Sugar-Free Date Brownies

These are the fudgiest, most decadent, sugar-free date brownies – made with Medjool dates, peanut butter, and cocoa powder.

Sugar-free brownies are a concept I’ve been exploring for the past couple of months, thanks to Rene (the Boyfriend).

Rene used to be a sugar addict. As in, must-eat-every-cookie-in-this-box addicted. As in, walk to the vending machine at 3pm every day like a zombie to buy a Snickers bar and scarf in down mindlessly in a single breath. This was the norm for most of his adult life – until he realized his chronic headaches and the addiction might just be connected.

One day, he decided to quit, and it’s been over a year since he had even a bite of anything with refined sugar. Like with breaking any addiction, the beginning was rough, but I’m enormously proud of him for sticking with it. (And yes, the headaches did decrease significantly! In frequency and in intensity.)

Nevertheless, the man loves chocolate, and I wanted him to have something a little more special for his 30th birthday than energy balls.

Enter these sugar-free date brownies. When I first found this recipe on Detoxinista, I was skeptical. Zero refined sweeteners, flourless, gluten-free, vegan, and easy to make? Seemed too good to be true. But lo and behold, these brownies turned out shockingly amazing.

(Even my intern – who’s a certified pastry chef – is obsessed with them).

Made with just a handful of ingredients (Medjool dates, nut butter, flax, and cocoa powder), these date brownies are unbelievably rich, fudgy, and satisfying. I tweaked Megan’s recipe just a tiny bit and now these are a staple in our household. If sugar-free desserts are your thing, you have to try these!

How to Make Sugar-Free Date Brownies

These decadent brownies come together quickly in a food processor (or a Vitamix, I’m assuming, although I don’t have one myself). You literally just puree all the ingredients together, scoop the batter into a muffin tin, and bake.

A few recipe notes:

• Medjool dates can be pricey in regular supermarkets. Look for them in bulk stores, middle eastern markets, and online.
• It’s important to use natural peanut butter here (the only ingredient should be peanuts) since it’s naturally gooey and responsible for these brownies’ richness. Oil separation is normal for natural peanut butter – do not drain it off. Be sure to give the butter a good stir before using.
• Feel free to use almond, cashew, or macadamia butter in place of peanut. If there’s a nut allergy situation, substitute with sunflower seed butter or tahini.
• This brownie batter is supposed to be very thick – don’t be alarmed.
• The brownies are pretty fragile when they come out of the oven. Be sure to cool them completely before removing from the muffin pan.

More healthy-ish desserts…

• Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts
• Magical No-Churn Banana Coconut Ice Cream
• Avocado Gingerbread Loaf Cake
• Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

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