No-Bake Brownies

How about a Vegan Brownie recipe that is gluten-free, oil/butter-free, sugar-free, flourless, egg-free, baking soda/powder-free and is made without an oven or even a gas stove? Yes, it’s a fireless recipe

And if you are thinking that it is made with biscuits then let me tell you that it’s a very rich brownie and neither biscuits nor condensed milk is used in this recipe.

What is A No-Bake Brownie?

When I say No-bake brownie, it means that it is a fireless recipe. It is not baked hence made with ingredients that can be eaten raw. The ingredients used in a raw cake are very different from the ones used in a regular cake.

This brownie is a healthy bite and can be had by anyone and everyone. I have made Sinful Chocolate Brownies, then made Ragi Brownies, the healthier version by using millet, and now comes the healthiest of all. And tastewise, all are excellent.

This no-bake brownie is very rich, healthy, and dense too as this is nothing but almonds sweetened with maple syrup or honey and flavored with cocoa powder.

It is totally a new concept for me. Till one month back, I had no clue as to any such thing. Then suddenly, at the very beginning of June only, my sister-in-law shared her birthday cake picture. The cake looked pretty good and was difficult to believe when she said that it was a Raw Cake.

A Raw cake which was made without lighting any kind of fire, be it a gas stove or oven or microwave or any other such appliance. I liked the cake and the concept.

Thereafter, having guidance from her and from numerous sites on the internet, I too made it but made it in brownie style. And I made it not just once or twice but 4 times in a row just to perfect my recipe.

When I tried it for the very first time, then it was very gooey and sticky. It was more like a dough rather than cake. But the taste was excellent which prompted me to try it again. Then the second time, it was much better but too much gooey. And the third time it was perfect.

What was making it so gooey? Actually, it was the number of dates. Even slightly more dates make it gooey.

For this cake cum brownie, I followed the recipe from here but tweaked it to suit my requirements and availability of ingredients. I used the ingredients according to my own estimates only. One major change I have done is to use almond meal instead of almond flour. I used almond meal as it was comparatively easier to make and I could do that in a jiffy. Making almond flour too is easy but it does require some planning. Interested in knowing how does almond meal differs from almond flour? 

After having a look at the ingredients you might say that it is the same as that of Energy Bar. At least, that’s what I thought. But the end result is totally different. So, my say is that try it at least once before jumping to any conclusions.

How To Make

As the name suggests, this brownie is a no-bake, no-cook recipe. All the ingredients are mixed, put in a bowl, and then set in the freezer for a couple of hours. To take the brownie out of the pan, it’s better to simply line your pan with parchment paper. And the best thing is that you can use any pan, be it steel or glass or aluminum. Also, the size of the pan is not an issue. Use any pan, you feel comfortable with.

Once the brownie is set, you may top it up with chocolate icing or simply drizzle desiccated coconut or nuts or fresh fruits. For the icing, I made chocolate ganache using ganache and coconut milk.

Forgiving recipe

Since this cake is put up in the food processor, this is a very forgiving recipe. You may add ingredients if it is too loose or too tight. Similarly, after setting,  if you are not satisfied then disintegrate it, blitz it in the processor and then set again. Rest assured, nothing can go wrong in this recipe and nothing will be wasted.

Serving Suggestions

It is ideal to have at breakfast or after a workout. of course, as its a guilt-free sweet you can have it any time of the day.

Tips That will Help you Get Perfect Results

1. Always line the pan with parchment paper so that you can easily remove it out of the pan.
2. Always use PULSE mode in your mixer for making the almond meal.
3. Once the brownie-mix is put in the pan, keep the pan in the freezer for a couple of hours so that it sets nicely.
4. When mixing the ingredients in the food processor, then the mix should come together like a ball. If it is too moist then add almond meal to it. if too dry and doesn’t come together even pressed in your fist, then add more honey or dates.
5. Do not run the processor for too long, else almonds will release oil and your brownie will be oily (saying this out of experience :)-
6. Once processed, try to press it in the pan evenly. For pressing, you may use a potato masher or simply put a piece of parchment paper and press with it for a smooth top.

Related Recipes:

• Ragi Brownies
• Sinful Chocolate  Walnut Brownies
• Homemade Brownie Mix
• Difference Between Brownie And Chocolate Cake

Other Fireless recipes can be checked here.

Step By Step Recipe 

A. Prepare the Pan

• Take any pan of your choice, be it square or rectangle and of any material. I used a 5” rectangle glass bowl for this much quantity.
• Grease it lightly.
• Take parchment paper and lay it inside the pan in such a way that not only it covers the pan but also hangs outside. As we will be using this extra parchment paper only to remove or lift the brownie from the pan.
• keep it aside

B. Make Almond Meal

• Put around 100 g almonds in the bowl of the food processor and powder them using the PULSE function. It takes 2 minutes and you will have to do it multiple times to get a fine powder. In between, you may sift the mix and then continue processing the bigger particles. Repeat the same with the rest of the almonds. In all. you need 3 cups of almond meal. For a detailed method of how to make Almond Meal click here.

Tip: Almond meal stays good for up to a week in the refrigerator. So, make it some time prior to ease the process of making brownie.

C. Soak Dates

• Soak pitted dates in a bowl of water for 2 to 3 hours.

• Put the soaked dates in the strainer.

• Squeeze these between your hands as to get rid of excess water in them.

D. Make Brownie

• in the food processor bowl, add almond meal, soaked and squeezed dates, maple syrup (or honey), cocoa powder, lemon juice and salt.

• Blitz it till the mix comes together like a ball. It is done in just 15 to 20 seconds only. Still, if it doesn’t then do not run the processor for more than 30 to 40 seconds at a time else the almonds will release oil.
• Once it gathers into a ball, you may add few chopped almonds too if wish to.

• If the mix is too wet, then add little more almond meal.
• Put all the mix in the prepared pan and press it evenly using a potato masher or press it with a piece of parchment paper.

• Keep it in the freezer for an hour.
• in the meantime, prepare the icing.

E. For Icing

• In a bowl, mix chocolate and coconut milk and micro it for 30 to 40 seconds.
• Add, coconut oil. Mix everything and your icing is ready.

• Take out the pan from the freezer.
• Holding the parchment paper, remove the brownie from the pan.

• Take off the parchment paper.
• Top it with ganache.
• Decorate with nuts etc.
• Again keep it on the freezer so that the icing sets nicely.

• Your No-Bake Brownie is ready.
• Serve it with love, cold coffee optional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q) Can I skip maple syrup or honey totally by increasing the number of dates?

Too much dates make the brownie gooey, as mentioned above also. So, do not overdo dates.

Q) Can I use readymade almond flour instead of making an almond meal at home?

Yes, of course, you can!

Let’s Connect!

I hope you have liked this recipe for Raw Chocolate Cake and will surely try it out for your loved ones.

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