These dense, fudgey, over the top chocolaty brownies have been specifically designed to convince even the most die hard dessert lovers that raw treats can be just as indulgent and decadent as the standard sugar laden, over processed, nutritionally void fare we all munch on.

These brownies have two epically delicious layers. The bottom layer is dense and chewy, just like real brownies. I can’t believe how just a few simple and healthy ingredients like cashews and dates can transform into such a gorgeous dessert dish. The top layer is pure silky chocolate heaven, lighter and smoother than any other frosting I’ve ever made. No one would ever guess it is made from avocados!

Ingredients

Base
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup chopped medjool dates
- 3 Tbsp agave nectar
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- pinch of nutmeg

- Blend the nuts as much as possible in your food processor, then add the other ingredients and blend until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of a pie dish or a pan. I like to make the brownies about an inch thick.

Frosting (I would double this recipe if I were you – the more frosting the better! But I only had one avocado on hand so this is exactly what I did.)
- 1 avocado
- 2 Tbsp agave nectar
- 1 Tbsp cocoa
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt and cinnamon

- Blend everything up in a blender or food processor until thick and creamy. Spread onto brownie base and pop into the fridge for a few hours to set up. Enjoy!

I wanted to title this post A Tale of Two Balls but I suppressed my inner 13 year old, aren’t you glad?

I love dessert and I definitely have a sweet tooth, my favorite treat is chocolate! I go through bricks of that stuff a day just to satisfy my cravings. Unfortunately I’m also really sensitive to refined sugar and caffeine and eating massive doses of chocolate can leave me a bit jittery. So lately I have been expanding my culinary horizons and enjoying raw desserts galore, like these epically awesome raw balls.

The chocolate peanut butter balls are my all time favorite raw balls EVER. They are lighter and less dense than most raw desserts I’ve tried and they are absolutely packed with intense chocolatey peanut butter flavor. Melt in your mouth delicious and much softer and creamier than the average piece of chocolate.

The pumpkin pie balls are perfect for this time of year. They are so soft and creamy, just like a bite of pumpkin pie and I made sure to fill them with all the traditional spices.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Raw Balls

1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup oats
6 medjool dates (if they aren’t medjool increase the amount of agave)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp cocoa powder

- Blend the cashews, walnuts, and oats into an almost fine powder in a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine totally until it is a moist and crumbly. Pack into balls with your hands and eat right away or store in the fridge to eat later.

Pumpkin Pie Balls

1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup walnuts
3/4 cup oats
5 medjool dates
4 Tbsp pumpkin puree
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of cloves
2 Tbsp agave nectar

- Blend the cashews, walnuts, and oats up into a fine powder in the food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until they form a moist, dense mixture. Form into balls and enjoy right away or store in the fridge until later.

Quick note!

There are dozens and dozens of raw ball recipes around the web, I’ve tried many of them but my recipes are, of course, my favorite! But I am so grateful for the inspiration that other people’s ideas and recipes give me and I’d like to acknowledge them. I think it is really important for all of us bloggers to support each other and give each other credit where credit is due. So, many, many thanks for my raw ball inspiration to Chocolate Covered Katie, Oh She Glows, Girl on Raw, and Loves Veggies, Yoga, Running, and Chocolate.

The other day when I was making my scrumptious Tuscan Pesto wraps, I decided to make Cody something a little different. He is a huge fan of Thai Curry and I thought I could make him a veggie wrap that would capture all the key flavors of one of his favorite dishes. And I did! It was easy and SO tasty!

The sauce is creamy and rich, with a lot of spice from the green curry paste and just enough tang from the ginger and lime to keep you coming back for more!

Ingredients

All of your wrap fixings, whatever veggies you like!
1/2 cup raw walnuts
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tsp green curry paste (I would have used more but this stuff was ferociously hot!)
1/2 inch of ginger
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 cup water
pinch of salt

Blend all of the ingredients (except veggie fixing!) in a food processor. I chose to leave a few dollops quite thick, for dipping, and then add in most of the water, to thin the sauce out.

I tossed all of the veggie filling with the sauce and piled it into butter lettuce wraps.

Cody loved it and gave it his lip smacking approval!