Dr. Laura's Kitchen

Food is the Best Medicine

Date Brownies

 

Date Brownies

You won’t believe that these moist and rich Date Brownies are sweetened only with dates and a bit of honey!

Dates are a miraculous fruit. They are an excellent source of:

  • energy
  • fiber
  • essential minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium and zinc
  • vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin’s A and K

The nut butter in these brownies also makes them a good source of protein.

Date Brownies

Now, let’s compare all that yummy goodness to a popular boxed brownie mix made by Betty Crocker…

betty_crocker_chocolate_fudge_supreme_brownie_mix_500gmsDate Brownies

Sugar: Just one of these brownies contains 19 grams of highly refined, white sugar- that’s almost 5 teaspoons of sugar! It is recommended to have no more than 6 teaspoons in an entire day.

White flour: highly processed, bleached, and stripped of most of the nutritional aspects of the grain. It raises your risk for diabetes and obesity as well as many other preventable diseases.

Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil: also called “trans fats,” these are one of the most toxic substances you can put in your body, even in small amounts. In June of 2015, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) determined, based on extensive research, that these oils are “not Generally Recognized as Safe.” The FDA announced,

“On June 16, 2015, the FDA took action that will significantly reduce the use of Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs), the major source of artificial trans fats in the food supply. This action is expected to reduce coronary heart disease and prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks each year in the United States. The FDA has set a compliance date of three years.”

This means that within 3 years of the FDA announcement, trans-fats will be banned from the food supply in the United States.

Harvard School of Public Health notes that trans-fats promote immune system over-activity and inflammation and are linked to heart disease, stroke and diabetes, among other chronic diseases.

Artificial vanilla flavouring: also extremely toxic, artificial flavoring is known to cause, dizziness, chest pain, headaches, fatigue, allergies, brain damage, nervous system depression, seizures, nausea, and cancer.

Yikes! That’s all pretty scary.

So move aside, toxic brownie mixes!

Date Brownies

Date Brownies
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Date Brownies

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8 people

Ingredients

For the Brownies:

  • 1 cup dates pitted
  • hot water to cover
  • 1/2 cup nut or seed butter such as almond butter, peanut butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder unsweetened
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the Chocolate Ganache (optional):

  • 1/3 cup butter or ghee
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Brownies

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
  • Soak the dates in the hot water for about 10 minutes to soften. Drain the water.
  • Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little water if needed.
  • Spread the mixture in a buttered square pan (8x8-inch). Bake for about 20 minutes, until set. Allow to cool before frosting with the Ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

  • Melt the butter in a bowl and add the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate chips are melted.
  • Put the mixture in the freezer for about 20 minutes until set (but not completely frozen).
  • Beat the mixture with an electric mixer. It will become light brown and smooth. Spread over the brownies and slice into squares.

Notes

*I use these chocolate chips.

BreakFast

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pamela says

    Hi Laura! These look amazing. I really wanna try these but I’m wondering why there isn’t flour in the batter. Would that affect the batter? I’m a beginner baker so I would love to hear your input on it. Cant wait to try these! Thanks in advance Laura!

  2. Maggie says

    These turned out amazing!! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I used arrowroot instead of baking powder :o)

  5. Kate says

    These are so delicious!! I am a sweets lover who now needs to eat a refined sugar free diet. One dessert I have been missing is a rich brownie, this fills the void! Thank you!!

      • Dr. Laura says

        The number of dates in a cup depends on the size and type of the dates and whether they’re whole or chopped. Here’s a general estimate:
        Whole Medjool dates: About 8 to 10 dates per cup (packed).
        Whole Deglet Noor dates: About 12 to 15 dates per cup (packed).
        I hope that helps!

  7. Laurie Arndorfer says

    These are delicious! Definitely had to add a little bit of water because it was burning the motor on my vita mix! Very thick batter.

  8. Robin says

    I recently bought date paste that I would like to use, do you have any idea about how much I would need to use instead of soaking dates.

  9. Sharon says

    A friend recently gave me a bunch of dates from their farm, and your brownie recipe caught my eye. I made them today, and they were delicious! I feel good that they have healthier ingredients. Thanks for sharing!

  11. Taylor says

    These are freaking delish!!! Rich, gooey but still cakey, sweet and healthy. These brownies check all the boxes!!

  12. Lauren says

    I’ve been trying a lot of healthy alternative recipes and most are a flop or completely tasteless. I’m happy to report I was VERY pleasantly surprised by these brownies. Fudgey and delicious! Ecstatic to have found this recipe! Thank you!

    • Dr. Laura says

      I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the brownies! It really means a lot—especially knowing you’ve tried so many other recipes. Fudgy and delicious is exactly what we’re going for! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback!

  13. Courtney says

    They are amazing! They’re only 103 calories a piece with the ingredients I used!! A weekly staple!💗

  14. Paola says

    What is the consistency of the “doug” supposed to be??
    It was hard to spread in the pan?? But very delicious!! Thanks!!