You know when you bite into a super fudgey brownie, and it has that almost raw, chocolate, gooey inside that is to die for? That is exactly what this tastes like. Except instead of being made of flour, eggs, and butter, it’s made of almonds and cocoa powder (and sure a bit of sugar or agave) but it’s still only 100 calories per serving! Ok, ok, 101 calories, geesh.
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You can use this as a spread on toast, dip slices of fruit into it, dollop onto vegan ice-cream, or eat it like I do, right off of the spoon. Hello perfect sweet treat pick me up!
When I started to make this, I thought it was going to turn out similar to Nutella, just almonds instead of hazelnuts. When I was finished, the texture turned out so much more like brownie goo (the official name), you would think there is flour in there. Hello healthy batter.
You start by making almond butter, so if you just want almond butter, then you can follow this recipe up to step two. Then all you do is add some cocoa, spices, and a sweetener and this magic brownie goo is waiting for you! (Rhyming is cool.. cause you rule..er).
We interrupt this blogcast for a brief moment from nice people…
Can we all just take a moment and appreciate the adorableness of these purses? You have heard me speak of them before, Pixie Mood (my favourite purse company) was so kind as to send me these bags. I can’t tell you how much I love them. They are beeeautiful. I have been marching around the house with them checking them out at every angle. Pixie Mood is 100% vegan PETA approved purse company based in Toronto (my home town). The one on the left is a cork purse, with a black sparkly trim. The one on the right is vegan leather with a woven chevron detail on the front and on the inside of the purse flap. Both purses have their signature purple lining. Too cute. A big thank you to Chloe from Pixie Mood for sending these my way! Check out the full line of purses or get your own by clicking here.
Back to the goo. To make said brownie goo (officially named Chocolate Almond Brownie Butter), start by freshly roasting some almonds. You can buy almonds that are already roasted, but I highly recommend roasting them fresh, as the flavour is just so much better. Then you just toss them in a food processor and…
Magic! They will grind to a powder, then that powder will start to thicken, then it will start to ball up, then it will relax and look like almond butter, but you aren’t done yet. Keep blending until the oils are released and the almond butter becomes shiny. Ahhhhh that’s more like it. This process can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes so be patient, it will eventually get there. Now add the cocoa powder, spices and welcome to Chocolate Almond Brownie Butter bliss.
- 2 Cups Raw Almonds*
- 4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar (or more to taste)**
- ½ to ¾ Cup Water (or maybe even more)
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C).
- Spread the almonds out on a baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes untril fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. Let the almonds cool. It's ok if they are still warm when you process them, but if they are too hot they can damage your food processor. (I learned this this hard way).
- When the almonds are cooled add them to the food processor and start grinding. Keep blending! They will grind to a powder, then that powder will start to thicken, then it will start to ball up, then it will relax and look like almond butter, but you aren't done yet! Keep blending until the oils are released and it becomes shiny. Congrats, you just made almond butter! This process can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes so be patient! It will eventually get there.
- Now add the cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and ½ cup of water. Blend to incorporate. Add 2 tablespoons more water at a time until the desired consistency is reached. I found that 4 more tablespoons was perfect for me. You just don't want to add too much right away, because you can't take it back, so better to go slow here.
- Use as a dip or spread for fruit, on toast, on top of vegan ice-cream, or the way I like it, eat it right off the spoon.
**You can alternatively use 3 to 4 tablespoons of maple syrup or agave instead of the powdered sugar. If you use a liquid sweetened, start with ¼ cup of water (instead of ½ a cup) and add two more tablespoons of water at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Featured Ingredient: Almonds, 31 Days 24 Recipes to go!
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Hey gotta tell ya, PETA is no friend to animals. Please look at Nathan Winograd’s page on Face Book. PETA systematically euthanizes animals that could be rescued. There is even evidence of them euthanizing people’s family pets. I’m sorry to alarm you, but ‘PETA approved’ is not necessarily a tag you want on your site.
PETA isn’t all good, but I also don’t think PETA is all bad. If nothing else, they have influenced many to go vegan or vegetarian, and that is huge in my books!
2 things… This looks amazing, I’m definitely going to try it. And I love the name of your blog site.
Haha! Thank you Mary! Twice!
Those bags are too cute! I love the white cork bag on their website. Perfect for summer.
This is such an easy and great way to get a taste of something chocolaty without overdoing it. Love it!
I know, aren’t they the cutest? Love Pixie Mood.
I agree, it feels like such an indulgence but really isn’t all that bad for you! So happy you love it Linda 😀
Awesome ! I ran out of chocolate bars so this is just what I need these days 🙂 Thank you !
Haha you’re very welcome Nathalie. Enjoy!!