Call me Brownie

By November 24, 2012Fuel
A couple of weeks ago, I went over to a friend’s house to sing some songs/jam.  His 2-year-old daughter has renamed me “Brownie”…maybe Brittany is just too difficult to pronounce…or perhaps  she was just craving some chocolate.  Either way, the name has stuck, and apparently she has been asking where “Brownie” has been.  In order to live up to my name, I planned to bring some brownies with me to our  next jam session; and raw, vegan brownies sounded particularly good as a welcome detox from the creamy, heavy Thanksgiving roughage.  
This morning, I whipped up some raw brownies (recipe inspired by Sarah from My New Roots) with added peppermint extract.  Thanksgiving is over, so peppermint and other Christmas-y type goodies are fair game!  Also, I have commenced playing Christmas music at work and in my car (which I may have done a few weeks ago as well…oops).  
So, while making the brownies, I decided to cut the “batter” in half.  I added the mint extract to only half of it, and pressed this half into a used, clean pie tin, covered it with saran wrap, and stuck it in the freezer to “bake”.
Peppermint Brownie Pie
(Vegan, Gluten-free, Raw)


Quantities are 1/2 of the normal recipe, as I used the other half for my raw pie (below).  
For two pie tins-full, double this!

1 c. walnuts
1.25 c. pitted medjool dates
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. raw, unsalted almonds
1/4 t. sea salt
1/2 t. peppermint extract
(optional 1-2 candy canes)

Grind walnuts in food processor (f.p.) until light and fluffy. Add cocoa, salt, and peppermint extract, and pulse.  Then add dates one-at-a-time while running f.p. until mix resembles cake crumbs (should stick together easily).  Add almonds (and optional candycanes) and pulse to chop.

Press “batter” into used, clean pie tin, and smooth top with rubber spatula.  Slice as pie.  Cover with saran wrap, and place in fridge/freezer to chill.

It takes a “Brownie” to know a good brownie…these are winners


And Then…I used the other half of the mixture (no mint added) to make a “pie filling”…basically, I added leftover canned pumpkin to the mix, and a couple of spices, and lathered it on top of a homemade crust:
Pumpkin-Chocolate Pie
(Vegan, Gluten-free, Raw)

Crust:
No-bake pie crust

1.5 c. walnuts

1 Pinch fine sea salt
Filling:
1 c. walnuts
1.25 c. pitted medjool dates
1/2 c. canned pumpkin/pie filling
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. raw, unsalted almonds
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
Make Crust in food processor (f.p.) by pulsing walnuts until chunky, adding maple syrup and salt, and pulsing to combine.  Press crust into pie tin in thin layer with fingertips.
Make filling by grinding walnuts in f.p. until light and fluffy, adding cocoa and salt, and pulsing.  Then add dates one-at-a-time while running f.p. until mix resembles cake crumbs (should stick together easily).  Add pumpkin and remaining spices and pulse to blend.  Add almonds and pulse to chop almonds.  
Press filling into pie crust, and smooth top with a rubber spatula.  Cover with saran wrap and freeze/refrigerate and serve when chilled. 
8 slices of Angel Fuel
If you don’t have any beef with dairy (get it?), you can de-dairy-free this with some whipped cream!

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