No-Bake “Nutella” Brownies (Gluten Free + Vegan)

No-Bake "Nutella" Brownies - these babies are not only super easy to make, they're also #glutenfree and #vegan! www.sprinkleofgreen.com @teffyperk

These nutella brownies are the thing of dreams.

They were all devoured on the day I made them, with none living to tell the tale.

They’re also no-bake, which means that you won’t have to waste any time waiting impatiently by the oven as they bake, only to declare them done, take them out a bit too soon, and burn your tongue since you couldn’t even wait for them to cool down. Come on, I know I’m not the only one.

No-Bake "Nutella" Brownies - these babies are not only super easy to make, they're also #glutenfree and #vegan! www.sprinkleofgreen.com @teffyperk

They’re wonderfully moorish and soft, with a rich taste from the chocolate and hazelnuts, and an amazing sweetness and chewiness from the dates.

The combination of chocolate and hazelnut gives it such an amazing nutella-like flavour, which I just can’t get enough of. I kept trying little bites from the “batter” as I went along and was so so excited to eat it all once done, and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

No-Bake "Nutella" Brownies - these babies are not only super easy to make, they're also #glutenfree and #vegan! www.sprinkleofgreen.com @teffyperk       No-Bake "Nutella" Brownies - these babies are not only super easy to make, they're also #glutenfree and #vegan! www.sprinkleofgreen.com @teffyperk

We gave them to Matt’s 11- and 13-year-old cousins and when I told them that they were healthy they just couldn’t believe it! If it’s good enough for kids to love (one of them a self confessed sugar lover), then it’s definitely good enough for us “grown ups” out there.

The nutella brownies themselves are a combination of dates, nuts, and cacao, which create such an amazingly rich and chocolate-y taste. I roasted my almonds and hazelnuts to bring out their flavour, but you don’t have to if you want to keep it 100% raw.

The frosting is made with avocado (don’t freak, you can’t taste it at all), coconut oil, nut butter, cacao, and vanilla. It’s sweet, creamy, and smooth and is such a great contrast to the crunchy hazelnuts and the chewy brownie.

No-Bake "Nutella" Brownies - these babies are not only super easy to make, they're also #glutenfree and #vegan! www.sprinkleofgreen.com @teffyperk

Nutella No-Bake Brownies
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
The brownie of dreams - wonderfully moorish and soft, with a rich taste from the chocolate and hazelnuts, and an amazing sweetness and chewiness from the dates. Impossible not to become addicted!
Author:
Recipe type: Desserts, Sweets, Snack
Cuisine: Vegan, Healthy
Serves: 9
Ingredients
For the Brownies
  • 175ml (85g / ¾ cup) hazelnuts
  • 125 ml (60g / ½ cup) almonds
  • 125ml (40g /1/2 cup) cashews
  • 1 cup medjool dates (about 15 dates), pitted
  • ½ tsp vanilla bean powder (or vanilla extract)
  • 3 tbsp cacao powder
  • 2 tbsp nut butter (I used hazelnut)
  • 1 tbsp maple or brown rice syrup (optional)
For the Frosting
  • ½ a medium avocado (about ½ cup)
  • 1½ tbsp coconut oil
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1-2 tbsp coconut nectar or maple syrup (depends how sweet you like it)
  • 1 tbsp cacao
  • 1 tbsp nut butter (almond, hazelnut, or pecan all work well here)
  • ¼ tsp pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
Instructions
  1. Line a small baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Heat a dry skillet on medium to high heat and add your hazelnuts and almonds. Toss until the nuts are nice and toasted. Set aside a handful of the toasted hazelnuts for decoration.
  3. Add the rest of the toasted nuts along with the cashews to a food processor and blitz until they break down into chunks. Add your pitted dates and process again until it becomes a sticky and crumbly mixture, should take 1-2 minutes. Add the rest of your ingredients, blend again, and tumble onto the lined baking tray. The mixture will look crumbly but should come together when pressed.
  4. Press the mixture down with your fingers until it’s all compact and the top is even. Place in the fridge while you make your glaze.
  5. For the glaze simply add all ingredients to the same food processor you used for the brownies and blend until fully combined and no longer lumpy. Alternatively, if your food processor is too big and it isn’t mixing well, you could mash the avocado by hand (mash well though, we're not making guac here!) and mix the rest of the ingredients with it in a bowl. It should be creamy, smooth, and not runny.
  6. Remove your brownie from the fridge, add your frosting, and use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread if evenly. Top with the toasted hazelnuts you kept aside earlier, and store the brownie in the fridge until you’re ready to eat it.
  7. I like mine a bit more at room temperature, so I always try and let it sit for 5 minutes before tucking in!
Notes
RAW - make it raw by skipping the toasting of the nuts and using raw nut butter.

STORING - keep in the fridge in an airtight container. Doesn't freeze very well due to the avocado frosting.
 

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