Looking for a yummy St. Patrick’s Day treat, well look no further because here it is! I can’t say I really celebrate this holiday anymore, but I do like experimenting with healthy brownie recipes. This one is flourless and naturally sweetened with honey and raisins. Yep, raisins and not dates. Nothing against dates, in fact, I love them, but I like the moisture and sweetness you get from using raisins in baked goods. I used my favorite delicious vegan butter (Myoko’s,) along with Matcha powder for the frosting, which is finely ground green tea leaves loaded with anti-oxidants. It is caffeinated but less so than coffee and a little goes a long way. And you can’t beat the cool color!
Happy St Paddy’s Day to all you lovely Irish people out there, and everyone else as well!
XO
Anna
- 1 c raisins
- ¾ c water
- 1 c almond butter
- ½ c honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ c milk (I used almond)
- 1 egg
- ½ cocoa or cacao powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ - ½ c chocolate chips
- 12 TBL softened butter (I used Myoko's vegan butter)
- 7 TBL honey
- ¼ - ½ tsp peppermint flavor
- 1- 1½ tsp Matcha powder
- Preheat oven to 350 °F
- Grease an 11 x 7 or 9 x 9 pan
- Boil the raisins and water for 5-10 minutes until they get soft, then set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the raisins to a high speed blender and blend on high until you get a smooth paste. Add a few tablespoons of water if it seems to thick.
- In a small bowl add all the dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a large bowl add wet ingredients, including raisin paste, and mix with a hand/stand mixer, adding the egg last.
- Add the dry (except chips) to the wet and mix on medium speed, scraping the bowl as necessary.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and transfer to the greased pan.
- Cook for 35-40 minutes and cool completely before frosting.
- Add the butter to a medium bowl and beat with a hand/stand mixer.
- Add honey and peppermint and blend together.
- Add the Matcha powder and continue to mix and scrape down the sides of the bowl until super smooth.
- Adjust your flavors here, use more honey/peppermint/Matcha as needed.
- Spread frosting on the cooled brownies. This will give you a thick layer.
- Enjoy!