Raw Caramel and Fudge Brownies

Yes, hi... I'm sorry, I'm that lady next door. You know, the one that uses her food processor at 10 pm at night to make raw desserts? The one that wakes you up every morning with the sound of a Vitamix blender? The one that you see with bags of greens and always you wonder how a person can eat all that in a week? Oh, and yes, the one that takes all those weird pictures of food on her porch? Yep, it's me. My apologies.

If you could only know what I am over here making then I'm sure the processor wouldn't bother you. In fact, feel free to stop on by sometime for a raw brownie. I plan to have a lot more of these hanging around nowadays. :)

These brownies are very rich so a small portion is more than enough for dessert. If you know that you can't be trusted to have these sitting around the house, make a plan for dinner guests or, better yet, give them away to your neighbors. With these, you are bound to make some new friends.

The fudge layer was inspired by a recipe for chocolate oil in Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis. If you haven't seen this book, I highly recommend it. The recipes come from her restaurant, Pure Food and Wine, in New York. This book is one of my favorites because it is filled with full-page colorful photos. I guarantee it will inspire you to make some raw food of your own. (Especially some dessert!)


Serves 4.

Caramel:
1 cup pitted soft dates
1 cup cashews, soaked (for about an hour)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Fudge:
2 Tbs coconut butter/oil
1 heaping Tbs raw cocoa powder (carob may be used instead)
1 Tbs raw agave syrup
4 pitted soft dates
Pinch of sea salt

Chopped walnuts (optional)

Add the dates, cashews, and vanilla extract to a food processor. Using the S blade, process until smooth. You will need a small glass bakeware pan. Add the caramel mixture to the pan and make a flat layer about 1/2 inch thick.

Next, add the coconut butter/oil, cocoa powder, agave, dates, and salt to the food processor. Process until smooth. Add this on top of the caramel and make a flat layer. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts (if using) over the top. Put in the fridge for several hours to firm up. Remove from fridge and slice into squares just before serving. (If they are sitting out and start to soften up, just place them back in the fridge.) These can be stored in the fridge for several days.