Raw Hazelnut Chocolate Brownies (grain-free, dairy-free, vegan)

These healthy raw hazelnut chocolate brownies are grain-free, dairy-free and vegan! Perfect for when you need chocolate now!

I was tempted to shape these brownies into balls again but I don’t want to overdo the ball thing. So here we have little brownie towers. :)

I love these things. No bake. Not so much sweetener and they’re actually tasty. They don’t really taste like brownies or cake, though. Just a little disclaimer. And the chocolate avocado frosting doesn’t taste like frosting with tons of butter and sugar, but I’d take this version over the sugar filled one any day.

Raw Hazelnut Chocolate Brownies  that are grain-free, dairy-free, and vegan!

Something else I love about these raw hazelnut chocolate brownies is that you can easily make a small batch and overeating, something I have a problem with, is no longer a problem.

I’ve had one loooong headache for 13 months now. Not headaches every day, but one long headache. Every second of every day. No matter what I do or don’t do. And pain relievers don’t work. If I get an “extra” headache, they get rid of that, but the base headache is always there. But it’s really light and more annoying than anything. I’ve been to every doctor imaginable (and I’ve been going to physical therapy for almost a year) and they can’t find anything wrong with me, so my neurologist put me on some “pain management” medicine. She warned me that I’d gain weight and crave sweets, but I really thought, “Eh, whatever. I already do that.” What I didn’t realize is that I’d basically be living off of sweets. Seriously. I hadn’t had vegetables in weeks when I realized that I had gained tons of weight. And my fat pants were now too small. Whoops.

Sonia mentioned that she needed to lose weight, and I know I definitely had to, and since then we’ve been weight loss buddies. In 3 weeks, I’ve lost 3.5 kilos (7.7 pounds). YAY! I’m well aware that’s more than you’re supposed to lose, but I’ve been getting more than enough calories and hardly exercising (because it makes my head hurt more), so I think my body is just in shock. In shock from not having sweets as every meal of every day.

Raw Hazelnut Chocolate Brownies (grain-free, dairy-free, vegan)

I definitely recommend getting a weight loss buddy if you want to lose weight! I could have never done it without Sonia, who cheers me on and reads my food and exercise diary every day. And if you know someone’s going to read your food diary, you don’t really want to write down that that you ate 4 cookies for breakfast, half a pan of brownies for lunch, and pizza for dinner, which was totally typical for me just a month ago. I’ve even cut back to two sweets a day! That’s probably a lot to some people but that’s a miracle for me. And yesterday? My first sugar free day ever (with the exception of tons of fruit). It wasn’t intentional… it just sort of happened. WEEEEEE! :D

So having a baking blog and not having anyone to really share the goodies with kind of became a problem and that’s why you’ve seen more non-baked goodies around here lately. You can easily make 1/2 or even 1/4 of the batch and these are no exception! They’re soft, chocolately and satisfy any sweet craving you might have.

I found this raw hazelnut chocolate brownie recipe on The Wannabe Chef last week and made them the next morning. I just couldn’t wait. Evan’s picture just made them look so sinful!

Raw Hazelnut Chocolate Brownies

♥♥♥♥♥
Rated 5.0 by 2 readers
Raw Hazelnut Chocolate Brownies (grain-free, dairy-free, vegan)
  • Prep Time:
  • Cook Time:
  • Ready in:
  • Yield: 5 2×3-inch frosted cakes

Ingredients

    For the cake:

  • 2 cups (254 grams) raw, unpeeled hazelnuts
  • 1 heaping cup (172 grams) dates
  • 1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup (I used 3 tablespoons and it was fine)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • For the frosting:

  • 1 avocado (avocados come in all different sizes so I'll just say mine was 287 grams with the pit and 212 with just the meat)
  • 6 - 7 tablespoons (88 - 103ml) maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup (28 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 - 3 teaspoons espresso powder (not instant coffee!)

Directions

  1. In your food processor, process the hazelnuts until nicely ground. It won't be as finely ground as store-bought almond meal, but a little coarser. Don't process too long or you'll have hazelnut butter. It shouldn't take any more than 20 seconds. Add the dates, cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla and process until a sticky dough forms.
  2. Place the dough between two Silpats or pieces of parchment paper and roll out to about 1/4 of an inch thick (or really, however thick you want it). Cut them however you like (I used 1 1/2" circular cookie cutters) and form the excess dough into a ball, roll out again and cut out more shapes.
  3. For the frosting, in the bowl of your food processor, combine all the ingredients until thoroughly combined and no chunks of avocado are left. It took me a few minutes to do this but it was possible. If it's not sweet enough, add more maple syrup.
  4. The espresso flavor was really light even with quite a bit of powder, but I still liked the difference it made. Add the frosting to the cake and store in the fridge.

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Hazelnut Cake {Raw/Vegan} - The Wannabe Chef

Recipe by  | www.texanerin.com

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57 comments on “Raw Hazelnut Chocolate Brownies (grain-free, dairy-free, vegan)” — Add one!

  • Jill says
    October 1, 2014 @ 3:50 pm

    I just bought some raw hazelnuts the other day and now I will use them in your recipe! I have recently gone over to a paleo diet after doing a Whole 30 diet at the end of the summer, and since I love baking, have spent a lot of time looking over paleo recipes.

    I, too, have had a long term headache. It’s been almost 4 years for me now, and, like you, have gone to every doctor imaginable and tried many kinds of medication. Most people just don’t understand how I can look “normal” all the time and not constantly talk about it, but after a while the constant pain becomes the normal, although it does vary in intensity. I gave up on trying medications since nothing worked for me. Going gluten free three years ago did help some, and that is why I tried the Whole 30 recently, to see if there was anything else (dairy?) that could be eliminated from my diet that might make a difference. Sadly, my headache remains, but I do feel healthier. Best of luck to you, and pass along anything you discover in the future in case it might help me, too!

    Reply
    • Erin replies to Jill
      October 1, 2014 @ 6:03 pm

      YES! Or colleagues who ask you, literally every single time they see you, “Do you still have a headache? Like… even right now?” So frustrating. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had a headache for so long, too. I also still have mine and stopped trying different medications at the beginning of the year. I have an issue with my neck and whenever my neck hurts for a few days, my baseline headache hurts more. You’d think that’d be a good clue but apparently not good enough because I still have my headache. :( I’ll let you know if I find anything out and please do the same for me! Thanks for your comment.

      Reply
    • Deserae Kirkham replies to Jill
      October 21, 2014 @ 5:20 pm

      I have embarked on a journey into natural health. I’ve learned some neat things about the health of the body. I started on Netflix with four documentaries. Gerson Miracle, Hungry for Change, The Beautiful Truth, and Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. One of the things I’ve picked up along the way is this. When your body becomes over toxic from eating too much sugar, refined grains and rice, excessive meats, excessive dairy, preservatives, dyes, MSG, hydrogenated fats, pesticides, and a host of other contaminants that become Cellular Garbage, our Kidney and Liver cannot excrete them as quickly as they are coming in. When this happens we break down according to “genetic inherited” weak points. Fibromialga, Diabetes, cancer, Headaches… Our bodies attempt to protect vital organs from toxins in our bodies by storing them in tissues instead of letting them flow through the blood. Even though you are eating more healthfully now, you still may have years of stored up toxins. It takes regular safe, clean kidney cleanses. I’m just starting out down this path. A great way to track progress is to look at your tongue. The cleaner your colon becomes, the better your tongue will look. If you have a crack down the middle or your tongue then your colon is too sluggish and you need more fresh raw produce. If you have teeth prints left on your tongue when you put press your teeth into your tongue gently then you are mineral depleted. Even when we take in the nutrition we need sometimes, if your colon is clogged your body will struggle absorbing what it needs. I hope this helps.

      Reply
      • Erin replies to Deserae Kirkham
        October 22, 2014 @ 1:04 pm

        Thanks for your comment, Deserae! I didn’t know that about the stored up toxins or the thing with the tongue. I’ll definitely have to look into that! I also have Netflix and will check out those documentaries. Thanks again for taking the time to comment!

        Reply
  • Ali says
    March 13, 2014 @ 2:16 am

    Hi, this recipe is almost exactly what I’m looking for – just two questions if you have a chance to read them: is there anything with which I could replace the maple syrup? Or would I be able to leave it out altogether? Maple syrup isn’t always in stock in near me (Ireland), and the brand available is usually full of added sugar, so I’d like to avoid it, if possible. Also, I’ve been looking for raw desserts/biscuits that use oats – do you think if I added oats to the cake part of the recipe, they’d hold together as small bars, a bit like flapjacks?

    Hope your headaches have improved since you made this post. You said they’re near the front of your head, ruling out a spinal issue – did your doctor ever suggest it could be eye related? I have larger than average pupils, so sometimes too much light gets in, which gives me headaches, though thankfully not on a par with what you get.

    Reply
    • Erin replies to Ali
      March 13, 2014 @ 9:44 am

      You could use agave syrup or honey, but if you use honey, there might be a slight honey taste. And adding oats should work! I just have no idea how much to add. I recommend adding 1/2 cup (or even 1/3 cup) and then adding 1/4 cups until you like the consistency. And thanks for the tip on the headaches! I still have the headache (2 1/2 years now :( ) and haven’t seen any improvement despite 2 years of different kinds of medicines. I’ve been to the eye doctor several times and they claim my eyes are fine. I hope that you’ve found a way to manage your headaches! They are no fun at all.

      Reply
      • Ali replies to Erin
        March 13, 2014 @ 1:32 pm

        Thanks for the reply – I’ll give that a try.

        Wow, 2.5 years, that’s awful. Luckily, I don’t consistently get headaches, and normal over-the-counter pills do the trick. Must be horrible to not have a reason for them. Hope you get an answer soon.

        Reply
        • Erin replies to Ali
          March 13, 2014 @ 9:45 pm

          Thank you, Ali! I’m just so used to it at this point. :( I do hope that it disappears one day, though! Thanks again for your comments.

  • Sarah says
    February 26, 2014 @ 9:58 pm

    These look and sound amazing but I’ve tripped at the first hurdle. I’m trying to process the hazelnuts to a flour consistency. 15 minutes later, my food processor is overheating and I have a bunch of peeled hazelnuts and a very small amount of slightly damp “flour”! What am I doing wrong?! I’ve just wasted a whole bag of hazelnuts :(

    Reply
    • Erin replies to Sarah
      February 26, 2014 @ 10:07 pm

      15 minutes?! Oh no. I have no idea what could have caused that. It takes me closer to 15 seconds. After about 5 minutes, I already have hazelnut butter so I’m not sure how yours hasn’t turned into butter yet. It should look like this. I’m so sorry you’re having difficulties! If your ground hazelnuts look like that picture, then just go on with the recipe and you’ll be fine. Just make sure to give your food processor a little break. Good luck! :)

      Reply
      • Sarah
        ♥♥♥♥♥
        replies to Erin
        February 26, 2014 @ 10:54 pm

        It sort of worked eventually, I don’t know what the problem was. Maybe just being too cautious with my food processor or maybe it just isn’t a good enough processor. I was so sure it was about to break on me! I may have wasted most of my evening but at least I didn’t waste the hazelnuts! Have formed the brownie dough into balls as I don’t have time now to make frosting or towers. It’s still yummy :) Thanks!

        Reply
        • Erin replies to Sarah
          February 27, 2014 @ 9:53 pm

          Aww. I’m sorry it was a waste of an evening! I’m happy, though, that you didn’t waste hazelnuts. :) And awesome that it finally worked out. Thanks a ton for the feedback and the rating! If you don’t care about the rawness of this recipe, you could roast the hazelnuts next time. When I’m making nut butter, I always roast the nuts first (and then let them sit for 5-10 minutes). They seem to break down quicker that way!

  • erin
    ♥♥♥♥♥
    says
    June 13, 2013 @ 12:43 pm

    I have been looking for this recipe all my life. i’v e seen it before, but never tried or wasn’t ready. I have had cravings for crunchy, moist and definitely chocolaty – this is above and beyond what I have been craving. I made probably 1/4 last night. I used what i had – walnut and no vanilla. Still amazing. mmmm chocolate. The best part is that I feel no shame or “why did do that again” thoughts. i will continue to make these – forever! . btw – since our names are the same; i felt very compelled when I came across your site. Just sayin’ – thanks again!!

    Reply
    • Erin replies to erin
      June 13, 2013 @ 8:01 pm

      Hi Erin! Thanks for the rating and the review. :) I’m SO happy that hear that these went beyond your expectations. Yay! And walnuts?! Sounds good! Try them with the vanilla. They’ll be even better. ;)

      Reply
  • COUNTRYHERMIT says
    February 5, 2013 @ 3:19 am

    I have no idea if your headache situation has been resolved or not, but I felt compelled to comment as I went through a similar situation a few years ago! I had a headache for 21 months – tried every medication, diet, therapy out there (fortunately I live in Canada (where MOST of our medical care is completely covered) the theories and treatments ranged from blood-pressure, to allergens, to tension, stress, etc etc etc. I felt like a pharmaceutical guinea pig! Finally on my (SECOND) MRI, the technician mentioned that it might be what they referred to as a 'low pressure headache' – that may sound strange, but it actually has to do with your cerebral spinal fluid (the fluid runs inside your spine and up into your cranium and it is under pressure enough to 'cushion' your brain in there…the short story is that this apparently happens to 1/10000+ people, and usually after having had an epidural during pregnancy (or a spinal tap from other medical treatment etc), which causes a small tear in the membrane that holds the precious fluid in there…mine was never found, but the treatment CURED me of my headaches almost instantly! I sincerely hope that you are already headache free (as these posts above are MONTHS old…but if not, it may be something worth looking into.
    I sympathize immensely with having a headache/chronic pain — it's so hard to tell people that it is constant, especially when they don't see you doubled over in pain, or with cuts/bruises/scars etc – without any visual clues, people often assume that you are exaggerating or they will 'forget' that you are hurting.
    Sending you healing vibes from Canada! thanks for your blog of delicious goodies. can't wait to try a bunch of them~~~ S here's the link to the Johns Hopkins med centre info re: CSF PRESSURE HEADACHES. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/specialty_areas/headache/conditions/low_CSF_headache.html

    Reply
    • Erin replies to COUNTRYHERMIT
      February 5, 2013 @ 5:20 pm

      Hi! Thanks a bunch for your comment. I'm so happy to hear that your headache is better! And what you said about people not understanding that it's constant is exactly right. Nobody seems to understand that it's there every moment of every day of every month, no matter what I do. I still have my headache and nothing's helping. I read the link you sent me (thanks! :)) and some other pages about low pressure headaches but I have none of the symptoms, or rather, the opposite (like the headache is worse in the morning, headache isn't in the back of the head but in the front). Darn! I was hoping that could be it. I'll still mention it to the neurologist next time but the symptoms don't match. It gives me hope to know that there are other people out there who have been cured of their constant chronic headache. :) Thanks again for the comment and I hope you like the goodies!

      Reply
      • Heather replies to Erin
        August 31, 2013 @ 12:11 am

        I’ve had similar issues with headaches. I went to a naturopathic physician who told me my iron was extremely low and that was probably causing them. I’m on iron supplements to bring it back to normal and hopefully that will aleviate the headaches. He also told me that candida overgrowth can cause headaches and sweet cravings. Iodine deficiency can also cause headaches. You may consider having your iodine and iron (including ferritin) levels checked. According to research, there is no good way to check for yeast because our bodies are supposed to have yeast, but too much isn’t good! I hope that helps. Thanks so much for your awesome recipes!!

        Reply
        • Erin replies to Heather
          September 1, 2013 @ 1:42 pm

          Thanks so much for your comment! I’ve been tested several times for everything possible it seems but since you mention there’s no way to check for yeast… I’ll look into that and ask the doctor about it next time I’m there! I hope that your headaches are gone. It’s really frustrating not knowing what the cause is, isn’t it? Thanks again for taking the time to write me! :)

  • Kate Montana says
    October 19, 2012 @ 8:33 pm
    Reply
    • Erin replies to Kate Montana
      October 19, 2012 @ 9:16 pm

      They haven't helped. :( And I've been taking medicine since the beginning of the year and it does nothing. Really annoying.

      I've had every blood test imaginable so I'll have to see if they tested my magnesium levels. If not, heck, I'll try it. Can't hurt, can it? Or maybe it can. Will definitely research. Thank you for the links and the tip! I appreciate it. :)

      Reply
  • Liz says
    September 22, 2012 @ 4:13 pm

    Alright, I saw this on wannabe baker 5 minutes ago and then again here. It's a sign–I must make. Mmm, can't wait! Gorgeous, mouth-watering photos btw!

    Reply
    • Erin replies to Liz
      September 22, 2012 @ 8:59 pm

      Thanks! And haha. Definitely a sign! :)

      Reply
  • amy L says
    September 11, 2012 @ 2:13 am

    Thanks :) If anything, I'll cheat here and there…can't give up chocolate forever. lol

    Reply
  • Erin says
    September 10, 2012 @ 6:45 pm

    amy L – Oh. That stinks. I hope you're eventually able to add everything back to your diet! Probably not very realistic but it's what I'm hoping for anyway. :)

    Reply
  • amy L says
    September 9, 2012 @ 12:44 am

    Hey no prob, I'm only on the computer sporadically anyway. I appreciate you taking the time to answer me :) You're gonna love this…citrus fruits, including lemon juice, yep you guessed it, on the naughty list. lol White distilled vinegar is allowed, but I didn't even think of it at the time…not that it would have tasted very good but you work with what you can.

    Reply
  • Erin says
    September 8, 2012 @ 9:56 pm

    amy L – Aww, that stinks. And I'm someone who uses a lot of nuts. Sorry. :( I hope that you're able to add nuts back to your diet! And hopefully nuts don't turn out to be a problem for me. It's too bad that it's so difficult to find good subs. If you add lemon juice to the canned milk as a sub, does that still count as buttermilk and is therefore not allowed? And sorry I've been slow to reply… things are just too busy lately! I haven't even made a post since Monday. Yikes.

    Reply
  • amy L says
    September 7, 2012 @ 5:23 am

    You are so very welcome :) The problem I find with healthier cereal bar or cookie bar recipes is it still has the nuts or nut butter. Hopefully I will be able to re-introduce nuts into my diet and find it's not a trigger. I hear ya … it was a bit daunting. The funny thing is, it's not the stuff I love (like chocolate) that I miss as much as the ingredients that are difficult to find a substitute for in my cooking/baking, like peanut butter and yogurt. I ended up making a curry dish with canned milk since yogurt/sour cream/buttermilk are all out. It was "ok" but I missed the tang of the traditional dish. Good luck going nut-free for a while. You may find you can have them in small amounts or occasionally.

    Reply
  • Erin says
    September 6, 2012 @ 8:12 pm

    amy L – Don't be sorry about the long comment! It's very helpful and I really appreciate it. :) What is it about my recipes that you can't eat? Sorry about that. I try to include grain-free and gluten-free recipes to be more inclusive, but I realize there are so many more allergens out there. I do eat a lot of nut butters and bake with a lot of nuts, but I didn't used to. I wonder if that could be something. And when I started eating them was about when the headache started. I'll go nut free for a while and see what happens! I guess I'm supposed to cut out all the dietary triggers but… hmm. I don't know if I can do that. I'll look into this book! I am happy that it helped you and that your headaches are better. :) And thanks for the caffeine and meds tip! My mother-in-law is a doctor and has warned me about those before too. They've already been thrown out. :) I'm going to read up on nuts and headaches now. Thanks again for your very thoughtful comment!

    Reply
  • amy L says
    September 5, 2012 @ 2:43 pm

    Followed Pinterest over to your blog…neat stuff! Sorry bout the long comment but as I was looking at your recipes thinking "ok, I can't eat most of these" I wondered if maybe nuts and or chocolate are a trigger for you?? I've suffered with migraines most of my life so I just read a book 5 weeks ago which has really helped. The book is called Heal Your Headache by David Buchholz (USA) and I got it from our local library. It said there are so many different triggers that we can't avoid, so the best way to manage migraines is to cut out ALL potential dietary triggers for 8 weeks and then you can try to re-introduce them one at a time (except for, sadly, caffeine) and having it daily for a week to see if it is a trigger for you. Top ones are caffeine, chocolate, MSG (in most all prepackaged foods), processed meats, all nuts and nut butters, citrus fruits n pineapple, bananas, aged products like cheese n yogurt n sour cream. Hope you find some relief!! Also avoid like the plague any pain meds with caffeine – excederin migraine has it – or you end up with rebound headaches! I am happy to say I don't feel on the verge of a headache every day like before, and if I do get one plain tylenol or motrin actually helps.

    Reply
  • Erin says
    September 4, 2012 @ 8:23 pm

    Gabrielle – Wow, you baked them?! I'll have to try that! Thanks for the idea. :) I'm so happy that you liked the brownies. Thanks for leaving feedback!

    Reply
  • Gabrielle says
    September 4, 2012 @ 3:53 pm

    I found the topping a bit over powering (although I use a similar recipe to make a mousse), but the brownies themselves were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I baked them for 5 minutes to give them that crunchy "brownie" texture. Definitely my new go-to brownie recipe:)

    Reply
  • Enika says
    August 23, 2012 @ 5:03 am

    I had headaches everyday too. Come to find out it was sugar and caffeine. Been almost completely without the two since July of last year (of course when my monthly comes I crave sugar and have had a few relapses, which I end up regretting). Best thing I've ever done for myself. No more pills!

    Reply
  • Erin says
    August 22, 2012 @ 10:22 pm

    Angela – Thank you! That's very nice of you to say. :) But I hope you noticed my note about these not really being like brownies! The original recipe called them cake, but it's way too dense for me to be cake. So… brownies. :) Hope you like them!

    Reply
  • Angela @ AnotherBitePlease says
    August 22, 2012 @ 12:50 am

    I'm in love with your blog. The food looks heavenly – I don't know where I want to start – but thinking it is going to be these brownies! I love love a brownie!

    Reply
  • Erin says
    August 16, 2012 @ 6:01 am

    Christine – Haha. At long last? I posted them SIX days ago! :) I'm so happy to hear that you've liked what you've sampled already! I hope hubby will enjoy them too. It's great that you've got a guy that enjoys these date desserts. Lucky girl, you! Vanilla is a great addition to the frosting. Thanks for the tip and thank you so much for leaving feedback. As always. :)

    Reply
  • Anonymous says
    August 16, 2012 @ 5:24 am

    Just visited, brand spanking new to your blog. But I hate hearing of a headache to last that long – I once had a cold that lasted over a year, terrible. I know headaches and I know migraines – what stressing you? In any case, what works for me – the salty, delicious ocean. The marinating of my body and mind in the salty, bashing, massaging waves. Give it a whirl, if you can.

    Reply
  • ceekee19 says
    August 16, 2012 @ 2:12 am

    Hi Erin,
    Made these today at long last! I had no hazelnuts so substituted almond meal and that's worked well. Also, I used maple flavoured agave instead of the syrup. Then I added an extra little vanilla into the frosting. They are currently 'setting' in the fridge whilst we digest supper (however I did enjoy spoons, etc as I was making and they taste AMAZING!). My Hubbie is going to be delighted! I did exactly half the quantities of everything and made 12 double decker little circles (instead of the triple deckers). Super!!!!

    Reply
  • Erin says
    August 14, 2012 @ 2:06 pm

    Heidi – I know! It's terrible. I never look at myself in the mirror so the only way I realize it is if my pants don't fit any more. Strict isn't such a bad word to use with this. I have to be strict with myself now. I'm sitting here all by myself and have this chocolate cake in front of me. And it's got gooey chocolate ganache. I "only" ate 1.5 pieces. It's killing me!

    Reply
  • Heidi @ Food Doodles says
    August 14, 2012 @ 12:34 am

    Love how you presented these! They do look so good :) And GREAT for you on the weight loss! Isn't it amazing how weight can creep up on you like that? Ugh, it's ridiculous. I have to be really strict with myself or else I slowly go back to eating nothing but junk. Maybe strict isn't the right word, more like I have to be very mindful about everything I eat, and how much of it. Anyways, I'm so sorry to hear about your headache problem. How strange! I hope it goes away, or at the very least I hope they figure out why it's happening :(

    Reply
  • Erin says
    August 13, 2012 @ 1:08 pm

    Evan – Thanks! Happy you like the brownie tower idea. :)

    Ally – Thank you!

    Reply
  • Evan Thomas says
    August 12, 2012 @ 10:17 pm

    These came out terrific! Love the lighting and glad you liked them. I think I have to steal the brownie towers idea :)

    Reply
  • ally says
    August 12, 2012 @ 11:08 pm

    oh. my. goodness. these look to good to be true! perfect job, as always!
    xo

    Reply
  • Erin says
    August 12, 2012 @ 9:07 pm

    Erin – Thanks a bunch! It is difficult when you kind of "have" to bake. But I'm sure you can do it! I'm gonna email you.

    sweetpeaskitchen.com – Yeah, it's kind of weird but it works!

    Kathryn – Thanks! I had one for about three weeks too and it went away. I kind of thought it'd happen again with this one, but nope. At least ir's light. Thanks for the nice comments. :)

    My Italian Smörgåsbord – You'll never see artificial sweetener over here. :) I've put Stevia in my smoothies a few times, but that's it. Good luck with your diet changes! I honestly don't know how you can do it, with all that amazing bread you bake. If I had hot bread or hot sweets, I would be all over the bread. I can't resist hot bread. But I'm sure you'll be successful! And thank you for thinking my goodies are good enough to sell. :) I hope you enjoy these!

    Reply
  • My Italian Smörgåsbord says
    August 12, 2012 @ 8:08 pm

    congrats for your diet plan. I have kind of started one myself and I am liking taking paying a little extra attention to what I eat. you know, when you wrote that these raw brownies need just a little sweetener I got scared. just hate artificial sweeteners in food. so happy that you are not going that way even if dieting. so I can continue to drool over your amazing creations :) I think you should start a company for healthy treats or something. you really have a talent (and I am so going to make these!).

    Reply
  • london bakes says
    August 12, 2012 @ 1:49 pm

    Woah, I had a headache for 3 weeks and it was bad enough. I can't imagine suffering for that long! I hope you feel better soon. And congrats on the weight loss, that's very impressive!

    I love hazelnuts so these brownies look amazing, I think I have all the ingredients on hand too!

    Reply
  • sweetpeaskitchen.com says
    August 11, 2012 @ 11:27 pm

    Avocado in the frosting? I love it! :)

    Reply
  • Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says
    August 11, 2012 @ 9:49 pm

    These look incredible! Congrats on the weight loss! I am trying to lose a couple pounds, and it is slow going :( Baking for the blog doesn't help! Hope you get answers on your headaches soon.

    Reply
  • Erin says
    August 11, 2012 @ 8:50 pm

    Gwen – Thanks for the tip! That's pretty much the only thing I haven't tried yet. And Chinese medicine. But it's the next step. I'll have to see what (private) insurance covers concerning that. Thanks again. :)

    Mellissa – Thank you! And yes, I've started eating my veggies. It's always an ordeal but I'm trying. I sometimes even eat them for breakfast just to get it out of the way. But I try to eat lots of fruit. It's a lot of sugar, but veggies… they're just so difficult to get down!

    Sonia – I will totally take it and run with it! I'm certainly not complaining about losing too much. :) I am proud of myself but you know, I'm super proud of you too! And I do think of this as a lifestyle change. Not a temp thing at all. Although I'd probably like to have some more calories. That'd be nice, but not that many more. I really hope I don't go back to the sweets craziness. I had never experienced anything like it before! I don't know if it was really because of the medicine, but I'm not on it any more and things are clearly a lot better. :) Thanks for pinning this and for the nice comment! And I'm sure these do freeze well. Gotta try it next time!

    Katrina – Thanks!

    Reply
  • Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
    August 11, 2012 @ 5:19 pm

    Yes please! These look fabulous!

    Reply
  • Sonia! The Healthy Foodie says
    August 11, 2012 @ 3:15 pm

    Erin, you are doing FANTASTIC my friend! I am so proud of you when I see all those veggies in your diary, even SPINACH, and very little sweets and junk. I think it's only normal for your body to shed more pounds at first, from the shock of the drastic change, so I wouldn't be overly concerned with that. Just take it and run with it!

    You ought to be extremely proud of yourself and think of this as a long term lifestyle change, not only a temporary situation. Sure, you'll be eating a little bit more calories when the weight is all gone, but still not that much more, and your food choices should always be pretty similar. You NEED the veggies inside of you. They might actually help with that darn headache (hey, they might scare it away…)

    Wouldn't be much use making all those sacrifices, losing all the weight only to go back to your good old ways and putting it all back on, now would it? ;)

    Hey, know that I am extremely proud of you and that I am there to support you every step of the way! You rock girlfriend.

    As for these little brownie bites. OMG! They were so pinned to my Must Try List and I will so be making them when my sugar free challenge is over! THEY LOOK SOOOO YUM! And I bet they freeze fantastic too!

    Reply
  • Mellissa Sevigny says
    August 11, 2012 @ 3:09 pm

    These are gorgeous!!!!! Hope your headache situation gets resolved and congrats on the weight loss. PS. Eat more veggies!!!! :)

    Reply
  • Gwen Charles says
    August 11, 2012 @ 12:53 pm

    hi Erin,
    Im from NY, working on my MFA in Berlin, love to bake.
    Looking forward to trying this recipe.

    Im sorry to hear about your headache. Just a thought: homeopathy has great remedies for headaches. maybe you could try homeopathy or tissue salts. BioPlasma is a great start and see if you can meet with a homeopath that an recommend a headache remedy. Berlin has many wonderful alternative doctors thankfully. I hope you feel better soon. gwen

    Reply
  • Erin says
    August 11, 2012 @ 9:33 am

    Miryam – I know. I was very bad. But seriously, all I wanted was sweets. And as eating vegetables literally makes me gag, they just didn't get eaten. And throwing veggies in my smoothies just ruins the lovely fruit! But I always use avocado. I know it's a fruit but it should totally count as vegetables. They're green and disgusting by themselves. This meets my vegetable criteria. :) But I've changed! I'm off that medicine, on a new one, and eating vegetables. I had a big bowl of lettuce for breakfast. :D Thank you for the encouragement and telling me how bad I was. You're just so awesome. And the headache thing is just a mess… over one year and they're all clueless. It's really annoying. And yeah, having Sonia around makes it all possible. If you ever notice things getting out of control, Sonia and I will kick your butt. :)

    Amy – Thank you! :) I'm happy that you like the look of these brownies. They're kind of weird looking, aren't they?

    Jolee – I haven't heard of it but I'll check it out! Thanks for sharing. I'm desperate and will look into anything at this point. :)

    Becca – Becca! I was the same. I never tried avocado until a few months ago when I put it in a smoothie or something and the green color went away. So if I can like it, me, Miss I HATE ALL GREEN THINGS!!!, then you can like it too. Put it in a frozen raspberry smoothie. Problem solved! And thanks. :)

    Reply
  • Becca says
    August 10, 2012 @ 11:12 pm

    I'm not sure if I would like the avacado frosting, just because I don't like the look of avacado (and therefore I must automatically hate it :P) but that cake part looks absolutely delicious!

    Congrats with the weight loss. It' sure does help a lot when you're doing it with someone else, that way you're never alone with just your thoughts. Good luck!

    Reply
  • Jolee Burger says
    August 10, 2012 @ 10:26 pm

    OK, the brownie cake things look awesome – I cannot wait to try them.
    Also, my family has had some luck with oil pulling to cure headaches… Have you heard of it? http://www.oilpulling.com/

    Reply
  • amy @ fearless homemaker says
    August 10, 2012 @ 10:04 pm

    Congrats on the weight loss, friend – that's awesome! You know what else is awesome? These raw brownies. I could definitely eat a ton of these. YUM!

    Reply
  • eatgood4life.blogspot.com says
    August 10, 2012 @ 9:29 pm

    Ok now,

    Number one, These look awesome and the ingredient list is superb,! My favorite part is the frosting that reminds me of the avocado pudding that we love :-)

    Number two, no veggies for 3 weeks? Bad, bad girl,! Why don't you make some smoothies and throw some veggies in it?

    Wow, your headache situation is horrific. Why can't those Dr's figure out? I feel for you and I hope it gets resolved soon!

    Good luck on your weight loss journey. It sure helps having a partner which also makes yourself more successful.

    Reply

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