Category:

Dessert Recipes

Decadent Raw Brownies with Raspberry Coulis

by Mandi Gould December 13, 2017

Have you ever made raw brownies? They’re a revelation. The very first “raw” recipe I ever tried was a raw brownie and it changed my view of indulgences forever.

Ingredients

Brownie

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup raw pecans
1 cup raw dates, pitted, soaked for 30 minutes in water and drained
1/3 cup cacao powders

Raspberry Coulis

1 cup of fresh raspberries, or frozen raspberries thawed
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp of coconut oil

Directions

Place shredded coconuts and pecans in a food processor and mix them on high until blended. Add the cacao powder and blend.
Slowly drop in the dates one at a time until the whole mix starts to form together into a ball.
Place the dough into a pan and press it down with your hands or with a spatula.
Set it in the freezer to chill for about 40 minutes.
Remove the brownies from the freezer and cut them into the desired servings.
In a blender, combine the coulis ingredients and blend until smooth.
Place the brownies on the the serving dish and drizzle with the coulis.
Serve & enjoy!

December 13, 2017 0 comment

Dessert Recipes

Pucker Up Raw Lemon Squares

by Mandi Gould March 14, 2014

written by Mandi Gould

Yesterday I participated in Toronto’s Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off! I entered in the raw category with an updated version of my original raw lemon squares. It was a really neat experience!

4bakers

I competed as part of Team Lindy Hop. In the above photo, I’m on the far right. To my left is Kris Light with her P.B. Phone Home squares, next is Ashley Bratty with her Snickerdoodle Sandwich Spectacular/Snickerdoodles Marsala, and then on the far left is Heather O’Shea with her Jazzberry Lemon Cupcakes. Heather won Best in Show for her cupcakes! You can read more about her entry on her blog here.

I received so much positive feedback on these squares. Someone even told me that they were not only her favourite dessert of the day but the best lemon squares she’d ever eaten! It was really an honour to participate. However, lemon lost to chocolate in the end. I understand. People do love chocolate, myself included, and the winning raw chocolate lavender cheesecake in the raw category was very lovely.

Pucker Up Raw Lemon Squares Recipe

Filling:

5 cups of dried, unsweetened coconut butter (approximately one jar or about 4.5 cups of fine dehydrated coconut converted into coconut butter)
2-4 tbsp of coconut oil
10 lemons, zested first, then squeezed
1/3 cup of lucuma powder (optional)
Stevia Powder to taste – I like NOW brand
1/4 tsp tumeric (for colour, optional)

Crust:

1 cup of raw cashews
1 cup of raw coconut flour
aprox. .5 cup of dates (use more as needed)

*Click here for my post about raw vegan pie crusts.

IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS: **Your food processor must be completely dry for this to work, and all ingredients should be at room temperature before proceeding.

Blitz the dried coconut and 2 tbsp of coconut oil in the food processor to make coconut butter. This can take several minutes. Stop and scrape the sides of the sides of the food processor often. If after 5 minutes your mixture is still dry, add more coconut oil as needed.
Once you’ve made a completely smooth butter, add the lemon zest. Blend.
Add the lucuma. Blend.
Add the lemon juice. Blend.
The stevia that I use comes with a tiny little spoon inside the jar. Add 2 of the tiny spoonfuls, or just a small pinch of stevia and blend and taste often. Adding only a small amount at a time, add more of the stevia as needed adjusting to your palette.
Add the tumeric. Blend.
Pour contents in to a bowl and set aside on the counter (not the fridge) while you continue on to make your crust.
When working in this order, there is no need to clean the food processor. Blitz cashews in the food processor until they start to form a crumb.
Add the coconut flour and approximately 6 dates and start the food processor going, adding more dates until the mixture starts to seem slightly sticky. Stop the food processor and smoosh some of the mixture together with your fingers from time to time and when the mixture starts to stick together, it’s ready.
Line a pan with parchment paper, or oil and dust with coconut flour before pressing the crust in to the form.
Once you’ve pressed the crust in to a pan, scoop the filling in to the pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Place it in the freezer for at least one hour before cutting and serving. I like to make this the night before and thaw it out the next day for serving.

When I first started hunting for the best raw lemon square recipe, I wasn’t very satisfied with what I found. That led to a lot of experimenting and eventually to this favourite recipe of mine. Here are some photos of an earlier version of the lemon squares, without the addition of tumeric for colour:

My lemon square display made it in to this photo gallery from BlogTO.

March 14, 2014 0 comment

Dessert Recipes

Raw Peaches n’ Cream Squares

by Mandi Gould August 16, 2013

written by Mandi Gould

I picked up some fresh Niagara peaches at the Peach festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake this weekend. Here’s a little raw recipe that I’ve whipped together for a party tomorrow. As usual, in the moment this was a play it by ear recipe but it came out great!

Raw Peach Square Recipe

Filling

Coconut butter – about 400 grams
8 ripe peaches
a touch of stevia, to taste
a touch of vanilla
a pinch of pink Himalayan salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Crust:

Coconut flour
Coconut oil
Dates
A touch of ground ginger

*Click here for my post about raw vegan pie crusts.

Directions:

Blitz the coconut butter in the food processor until it makes a smooth cream.
Cut the peaches up in to slices and start to drop them in the food processor until everything is blitzed together.
Add the other ingredients to taste.
Pour batter in to a bowl and set aside on the counter.
No need to clean the food processor. Just throw about half a cup of coconut flour in and start to blitz it, then add dates and some coconut oil until it still starts to come together as a dough. Add more coconut flour as needed.
Use some coconut oil to grease a square pan. I have a flexible non-stick silicone pan that I like for raw desserts. Press the crust in to the bottom, then pour the batter in. Set in freezer for at least 2 hours. Cut in to squares and enjoy!

The flavour has come out quite subtle and creamy and really nice. Let’s see if the drunkards at the party appreciate it or not, haha. 🙂

Update: They did. Very much.

August 16, 2013 0 comment

Dessert Recipes

How to Make Raw Vegan Pie Crust

by Mandi Gould August 10, 2012

written by Mandi Gould

This is a post about making raw vegan Pie Crust, Cookie Crust, or Brownie Crust for your Dessert Base.

Most raw vegan dessert bases will come out like a cookie or a brownie crust more than like a flaky pie crust. This is my favourite kind of consistency, so I’m definitely not complaining!

Crusts are generally made with a combination of nuts, seeds, or coconut flour combined with dates. Depending on what type of nut you use, it will produce more or less oil. You can also add some coconut or coconut butter as desired.

There are recipes out there that call for a lot of ingredients and are a little bit more fussy (though I’m sure delicious), but that’s totally necessary. Here are the basic guideline for a 9X9 inch crust.

1.5 to 2 cups of nuts or a combination of nuts, seeds and coconut
6 dates to 1 cup of dates, depending on how oily the nuts are that you use.
Example: almonds and sunflower seeds are quite dry, walnuts and pecans fall somewhere in the middle, cashews more so, pistachios and macadamia nuts are the oiliest.

The method works like this:

First, blitz your nuts or seeds in the food processor and blend until it becomes a flour.
Once a crumbly flour has formed, start adding your dates.
The crust is ready when the base starts to form a crumble. Stop the food processor when it starts to look a bit sticky. Test the crumble between your thumb and finger and if the dough starts to stick stick together, it’s ready. Make sure to stop the blending before it turns into a large ball of dough.
Press into a tray or springform pan. Chill for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before adding your filling.

I love brownies and they’re my favourite base, both for flavour as well as texture, when it comes to any flavour that pairs well with chocolate. This combination worked extremely well as the base for my Raw Vegan Cherry Cheesecake recipe.

1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates
.33 cup raw cocoa nibs, or cocoa powder

For the crust, start by blitzing the walnuts in the food processor until the walnuts start to release some oil and begin to clump together, so past the “flour” stage.
Start adding the dates a few at a time until all of the dates have been added and this comes together as a kind of moist dough.
Add the cocoa nibs or powder. Blend until combined.
Press into a tray or springform pan. Chill for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before adding your filling.

A few note about the base for raw vegan desserts:

When I know I’m going to make a dessert that includes a crust, I generally like to get it out of the way a day in advance of the rest of the recipe. It has to chill in the fridge or freezer anyway, so I find it much more convenient to have the crust ready to go.

However, if you’re making the base on the same day as the rest of your “baking” I recommend doing it last. Why? Because you don’t have to clean the food processor out in between the filling and the base. Just put your filling in a bowl and let it chill in the fridge separately while you use the food processor to whip up your base. There’s no harm done in getting a bit of the previous tasty residue into the base, it won’t be noticeable, and if you’re like me you probably don’t relish cleaning the food processor over and over again so save yourself some hassle. Just sayin’.

A general tip about preventing your dessert from sticking to the pan. You could line your pan with parchment/wax paper, but if you’d like to be a bit more environmentally conscious you can sprinkle some coconut on the bottom before you press the dough in and this will help it not to stick. Another magical use for coconut!

August 10, 2012 2 comments

Dessert Recipes

Raw Vegan Icing Recipe

by Mandi Gould December 26, 2011

written by Mandi Gould

I can’t believe how easy and delicious coconut butter is to use as a base for icing. Amazing! Even people who don’t [think] they like coconut love this icing.

First, to make coconut butter, simply pulverize unsweetened coconut flakes in the food processor along with a little drop of coconut oil. It takes a while so be patient and scrape the sides on occasion.

For a smoother, more “wet” icing you can use additional coconut oil. I use coconut butter in so many recipes that I always make an extra jar and keep it on hand for the next time I’ll need it.

Basic Raw Vegan Icing

Coconut Butter
Coconut syrup, agave, or sweetener of choice, to taste
Vanilla to taste

Liquify the coconut butter first. Then, add the sweetener and vanilla and pulse until it comes together. Do not over blend or it will become too sticky and will separate.

Depending on how much coconut oil you had added to your coconut butter, or how much sweetener and vanilla you used, this may harden when cool or stay a bit more runny. If you put it in the fridge, it will definitely start to harden. It’s up to you. If you’d like it to stay more “wet” then add some extra coconut oil or liquid sweetener.

Now the variations:

Fresh mint is delicious and gives the icing a nice natural green colour.
Raw Vegan Chocolate Icing – add cocoa powder and a bit more coconut oil
Raw Vegan Mint Icing – add fresh mint leaves as well as a drop of peppermint extract
Raw Vegan Lemon Icing – a good dose of fresh squeezed lemon, extra sweetener, and optional lemon extract
Raw Vegan Maple Icing – use maple syrup as your sweetener. Delicious!

December 26, 2011 1 comment

Dessert Recipes

Raw Vegan Brownie Recipes

by Mandi Gould May 26, 2011

written by Mandi Gould

Like many people, I found my way to raw vegan cuisine through the incredible desserts. The simplicity of raw vegan brownies still amazes me. I can’t imagine anything being easier and yet so delicious, and made with wholesome ingredients. It’s astonishing.

I certainly wish that I’d discovered this brilliant method of indulging my sweet tooth a lifetime ago! All the variations of the recipe are based on using nuts or seeds, dates, and cocoa and then sometimes adding some other ingredients like additional oil and/or coconut butter to get the right consistency. If you’re using a dry nut, like almonds, you might need to add some oil while walnuts are quite moist on their own. Occasionally a recipe will also call for some extra sweetener like coconut syrup if you’ve using fewer dates.

Classic Raw Vegan Brownie Recipe

1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates
1/4 cup cocoa powder

AND THAT’S IT!!! Seriously! Blend it up in the food processor and you will be wowed by how delicious and simple it is. Press into a pan or container and let chill in the fridge or better yet the freezer. Slice and devour!

You can add in some additional walnut pieces, or add icing, or a sprinkle of cocoa powder to finish it off. Dried cherries would also be a nice addition.

Raw Vegan Truffle Brownie – Nut Free!

I wanted to make a nut-free version of the brownie so this one is made with sunflower seeds! Topped with red cocoa powder.

1 cup sunflower seeds
I wanted to make a nut-free version of the brownie so this one is made with sunflower seeds! Topped with red cocoa powder.
1.25 cup dates
1 to 4 tbsp of coconut butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
sprinkle of cocoa powder on top

Since the sunflower seeds are more dry than walnuts, you’ll need extra dates to hold it together as well as coconut butter. If you don’t have the coconut, just add additional dates until it comes together. Absolutely decadent!

Brownie Variations

You can make a tasty Mint Brownie by using a basic brownie base and then adding some peppermint extract to the brownie. Top with Raw Vegan Mint Icing.

Though peanut butter is roasted and not raw, you can make delicious Peanut Butter Brownies by adding some peanut butter right to your brownie base. Use the natural stuff, of course, which is wet so you definitely won’t need any oil. Or use whole roasted peanuts in place of the walnuts in the regular recipe.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy, more healthy treat, raw vegan brownies are definitely the way to go. Enjoy!

Raw Vegan Brownie, this time made with almonds so a bit of coconut butter and coconut oil was needed to help it bind together. Topped with raw vegan icing.

May 26, 2011 1 comment

Dessert Recipes

Homemade Coconut Butter

by Mandi Gould December 12, 2010

written by Mandi Gould

I use coconut butter in most of my raw vegan dessert recipes. It’s a really handy ingredient. Not only is it delicious but it helps to solidify and give texture to recipes that would otherwise be too liquidy and soft.

Many people use cashews in a similar way for their raw recipes, but I far prefer the flavour and texture of coconut butter which holds it’s shape better and doesn’t interfere with the flavour of the recipes. I’ve been to potlucks where people’s dishes have completely melted and collapsed into a pool of goo. I’ve never ever had that problem and it’s because of the coconut butter that I use as a foundation for my desserts.

You can buy coconut butter in a jar but it gets expensive very quickly. If you have good equipment of your own, I really recommend making it yourself. I bough one or two jars a few years ago several years ago but have been making my own ever since I realized that it’s possible to do at home with a food processor.

I always use my Cuisnart food processor for this. You can also use a Vitamix but it’s fussier because it’s so deep, so you need to use more coconut oil and scrape the sides over and over again. I prefer the wide blade of the food processor.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN COCONUT BUTTER

To make the equivalent to one 450g jar of coconut butter, you’ll need to use approximately 5 cups of fine raw dehydrated coconut. Make sure you don’t accidentally buy sweetened coconut! Unsweetened shredded coconut only.

You’ll also need some high quality coconut oil, about 1 to 4 tbsps.

Start with 2 cups of dehydrated coconut and approximately 1 tbsp of coconut oil and blitz in the food processor.

This may take a few minutes. After about 2 minutes, stop and check on your coconut. If it hasn’t started to produce any moisture, add more coconut oil. Scrape the sides and blitz again.

Once the coconut starts to “cream” and become smooth, add the rest of your dried coconut and a bit more coconut oil. Blitz again. The use of the coconut oil will depend on how quickly your coconut takes to creaming.

It may take up to 10 minutes to make smooth, liquified coconut butter.

STORAGE

You may pour your freshly made, soft coconut butter (currently more of a cream) into a jar and keep it on a shelf at room temperature and it will solidify into a solid form that you can use in recipes, or add it directly to your recipes immediately.

PRO TIPS

**Your equipment must be completely DRY for this to work. Even a drop of water in your food processor can prevent your coconut from creaming. Water in your jar/storage container will also cause the coconut butter to spoil. If there’s no water in the jar, the coconut butter should keep on a shelf at room temperature for a long time.

Create single servings of your coconut butter by pouring the fresh liquifide cream in to small silicone molds or an ice cube tray for individual servings that you can pop out once solidified, at need.

Whenever I’m making a recipe that requires coconut butter, I make the coconut butter first before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. There’s no need to clean the food processor before moving on to the rest of the recipe so it saves me from washing the equipment multiple times.

Here’s a handy blog post from Oh She Glows about making your own coconut butter.

December 12, 2010 3 comments