates
¾ cup hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant decaf coffee
½ cup cocoa powder
½ cup (57 g) garbanzo-garfava flour mix
¼ cup palm sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray.

Put pitted dates, hot water, vanilla, and instant decaf coffee in a heat proof bowl. Let sit while you measure the remaining ingredients. Sift cocoa powder into a bowl to remove any lumps. Add gluten-free flour mix, palm sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt. Whisk to combine.

Place dates and soaking water into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth, scraping down as necessary. Add flour mixture to dates and process until smooth. Batter will be thick.

Turn into prepared pan, scraping as much batter as possible from bowl. Smooth top with a spatula and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until brownies are set. A toothpick won’t come out completely clean for these brownies. Let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

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Comments

27 Responses to “Chewy Chocolate Vegan Date Brownies”

Kim @ Cook IT Allergy Free
July 14th, 2010 @ 11:34 pm

Amy, these look awesome! I use medjool dates in a lot of my baking! I have always loved the sweetness that they lend. I also use it as a sweetener and “binder” for my granola that I make. These look like they would be gone in a flash in my house. Heidi (Adventures of a GF Mom) and her family will be making a stopover in Scottsdale next week, on their way to CA. Maybe I will serve these up for her GF crew!

[Reply]
Chava
July 15th, 2010 @ 6:24 am

I have a question – is it possible to replace the xanthan gum with an egg or two? In this recipe, and in general baking? I’m having a hard time finding it where I live.. Thanks! They look wonderful and I can’t wait to try these out!

[Reply]
Erin Elberson
July 15th, 2010 @ 9:27 am

Amy these sound fantastic!
As part of my competition preparation I have days where I eat very high carb and low fat-these would be perfect for a refeed day!
Thanks and can’t wait to give them a shot!

[Reply]
Cara
July 15th, 2010 @ 11:42 am

Thanks for the link love, dear! And should you have any slightly-less-than-perfect quinoa carob chip cookies, I’d gladly help you get rid of those. No one should have to carry that burden alone

I’m really intrigued with the idea of baking with dates now. And I have a whole lot to use up, actually! Thank you BJ’s wholesale club!

[Reply]
gfe--gluten free easily
July 15th, 2010 @ 11:44 am

This is exactly the way I expected these brownies to look from the title alone–fabulous! It’s wonderful to follow allow with your cookbook progress, Amy. And, I can totally relate on thinking I’d remember a recipe or thinking I’d written it down. I’ve made lots of iterations AFTER I thought I had that key data captured.

Shirley

[Reply]
Alisa
July 15th, 2010 @ 11:53 am

I do that all the time. There are so many wonderful things I have made, but I ‘plan’ on writing it down, but when the time comes, all is forgotten.

Love that these use dates! Brownies are great, as they are so forgiving for gluten-free. I swapped brown rice flour for all of the flour in a favorite old brownie recipe and everyone loved them – no one could tell the difference. I guess that cocoa masks all!

[Reply]
jessica
July 15th, 2010 @ 12:32 pm

These look so rich and heavenly!!! I love the combination of dates and chocolate. Brownies are so delicious. I like to top mine off with yogurt or ice cream! PS- saw your book on overstock.com for pre-order. It looks great! Once again- congrats

[Reply]
Renee
July 15th, 2010 @ 1:41 pm

These sound wonderful! I love ddates and cocoa. I make a date ball with cocoa and nut butter and they are wonderful. I might have to try these sometime soon!

[Reply]
Ricki
July 15th, 2010 @ 3:01 pm

If not for the dates, I could eat these this evening. Patience is over-rated!!

[Reply]
Lexie
July 15th, 2010 @ 7:12 pm

Oh, goody, goody, another great brownie! This one looks divine and can legally be eaten in this allergy household. Thanks!!

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Maggie Savage
July 15th, 2010 @ 7:36 pm

Yum! I am so making brownies this weekend. How can I not after looking at yours and all of the links you provided! I can even make these since they totally fit our bill!

[Reply]
Aubree Cherie
July 15th, 2010 @ 8:21 pm

“Helloooo gorgeous!”

At least, that was the first thing that came to mind when I read the title and saw the photo Can’t WAIT to try these! Yuuuuum

~Aubree Cherie

[Reply]
cindy
July 16th, 2010 @ 1:07 am

I love that these are made with dates and just a little palm sugar. I’m wondering if date sugar would also work…

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
@cindy, I’m sure it would work just fine – or leave the palm sugar out all together. The dates are pretty sweet.

[Reply]
carrie @ gingerlemongirl.com
July 16th, 2010 @ 9:04 am

These look SO good Amy! I love things made with dates and chickpeas! YUM! I might just have to try these this weekend! Great picture!!

[Reply]
Michelle
July 16th, 2010 @ 1:22 pm

What kind of palm sugar do you use? Also – could I just use garbanzo bean flour or do you think the mix is needed?

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
@Michelle, I use either Sweet Tree or the brand iHerb.com carries – the links are on my resource page. Yes, use garbanzo bean flour – can’t see why they wouldn’t be just as delicious.

[Reply]
Barbara @moderncomfortfood
July 17th, 2010 @ 10:35 am

There’s everything to love here. My favorite cake in the world combines dates with chocolate, a magical taste duo, and I can well imagine it being even better in brownies. All day baking in the middle of summer? Here’s wishing you a bit of a break this weekend.

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
@Barbara @moderncomfortfood, Thansk! Yes, I did take a break – we worked in the yard and did some things around the house. It was a nice change from baking and it replenished my creative stores.

[Reply]
Alta
July 17th, 2010 @ 2:30 pm

I am a brownie fiend, and I love the idea of these! Definitely going to try.

[Reply]
Alex@A Moderate Life
July 17th, 2010 @ 3:04 pm

Hey Ames! I love this recipe, but all your recipes rock and it is one of the reasons why I gave you a versatile blogger award which you can pick up at my site http://amoderatelife.com/?p=344 you have shown me that GFSF can be liberating instead of restrictive! Yah!

[Reply]
marla {family fresh cooking}
July 18th, 2010 @ 8:45 am

Your brownies sound wonderful. Love the addition of garbanzo flour and the dates to sweeten. I am on a no refined sugar meal plan…so these would work out great! xo

[Reply]
megan
July 18th, 2010 @ 11:58 am

I can imagine these are terrific! I love dates.

[Reply]
Julie Lynn
July 18th, 2010 @ 10:07 pm

Amy, those brownies look fantastic! I can just see my Wubba with a plate of those. He’d be in heaven.

[Reply]
Kelly
July 19th, 2010 @ 12:59 pm

I’ve been craving a brownie recipe lately, and these sound like just the ticket. Thanks for sharing!

[Reply]
Christianne
July 21st, 2010 @ 12:55 pm

These look scrumptious! Is there any substitute for the sweet rice flour. I have pamela’s and Bob’s all purpose gf flour as well as teff.

[Reply]
Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen
July 21st, 2010 @ 4:08 pm

These look really great Amy! I am always on the lookout for a good brownie. I love using date sugar to sweeten some desserts, so actual dates are great for brownies because of the moistness! What a genius idea!

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