I’m deeming March the month of clean eating. Granted, I eat pretty “clean” to begin with but I’m just kind of curious what positive effects I’ll see if I make my normal 80/20 rule when it comes to food closer to a 95/5 kind of rule (in combination with Bodyrock workouts).
99% of the time that 20% haunts me immediately after dinner as I plop myself on the couch for an episode of whatever we’re watching and my brain just starts screaming CHOCOLATE! GIVE IT TO ME! I really have no problems keeping it clean for the entire day leading up until that point. In fact, I enjoy eating healthily all day. But there’s a switch and it gets flipped right around 8pm.
Want to know what happens when you try to satisfy a chocolate craving with some fruit, coconut & cacao nibs? You fail. Epically. And then the chocolate craving just intensifies, you go to bed mad and have really weird dreams about ex-boyfriends. At least that’s what I’m chalking the dreams up to. Otherwise, I have no excuse and I’m not really sure how I feel about them if that’s the case. It’s weird waking up to your husband when you’ve been dreaming about another guy all night…
So I made balls. Because that’s what I do best.
Except this time I froze them and then smashed them down with a fork because I think those little lines are pretty and because I’m fresh out of ball jokes.
These balls (that aren’t really balls) are anything but a brownie actually. But somehow they sure as heck almost taste like one.
I almost don’t even want to tell you they’re made with prunes because I’m sure you just read that and laughed or worse, clicked out of here instantly at the ridiculousness of me trying to convince you that a dried fruit used to make you “regular” tastes like a brownie.
BUT IT DOES! Swear.
So, knowing that Ulysses might be asking for a divorce if he had to suffer through 29 more days of unsatisfied 8pm chocolate cravings, these brownie bites came to be.
Now that I think of it, maybe the dream was some weird foreshadowing that I needed a solution to the 8pm crazies…
That makes sense, right?
- 1 cup raw almonds
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup ground flax seed
- 1 tablespoon dark, unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons agave
- 6-8 prunes
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs
- ¼ banana
- pinch of kosher salt
- Combine nuts and flax seed in a food processor and process until finely ground and almost a flour-like consistency.
- Add remaining ingredients to the food processor and process until the dough just starts to come together. Start with 6 prunes and add more if the dough is still to loose.
- Dump dough into a small bowl.
- Roll into balls and place on a tray.
- Freeze for about 30 minutes.
- Press balls down with the back of a fork to get the cookie shape.
- Keep frozen or refrigerated.
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
I’d like to think they’re balls
you’re a pro at balls apparently, haha..i like this healthy spin on brownie bites. They look really good! You wouldn’t even know they’re healthy for ya unless you told me! The brownie part of the title masks it!
I love all of the raw bites. but lately, they’ve been giving me stomach problems.. which is really NOT cool. Happy Friday!
Cute post!!
And I know exactly what you mean about those 8pm cravings! Then or first thing in the morning when I see lemon poppyseed iced muffins in Starbucks. Why am I so obsessed?! I also love eating healthily. Anyway – I dont know what I’ll do about the muffin cravings… but Im definitely up for giving these a try for the PM ones!!
Plus, they;re really pretty!!
So, just yesterday I was cleaning out the pantry and I came across an unopened bag of prunes, to which I said, “WHAT am I supposed to do with these?” You must of heard me. So, I’ll be making raw brownie bites today.
Ulysses bought a 3lb bag of them from Sam’s Club like 5 months ago…we’re still working our way through it. 3lbs is a lot of prunes!
Oh yes I have the same exact cravings (don’t all women?). Last week it was so bad I was litterally digging around our entire apartment for anything resembling chocolate because I was out of my beloved dark chocolate bars. Thankfully my roommates weren’t home at the time they would have though I had gone crazy. Need to try making something like this to have on hand for those desperate moments.
I went hardcore 95/5 in the month of Jan. Kind of like you, taking an already pretty healthy diet and making it healthier. The one thing I really noticed was how I felt more satisfied from eating less food. Just by eating better quality grains, tonnes of green leafy veggies, and beans I felt so full. It was also the catylst for me to start experimenting with different recipes and flavours. That experience was the reason I started my blog actually. Good luck and looking forward to more recipes. My tip for avoiding the late night snack, have a super yummy breakfast planned and think about how good it will taste in the morning!
Thanks for sharing your experience. I like the breakfast tip. Since I am the queen of laziness in the morning, I should give a little more effort at night to prep something delicious that way I can enjoy something other than a quick cereal or oatmeal bowl!
What a delicious idea!!
I love your smashed balls!
I need to make these. I bought dates that I have to use, and this recipe is healthy and will satsify my cookie cravings. I love placing these type of treats in the freezer, and pop in my mouth when the sugar craving hits, which is all the time!! Wonderful recipe!!
I’m so thrilled that I currently have all of those ingredients at home! I gave up added sugars for Lent and these look like the perfect chocolate treat.
I am so with you on the 8:00 PM craving… mine starts at about 9… I attribute it to early evening workouts. There’s also something about eating something sweet about 30 minutes after dinner. It’s a good closure to a day, I guess… end on a good note.
Whoa, that “something about” twice up there sounds weird… sorry, too early in the morning for me to write with grammatical precision. LOL! Your brownie bites look divine. I love cacao nibs!
Haha, it happens. I press “submit” all the time on comments that make no sense. I barely even noticed this one
YUM!! love how you used prunes…pinning
I used to beg my mom to buy packaged brownie bites to put in my lunches, and she never would (she was very anti-junk food
). These look much tastier and healthier than those packaged ones!
My mom was too. I still tell her to this day how we were deprived kids with no poptarts, cheese dip things and white bread in our house.
Gosh, I wish I had a few of those this morning! They look delicious!
Yumm! Those remind me of LARABARs
I’m down with brown balls that aren’t really balls anymore! The fact that they’re brownie-esque AND healthy is a massive bonus!
The very first recipe I ever made for my blog was raw vegan GF brownies…(and they didn’t taste raw vegan GF’ey if you know what I mean..ha!) These bites of yours look perfect!
This is like a double whammy of goodness! First they are brownies… good… then they are quick because I don’t have to wait for them to bake!… goodness
Love it! Definitely trying these ASAP. Right up my alley!
I have the same exact switch…only mine happens as soon as the last morsel of food passes through my mouth from dinner. My brain instantly screams…DESSERT!
What a wholesome and delicious looking snack! Great recipe, Gina. Thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend.
I always give into my 7 pm chocolate craving. ALWAYS!!!
Granted I had a glass of wine or two
I am Just DROOOOOLING OVER THESE!
Ooh, I never thought of using prunes in my raw desserts. But the last time I ate prunes, I had a terrible stomach ache. Probably because I ate the entire bag?
I need to make March a month of clean eating too…but I definitely started it off with a whole lot of chocolate and sugar. Love these little balls!
The last balls were amazing … these probably will be too. PS: I giggle every time you say balls in your posts. I’m 12.
So true! I have the same thing happen around 8pm. I crave chocolate and salty snacks like crazy. These look great. I think I will try them with dates since I don’t have prunes but have a 5lb box of dates in my fridge.
if you do, let me know how they turn out with dates. I assume they’d work well (hence the note in the recipe) but just curious!
Yummmmm! Do you think I could use regular cocoa powder instead of dark? I should probably just restock on the dark…I know it’s worth it!
Yeah, I think that would work fine too
Hi Gina. I’ve been following for about a month now (subscribed via Google Reader) – love your blog – and finally attempted a recipe (this one!!) last night.
They were delicious and easy to make – but my mini food processor (I’m talking like 3-4 cup little tiny cheap one from Target) was screaming like a banshee just to make it through step 1.
I need to upgrade and was wondering if the one in your “store” is the one you use. I know you “endorse” it and probably get a small commission (which I’m fine with, so I hope you don’t read that as being snarky)… but I was just curious if that’s the actual model you cook with.
Keep up the good work!! Someday I’ll sneak some of these recipes past my boyfriend’s healthy food radar
Hi Alicia- I can relate to the mini food processor screaming, up until this past Christmas I had a mini one too that was horribly pathetic with more than 3 cups of anything. To answer your question, yes, the one in the Amazon store is the one I have. All the stuff in there is stuff I own, I wouldn’t put anything that wasn’t. I’m in love with the food processor, it’s seriously night and day from the mini ones. And yeah, if you purchase anything from clicking through my site to the Amazon store it does generate a small (like pennies, seriously
) revenue for me. But regardless, it’s a great model no matter how you purchase it 
Hi there
Thanks for this awesome recipe!
I tried out this recipe but instead of cacao / cocoa powder i used protein powder. I ended up using this protein powder and it turned out pretty good! http://helpforfitness.com.au/products/100-gold-whey-protein
The protein powder was chocolate so it turned out well!
Thanks for your recipe
Angeli – Help For Fitness
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