These Toasted Walnut + Hemp Seed Brownie Bites are my new favorite dessert, snack, healthy obsession. They are like a brownie meets fudge ~ chocolatey, rich, delicious. And the best part is they are easy to make and are even no-bake!
If you do any baking or “energy ball” making, you likely have most of these ingredients in your kitchen. The recipe is mostly dates, nuts, seeds and some chocolate. Did someone say chocolate? Holla!
And if you have a food processor you’ll be enjoying these treats in no time, because the entire recipe is made in one. Then you just put them in a dish to firm in the freezer and, voila!
Here are the main ingredients for this recipe:
- medjool dates
- hemp seeds
- walnuts
- cashews
- cacao
- dark chocolate
- nut butter of choice (hello, peanut butter!)
Plus a few other things you have on hand ~ a pinch of salt for each layer, a pinch of cinnamon, and vanilla extract (which is optional).
These are the perfect healthy dessert or snack
And here is the technique in a nutshell (no pun intended):
- blend nuts, dates & seeds for the crust
- press into a dish and freeze to firm
- blend more nuts & dates, plus nut butter of choice, cacao & chocolate for the brownie layer
- add brownie layer to crust and freeze to firm
- cut into squares, sprinkle toppings and bliss out
The hardest part is waiting the hour or so for the layers to firm up in the freezer. But these are worth the wait, promise!
Walnuts, hemp seeds + dates form the crust
First step: make the crust (bottom) layer…
This layer is dates, walnuts and hemp seeds, blended in a small food processor. For the food processor I like the Cuisinart mini, which gets the job done for small scale recipes like this one.
Once the “dough” for the crust comes together I press it into a parchment paper lined OXO glass container, which measures about 8” x 5”. Or you could divide the crust among several paper-lined muffin tins. You can also use a standard loaf pan.
Freeze this layer about 30 minutes to firm. Then on to the next step.
The brownie layer is also made in the food processor
Second step: make brownie layer…
This layer has more dates & nuts, nut butter of choice, melted dark chocolate and cacao. For the dark chocolate my go-to is Theo 70%, and for the cacao I like Navitas cacao.
Adding flake salt to the nuts + seeds makes for sweet & salty
And last but not least, the topping…
The topping is just extra walnuts, hemp seeds and some flake salt. But if you want to mix it up with the toppings I offer variations below, such as nibs or coconut.
These get added just before serving, after the crust and brownie layers have firmed up.
And speaking of serving, I like to enjoy my brownie bites at room temp. But these also make a great chilled treat if that’s more your jam.
They also keep a week or longer in the fridge, so store them there in an airtight container. Bonus ~ the glass container I use as a mold doubles as the storage container for these brownie bites.
Like most of my recipes, I like to offer substitutions or recipe variation ideas.
Enjoy these brownies chilled or at room temperature
Here are some variations you can try:
- flax or sesame seeds vs hemp
- pecans, sliced almonds or hazelnuts vs walnuts
- almond, cashew or sunflower seed butter in place of peanut
- dark chocolate shavings, cacao nibs or toasted coconut on top
However you decide to make this recipe, if you do let me know. Comment below or tag me on Instagram so I can see your recipe magic!
Love chocolate? Don’t miss these…
Dark Chocolate Avocado Mousse (vegan, GF)
Everything Cookies (vegan, GF)
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Passive Time | 60 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 5 each medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked and drained
- 4 each medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 4 tbsp cacao
- 4 tbsp nut butter of choice
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract optional
- 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate melted and cooled
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ceylon cinnamon optional
- 4 tbsp unsweet almond milk or as needed
- 1 tbsp toasted crushed walnuts
- 1 tsp hemp seeds
- 1 generous pinch flaky sea salt such as Maldon
Ingredients
Crust ingredients
Brownie layer ingredients
Topping ingredients (optional)
|
|
- make crust: in a small food processor pulse walnuts a few times to break into tiny pieces, then add remaining ingredients and blend until a sticky dough forms, stopping as needed to scrape down sides
- press dough into a parchment lined dish (around 8” x 5”), then freeze for 30 minutes or until firm
- make brownie layer: in the same food processor pulse cashews a few times to break into tiny pieces, then add remaining ingredients and almond milk 1 tablespoon at at time until a sticky dough forms, stopping as needed to scrape down sides (you may need less or more of the 4 tbsp almond milk)
- press brownie layer firmly onto crust, flattening with hands to make even, then return to freezer until firm, about 30 - 60 minutes
- remove brownies from dish and cut into 8 or 12 even squares, depending on the size “bite” you like, then sprinkle brownies with toppings to serve; I like mine at room temp but you can serve them cold
Brownies are best enjoyed at room temp but can also be enjoyed chilled
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com