Happy Birthday to me! There is no better way to celebrate it than with this post: a delicious chocolaty (raw) brownie. Yes, you read that right. And before you close your browser, or move on to the next, read carefully. This is truly delicious, moist cake, for which you do not need to turn the oven on for. All you need is five basic ingredients, a trusty blender, and an hour for cooling. This effortless recipe leads to a magical combination of sweet, dense, chocolate flavor, without the guilt. When have you ever read ‘brownie’ and ‘guilt free’ together in a sentence?

It is still January, so you might as well stick to your resolutions, right?

This recipe is adapted from Sarah B. amazing My New Roots. Even though I have been following her for a while, I had never tried her recipes. She is amazingly inventive, and focused. Though mostly raw and vegan, her photographs are beautifully crafted.

Even though I am good about eating healthy, I try to be allowing enough to enjoy buttercream once a blue moon. Nevertheless, I have been dying to try this recipe, but have not gotten to it since recently. In a new kitchen, without my trusty kitchen aid, or a reliable oven (crazy, I know!) I resorted to this recipe for chocolaty birthday comfort.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did; otherwise I would not post about it!

The Raw Brownie

Adapted from My New Roots

• 2 cups whole walnuts
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• 2 ½ cups Medjool Dates (pitted)
• 1 cup unsalted roasted almonds (roughly chopped)

In a food processor, chop walnuts until finely ground. Add sea salt, cocoa powder, and cinnamon; mix until well incorporated. Add one date at a time, until they are all mixed in. Pour into a blow and add chopped almonds. Transfer into a baking dish, I used a bread pan, and press until compact. Cover with cling wrap or wax paper, and refrigerate for two to three hours. You can also put in freezer for half an hour and transfer to refrigerator. Take out, cut into squares and devour. Keep in refrigerator in a lightly sealed container.