Natural Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies

My kids absolutely love fresh ground peanut butter! While it is not raw, we still consider it a plant-based food and the kids love to eat cut up gala apples and peanut butter for breakfast and/or snack time.
 We like to buy the fresh ground peanut butter and can even tell the difference between it and Adams "natural" peanut butter. It's just fresher and not oily. I personally only like peanut butter on something such as Celery and peanut butter with raisins, or mixed with something chocolaty. If you want to keep this recipe raw you can omit the PB or go with raw almond butter, which is also great.

Ingredients

Brownie
1 C Raw Almonds
1 1/2 C Pecans
1/2 C Walnuts (plus 1/2 set aside for the top)
1/4 C Organic Cacao Powder
1 C packed and pitted Medjool Dates, about 12-16.
3 Tbsp Raw Honey (opt.)
Dash of sea salt

Middle
1 C fresh ground Peanut Butter

Frosting
1 C Coconut Oil
1/2 C Agave
1/2 C Pure Maple Syrup
1/4 C Cacao Powder
Dash of Sea Salt

1. Add the nuts, cacao, and sea salt to a food processor with the S blade in place. Process until slightly crumbly.
2. Add the dates and honey and process until the mixture starts to stick together.
3. Transfer to a plastic wrap lined 9x13 glass dish and press down mixture with your knuckles until even.
4. Spread the cup of peanut butter on the brownies. If it's too sticky add a little coconut oil to the back of a spoon and continue to spread until even.
5. Make the frosting by adding coconut oil, agave, maple syrup, cacao, and salt to the blender.
Blend on high until all the coconut oil is blended and there are no chunks left.
6. Top the brownies with 1 C of the frosting. Save the remaining in an  airtight container in the fridge.
7. Sprinkle brownies with 1/2 C Walnuts.
8. Freeze until ready to eat. -You can eat them soft, but they are better after an hour or so in the freezer.
9. Take out of the freezer and pull up on your plastic "handles," setting it onto a cutting board.
10. Cut into 1x1 inch squares, serve and enjoy :)

Raw Rich Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Chia Jelly Filling

I've been longing to use my Chia Seeds to make jelly, as they turn gelatinous in liquid and make scrumptious jelly's and jams, puddings, have no flavor, are nutritious, and have the great Omega-3's we all need.
The other day I saw a beautiful Cake in the Strawberry section at the grocery store, it had fluffy chocolate frosting and a strawberry jelly filling. While the sugary idle didn't tempt me a bit, the idea of a raw version came on strong! It turned out better than amazing and we even celebrated after dinner because it looked so beautiful, of course it was even better to eat. Our family is a definite fan of chocolate and strawberries. The chocolate is rich and perfectly complemented by the sweet and sour strawberries in the jelly. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

I started with the Strawberry Jelly. Then it has time to set a bit before using it. This recipe made more than enough, and you can store the rest as a freezer jelly/jam or in the fridge for several days and use as a topping for raw ice-cream, or raw crepes.

For the Jelly

1 lb Fresh Strawberries, washed, dried, cored and cut in half
1/4 C Agave
1 T Chia Seeds

Add ingredients to the food processor and let process until you have tiny chunks of strawberry left. Transfer to a bowl and let thicken and set in the freezer or fridge while you make the frosting.

Quick Chocolate Frosting- I love this for a quick frosting for any raw brownie or cake or for a fruit dip.

1 C Organic, non-refined Coconut Oil
1/2 C Organic Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 C Raw Organic Agave
1/2 C Organic Cocoa Powder
 Dash of Sea Salt

Add to the blender and blend one cycle on high, make sure there are no extra pieces of coconut oil in your frosting. Transfer to a bowl and set in the freezer so it can firm up.

Rich Chocolate Cake
If you're not a fan of "rich" cake, you can add less cocoa, but as was said, it really complements the strawberries!

1 1/2 C Pecans
1 C Raw Almonds
1 C Walnuts 
15 Soft Medjool Dates, pitted

Blend nuts together until course crumbs are left.
Add the dates and blend until the dates are well incorporates and the mixture starts to clump together. You may need to stop and push down the sides a few times.

In another bowl add:
1 C Unsweetened, Shredded Coconut
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1 C Cocoa
1/4 C Agave

Mix together and add the nut/date mixture. Stir all of it. It is thick, so you may want to use your hands and mix it all together.

Finishing the Cake
1. Double line a round 9 inch cake pan with plastic wrap.
2. Add the cake mixture to the pan and press it down evenly.
3. Let set in the freezer 5-10 minutes or until a bit firm.
4. Take out Jelly, Frosting, and Cake.
5. Stir the jelly.
6. Whip up the frosting by stirring hard with a butter knife-it should be pretty firm when you go to use it.
7. Turn the cake over onto a plate big enough to hold it.
8. Frost the cake with the chocolate frosting, be sure to get those sides!
9. Make a center for the jelly by adding a "wall" of frosting around the edges of the cake. I chose little drops of frosting.
10. Fill the center with jelly, about 1 1/2 cups- but be careful not to overflow it.
11. Top it with extra fresh Strawberries.
12. Cool in the freezer or fridge until ready to serve. I like it in the freezer so the jelly chills together.

Raw Chocolate Christmas Fudge

 Fudge at Christmas time has been a tradition among many for years. This year you can enjoy a delicious creamy healthy fudge. It is so simple to put together and there is no sitting over the stove to make sure it doesn't burn, as with traditional fudge.
 It is rich and goes well with fresh Almond Milk, so you may want to leave some out on Christmas Eve for you-know-who.:)

1 C Agave
1/2 C Raw Honey
3/4 C Coconut Oil
1/2 C Raw cocoa Powder
1 1/2 C Raw Cashews
1/8 tsp Sea Salt (opt.)

Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Sometimes we like to add in a handful or two of walnuts.
Transfer to a 9x9 container and freeze for at least one hour before cutting.
Store in the freezer as it starts to get gooey and melt if it's left out too long.

Raw Chocolate Goji Berry Brittle

 I caught the bug! I have definitely been in a Holiday "Raw Treats Making" mood! This raw candy  reminds me of Christmas morning, when different types of brittle and candy lay in the dish, each tempting you to pick it! Well, you can feel good about picking THIS candy!
 Making raw candy-especially chocolate, is so much fun when you switch in and out different ingredients making different flavors. This delicate match of dark chocolate and Goji berries is amazing! The smooth chocolate melts in your mouth as you taste the sweet, sour, and crunchy Goji Berries. A great brittle.
Then, as if it could get any better, you have the option to top it with crushed almonds! It reminds me of a Raw Almond Rocha, though it doesn't have a toffee flavor, it has the crunch of it. Seriously, where has this been? Definitely a new fave, super simple, and a perfect raw treat for the holidays!

Dark Chocolate Coating
3/4 C Coconut Oil, melted (put it in the dehydrator for a few minutes to melt it, it needs to be all the way melted for best results)
1/2 C Organic Cocoa Powder
1/3 C Pure Maple Syrup

Whisk the raw chocolate sauce together.

Add
1 C Dried Goji Berries

Mix well and spread thin onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and sprinkle on a few more berries.
Add 1/2 C Chopped Almonds (opt)
Freeze until solid
Break into pieces and store in the freezer.

Raw Caramel Delights

Since we've been reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe for Literature lately, (I home school my amazing 5 children if you didn't know), we have heard a lot about the "Turkish Delights" the White Witch gives to Edmund to entice him to come back. So with our new thick caramel we have discovered, we made our own "Raw Caramel Delights". Little sweet and salty bits of joy, you are sure to come back. :)

15 Soft Medjool Dates, pitted
1 T Coconut Oil, melted
1 T Almond Flour (almonds blended)
Dash of sea salt and cinnamon (I did two shakes of salt and cinnamon)

Blend together until the mixture sticks together and has formed a ball. It is thick and sticky.
Transfer to a bowl and freeze mixture for about 10 minutes to form a harder dough.
Take little pieces and form into caramel shapes with your hands, or any shape you want.
Top with an almond in each and lightly sprinkle with sea salt.
Store in the freezer.

Raw Snickers Bites

Snickers use to be one of my favorite candy bars, with the sweet and chewy caramel and the crunchy nuts combined, it makes your mouth water thinking about it. Well, after researching a few raw snickers recipes, and trying many, I came up with my own that we all loved. This time of year we love spending time together in the kitchen and making new and healthier "candy" alternatives. Raw candies can be so fun to make and I finally made a chocolate coating that wasn't too thick!

*Remember to melt coconut oil double-broiler style. I put the amount of oil in a glass bowl and set that in a bowl of hot water until melted, sometimes even covering it. OR set it in the dehydrator if you know you will be using it later.

You need:
High Speed Blender
9x9 Glass dish, lined with doubled over plastic wrap- you will be lifting the filling out, so you want it sturdy.
Wax Paper
Plate
Fork for dipping
Small Bowls for mixing 1 Batch of Thick Caramel Sauce
1 Batch Dark Chocolate Coating Sauce
1 Batch of "Nougat" filling
1 C Raw Spanish Peanuts

1.   Nougat Center
1 C Raw Cashews
1 C Organic Rolled Oats
1 T Coconut Oil, melted
4 Medjool Dates, pitted
2 T Agave
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
Blend on high until the mixture is well combined, you may need to stop it and push down the sides, then blend again.
Transfer the mixture to the 9x9 Glass Dish lined in plastic wrap.
Press it down in the bottom until even.
Set in the freezer and clean out the blender.

2. Thick Caramel
15 Soft Medjool Dates, pitted
1 T Coconut Oil, melted
1 T Fresh Almond Butter
Dash of sea salt and cinnamon (I did two shakes of salt and cinnamon)
Blend together until the mixture sticks together and has formed a ball. It is thick and sticky. (I plan to make caramel candies just out of this and also used this to put on caramel apple bites-coming in a later post)
Scoop this out onto the Nougat, spreading it around evenly. It is thick so spread it well.

Sprinkle 1 C Raw Spanish Peanuts onto the Caramel and gently press them into it.
Freeze until ready to coat.

3. Dark Chocolate Coating
3/4 Coconut Oil, melted
1/2 C Organic Cocoa Powder
1/3 C Pure Maple Syrup

Blend until mixed, or you can whisk it together. I like blending because the cocoa doesn't get everywhere :)

Pour this into a bowl.
Get out a plate and line it with wax paper.
Take the candy dish out of the freezer and pull up on the sides of the plastic, pulling it out, then take off the plastic and set it onto a cutting board. 
Cut evenly into 16 small pieces. 
With a fork scoop up one piece at a time and put them in the chocolate bowl.
Spoon chocolate onto the candy.
Lift out, letting any extra chocolate drip off into the bowl.
Set onto your wax paper plate. Continue to do this until all the pieces are dipped. Set them in the freezer until the chocolate solidifies. We left them about 1/2-1 hour. Take out and cut again if desired. We cut them again and stored them in the freezer in a thick plastic container for a quick yummy treat.
Enjoy!
~You could also use these as a topping for raw shakes and ice-creams!

Raw Orange-Pear Puddin' Tart

 With ripe D'Anjou Pears abundance on the counter, they were calling me to use them. Pears are so great by themselves that I rarely mix them with anything, but my kids and I wanted to make something new! One great thing about having 5 kids is that they are so willing to help make new yummy and healthy foods! Plus, they get to lick out the blender~motivating! :)

 This recipe can actually be made top to bottom or bottom to top. Here is what I mean, we made it into a tart, but liked it in pudding form better than more solid pie form, so you can make the Pudding first and top it with the crumbles of the crust, stick a pear slice and orange zest on top and voi-la, a great pudding cup. OR you can do it like this:

For the crust:

3/4 C Pecans

1 C unsweetened Shredded Coconut

1 C Pitted, Sun Dates

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

Blend on low until the nuts and dates are well chopped. You may  have to push the sides down a few times in the blender until it is mixed to your liking. I personally like small date pieces.

Press into a tart dish, pushing the sides up all the way around.

For the Pudding Filling:

1 Pear

2 C Cashews, soaked at least 10 minutes (warm water makes them soften faster)

1/2 C Raw Honey

1 tsp Pure Vanilla

2 Oranges, juiced (about 1/2 C fresh juice) *Scrape off some zest and set aside in a bowl before you juice them)

Blend on high until smooth, at least one cycle.

Pour into crust.

Top with fresh cut Pears and Orange Zest. 

Enjoy soft right away or refrigerate or freeze for a delicious dessert later.

Raw Raspberry Cheesecake

A mixture of tart raspberries and sweet raw honey are added together in this recipe for a flavor not to be forgotten. It is rich and creamy and one small slice will satisfy your sweet tooth. I used frozen, thawed raspberries for this recipe and the outcome was awesome. I hope you enjoy it too.

Start by getting out 1 C Frozen Raspberries and setting aside in a bowl to start thawing.

For the crust:
1 C Almonds
1 C Pecans
12 Medjool Dates, pitted
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
Blend or process together until it starts to clump together. You may have to push the mixture down a few times to get it well mixed, but it should resemble a sticky/crumbly mixture.
Transfer to a pie pan.
Press the crust down in the bottom and up around the sides.

For the filling:
3 C Raw Cashews, soaked 10 minutes
1/2 C Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (about 4 small ones)
1/3 C Raw Honey
1/4 C Pure Maple Syrup
3/4 C Coconut Oil
1 tsp Pure Vanilla

Blend the "filling" ingredients together on high, 1 minute or so until mixture is completely smooth.
Stir in the 1 C Raspberries.
Pour the filling into the pie crust.
Freeze until ready to eat, at least 1 hour.
*You can also drizzle with Raspberry Sauce if so desired.
(1 C Frozen, thawed Raspberries1/4 C Agave. Blend.)
Enjoy!

Raw Banana Splits

Who's up for some deliciously fresh banana splits? We are! My kids and I had a blast making three different flavors of raw ice-cream, sauces, and toppings for these. We also had 3 out of 5 kids request it for their next birthday, so I am taking that as a "Love it!"

You need:
Yo-nanas maker (It may also work in a food processor)
6 Fresh Ripe Bananas (or one for each person)

For the Ice-Cream:
3 Frozen bananas
2-3 C Frozen Strawberries
2-3 C Frozen Raspberries

Thaw these in separate bowls for about 10 minutes, then press through the Yo-nanas maker one flavor at a time to get fresh fruit raw ice-cream! Store in an airtight containers in the freezer until ready to serve.

Orange Kreme Sauce:
1 C Cashews, soaked about 10 minutes (I soak them in warm water for a quick soak)
1 Orange, juiced (about 1/3 C juice)
1/3 C Water
1/3 C Agave
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla, alcohol free
 Put all ingredients in the blender. Blend on "sauces" or "high" until it is smooth and there are no cashew pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Chocolate Sauce:
1/4 C Agave
1/4 C Pure Maple Syrup
1/4 C Organic Cocoa Powder
2 T Coconut Oil
dash of Sea Salt
Blend together until creamy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Raspberry Sauce
1 C Frozen, thawed Raspberries
1/4 C Agave
Blend. You can choose to leave small raspberry pieces or blend until there are just the little seeds.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

1. Take a banana a slice it length-wise all the way down the middle.
2. Top with a scoop of strawberry, a scoop of banana, and a scoop of raspberry ice-cream.
3. Drizzle with your choice of sauce.
4. Top with fresh raspberries, chopped almonds, shredded coconut, dried gogi berries, or other nuts.
5. Repeat for each person.
 It was a GREAT activity to do with the family because we all love choices! Some chose one sauce, while others chose to pour it ALL on! I hope you find this as enjoyable as we did.
*They even made one for Dad and stored it in the freezer completely "done" for a couple of hours and it was still delicious when he came home to it.:)

Raw Chocolate Filled Strawberries

 It's almost Mother's Day and this is an awesome healthy gift for Mom. Since I am the Mom in this house, I will keep everything stocked and ready to go so the kids can throw this together :)
 This simple and delicious treat can be a great hit for any occasion. Breakfast in bed? Yes please!
Or impress guests with this as an appetizer or dessert.  The sweet tartness of a juicy red ripe strawberry, swirling in your mouth with the rich smooth coco-nutty chocolate..okay I am already salivating!

You need:
Strawberries (At least 1-2lbs)

Chocolate Filling 
1/2 C Agave
1/2 C Pure Maple Syrup or Honey
1 C Organic, non-refined Coconut Oil
1/2 C Org. Cocoa
Dash of Sea Salt (opt.)

Blend until smooth. Pour into a plastic container and store in the fridge until ready to use.
*I would make the filling a few hours or the day before to get it to set in the fridge so it doesn't fall out when you pick them up.

1. Wash and dry the strawberries.
2. Core the Strawberries. I use a paring knife and poke it into the strawberry near the stem/leaves. Then carefully make your way around the top making a hole with the knife about half way down into the strawberry, after making a circle, finally pull out the core. *Or I have seen these cool "strawberry corers" at Walmart for a few dollars...Mothers day? :)
3. Scoop  chocolate filling into a piping bag with a flower shaped coupler on the end.
4. Stick the end of the coupler down into the strawberry as far as it can go, then while squeezing in the chocolate swirl it around until you get to the top.

When you have filled as many strawberries as you desire, arrange on a plate and set in the fridge until ready to serve...OR eat right away!

Chocolate Strawberry Sundae Shakes

 This delicious creation came about when we added frozen strawberries to the amazing chocolate shake. We changed up a few more ingredients and voi-la. A new family fave. It's like having a salad, smoothie, shake, and sundae all in one, hence the name.
We actually did this in 2 batches since we made it for dinner and these were our total ingredients. So if you only want it for 2-3 people, halve the recipe and make it once.

In the Blender:
2 C Water
3 Frozen, chopped bananas
2 C Frozen Strawberries
10 Medjool Dates, pitted
1/4 C Cocoa
1/4 C Honey
1 C Raw Almonds
1 Tray of ice (about 10+ cubes)

Blend on smoothie or shake until smooth, but it's great if there are still small date and almond chunks. If it's too thick add some more water and blend.

Pour into big cups 3/4 of the way full and fill the rest of the cup with chopped almonds and pecans, chopped fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, then drizzle lightly with chocolate sauce.

Raw Chocolate Mint Pie

We are taking our creamy chocolate pie to new heights with this fresh minty addition.

For the crust:
* 1 C Almonds
* 1 C Shredded Coconut
* 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
* 10 Medjool date, pitted
* 1 T Cocoa
 Blend together until it starts to stick together. Transfer mixture to a spring-form pan and press into the bottom.

For the Pie
Rinse out the blender and add:
* 4 Avocados
* 1 C Agave
*1/3 C Coconut Oil
* 1/4 C Pure Maple Syrup
* 1/2 T Pure Vanilla
* dash of sea salt
Blend together until completely creamy. You may need to stop a few times to scrape down the sides.
Take out one cup of the mixture and set it aside in a bowl.
Add 1/3 C Cocoa to the blended mixture and blend until it is all creamy chocolate.
Pour that on top of your crust.

Take the 1 C in a bowl and add 1 drop of DoTerra Peppermint Essential Oil, and mix together.
Add the cup to the top of your chocolate pie and swirl it together. Freeze until ready to eat. At least an hour or more.
Enjoy.

Raw Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream

   With Thanksgiving just a week away thoughts of pie are floating around. You can almost smell the cinnamon and you want to reach out and take a bite.....and what goes well with pie? Ice Cream! Well why not keep it healthy and delicious with this Raw Apple Pie and healthy Vanilla Ice Cream?  Two Thanksgiving favorites. We had this last weekend as a "trial run" to see if we should take it to our Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone here gave it 2 thumbs up and we can't wait to enjoy it again.

First I made the

Raw Apple Pie 
 (Original Recipe here) 

Crust:
1 1/2 - 2 C. Pecans
7 Medjool Dates, pitted
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Vanilla

Food process and press into a dish
Filling:
4  Granny Smith Apples, thinly sliced in a food processor OR use an apple peeler/slicer
2 Gala Apples, diced and added to blender
1 C Raisins, soaked for 30 minutes, then added to blender
Juice of 1 lemon (a little less than 1/4 C org. lemon juice)
1/8 tsp. Sea Salt
1 t. Vanilla
1 T. Cinnamon
1-2 T. Raw Agave

Blend the Gala Apples, Raisins, Salt, Vanilla, & Cinnamon. In a bowl, combine apples, blended mixture, lemon juice, and drizzle with Agave and mix well. Add to pie crust.

Crumble Topping:
2 C. Walnuts
7 Large Medjool Dates, pitted
1 t. Vanilla
Pinch of Sea Salt
Process until crumbly and top the pie.

Serve with
Raw Vanilla Ice Cream
 4 C Almond Milk
 4-5 Frozen, ripe Bananas
1 T Pure Vanilla
1/2 C Agave
1 Tray of ice (about 10 cubes)
1 1/2 C Almonds

Blend on Ice Cream button for one cycle.
This gives you a nice thick shake, but we want Ice Cream here! So, pour into a thick Tupperware dish and freeze. If you had an ice cream maker you could use that at this point. I don't, so I freeze it and mix it around every hour or so until it is evenly solid. About 3-4 hours. When you are ready to eat it let thaw about 15 minutes.
Scoop out and serve.

Raw Chocolate Brownies or Raw mini-Cupcakes with Creamy Chocolate Frosting

  Looking for a quick delicious raw chocolate frosting? The frosting is really what makes this brownie/cake! There are so many variations of frosting's and I liked this one because it is quick to make, to use right away, or store. It's creamy, smooth, and I've even used it for vegan cupcakes and everyone loved it!

 Brownie/Mini-cupcake:

1 ½ C Pecans

1 C Almonds

¼ C Cocoa

1/8 tsp Sea Salt

12 Medjool Dates

2 T Agave

Blend the nuts and cocoa together first, then add in the dates and agave and blend until it’s thick and sticks together. Transfer mixture to an 8x8 dish or scoop (1 T each) into mini-cupcake holders ~Made about 24+ mini's.

Raw Creamy Chocolate Frosting:

20 Medjool Dates (abt 1 cup)

¾ C Water

¼ C Coconut Oil

½ C Cocoa

½ C Honey

Dash Sea Salt

Soak the dates in the water about and hour, then transfer all frosting ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth and there are no more date chunks.

Frost brownies/cupcakes and chill in the freezer until ready to eat.Enjoy!

*Store any extra frosting in the fridge in an air-tight container for a quick topping to anything. It's great as a chocolate fruit dip as well! 

As Brownies

 

OR as Mini's

Raw Honey Almond Butter Taffy

This is a simple delicious "candy" that we made up a few weeks ago. My kids say it has the texture of taffy. It's gooey and has a melt in your mouth sweet flavor.

2 C Raw Almonds
2 T Melted Coconut Oil
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 C Honey (the more raw the better)

In the blender, blend the almonds until they are starting to release the oils then slowly add the coconut oil while blending on low, add the salt then pour in the honey. If you can keep the blender going that's great. It will start to make one big gooey ball. Stop when it's all mixed together but not too oily. My blender did warm up quite a bit during the process.

Transfer to a sheet of wax paper and roll into long "snakes" (this part was fun for my 2 year old:)
Score into 1 inch pieces. Roll it up and chill in the fridge.

*I also made a chocolate version by splitting the batch and adding 2 T Cocoa to half and blending  until mixed. Think Raw tootsie rolls:)
*Also great made with Hazelnuts!

Raw Maple Pecan Tarts

 Raw desserts are so fun to play with! I just couldn't help adding a little fall spice to this Raw Maple Pecan tart. I will definitely be making this again around Thanksgiving. The cinnamon and maple give it just the right delicious blend.
 I made this into 3 separate tarts, but you could also make it into one smaller pie.

For the Crust:
1 C Walnuts
5 Medjool dates, pitted
1 T Pure Maple Syrup
Dash of Sea Salt
Dash of Cinnamon (about 1/8 tsp)

Blend together until the mixture starts to stick together.
Split into thirds and transfer to 3 tart dishes. With your fingers push the crust out evenly on the bottom of the dishes.

Maple Pecan Pie Filling
1 C Pecans
10 Medjool dates, soaked in 2/3 C Water- at least 10 minutes or until it softens the dates
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla
3 T Pure Maple Syrup
Dash of Cinnamon

Blend all the pie filling ingredients together, including date water, until it is mostly smooth. (There may be little Date and Pecan pieces.)
Scoop out and fill tart shells, spreading the filling out evenly.
Top with extra Pecans and freeze until ready to eat or a few hours until it sticks together.
It will not get solid, but cold enough to stay together.
Enjoy this wonderful freezer treat!

Raw Ice Cream Cake

I have had a Yo-Nanas maker for almost a year now and we make fresh fruit ice-cream with it at least every month. Well, last week for family night my 2 year old was in charge of picking a treat and he wanted yo-nanas. As the beautiful banana ice cream was coming out I started thinking of how I could make a delicious raw ice cream cake. So the ideas began....
 The other night at 10:30p.m.:) Not usually when I like to experiment, but oh were we all happy that I did when we tasted all the creamy, chocolatey, banana goodness last night!
~I am sure you can use a food processor or blender to make the ice cream, but I used my yo-nanas maker.

You need:
Yo-nanas maker
A spring form pan
A High Speed Blender
A Freezer
A Batch of Raw Chocolate Sauce

The Crust and middle cake layer
1 C Walnuts
1 T Cocoa Powder
5 Medjool Dates
a dash of sea salt

Put all ingredients in the blender and pulse until you have a crumbly mixture, but not oily.
~Make this twice, separately. One for the crust and one for the middle layer.
 If you do too much at a time the oils seem to release faster and you don't get the "cakey" texture you want.

Take one batch and press down into the spring form pan. Set the other aside in a bowl for later use.

For the Raw Ice Creams
 6 Frozen Bananas, thawed about 5 minutes
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 C Agave
1 T Cacao Nibs
Raw dried Gogi Berries (opt)
1/4 C Raw Chocolate Sauce

1. Push the bananas through the Yo-nanas maker one at a time until you you have a big bowl of raw ice cream. Stir in vanilla and agave. Put half of the batch in another bowl and stir in cacao nibs.

2. Add Raw Chocolate Sauce to the mixture you have and stir until you have raw chocolate ice cream.
Scoop this onto your crust and spread around until even.

3. Get your other bowl of "cake" mix and crumble evenly over the ice cream.
Drizzle with raw chocolate sauce.

4. Spread your cacao-chip ice cream over the cake layer.

5. Top with drizzles of Raw chocolate sauce, cacao nibs, and dried gogi berries.

6. Freeze until ready to eat, at least a half hour to let things set together.
Emjoy!

Raw Fudge Brownies with Creamy Vanilla Coconut Frosting

 This recipe of divinity came when I decided to put two of my favorites quick and delicious desserts together. It was the brownie/dessert that saved me after having our most recent baby and there was no healthy desserts on the menu at the hospital.:) I had made them before going in and every day my dear husband brought some to me and even stored a few in the hospital freezer. That was thinking ahead!

  First, I took the recipe from the Raw Fudge Babies and doubled it, changing slightly, Then, I topped it with the creamy frosting from the Raw Oreo's, set it in the freezer and voi-la. Completely quick and satisfying dessert.
 I start with the frosting on this one, and usually make a double batch so I can have the rest in the freezer for a quick frosting. If it freezes all the way and is thawed about 15 minutes you can stir it up and use it as a "whipped" frosting.

Creamy Vanilla Coconut Frosting
1/2 C Young Thai Coconut Meat
1 C Cashews
1/2 C Agave
1/8 C Pure Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp. Pure Vanilla
1/4 C Coconut Oil
Squeeze of Fresh Lemon, about 2 Tbsp.
Freeze until ready to use.

 Raw Fudge Brownies
(doubled from the fudge babies)
2 C Almonds
1 C Pecans
1/2 C raw Cocoa powder
1 1/2 C Medjool dates,pitted (about 16~make sure they are not too soft, or use less)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Pure Vanilla
This is where you blend up the nuts, dates, cocoa, salt, and vanilla, in 2 batches, scrape out into a big bowl  adding enough agave to make it stick together, but not wet sticky. I ended up with a nice thick brownie batter which I pressed into a 9x9 glass dish.
Top with about 1 C of Frosting and freeze at least an hour for a firmer frosting. Cut into 1x1 inch pieces and Enjoy!

Raw Strawberry Coconut Cheesecake

Happy New Year! For my first post of the year I was thinking about strawberry cheesecake...so I put a few things together and it turned out so smooth and delicious. My husband, who is not even a cheesecake fan said it was fantastic and of the course the kids wanted seconds. May your mouth water until you can taste this yourself! :)

For the Crust
1/3 C Almonds
1/3 C Walnuts
1/3 C Pecans
9 Medjool dates, pitted
Dash of Sea Salt
 Add all to the blender and set on speed 1 until it is well mixed and starts to clump together and the oils are releasing. One cycle, about 50 sec. usually does it, you may have to push down the sides once or twice.
Scoop out mixture and press into a glass pie dish. Set in freezer until ready to use.

For the Filling
1 C Cashews, soaked
1 C Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
5 Medjool Dates, pitted
I put the 1st three ingredients in the same bowl covered with 1 1/2 C Warm water, for about 20 minutes
Drain and transfer to the Blender
Add
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 C Softened Coconut Oil
3/4 Agave
1/4 C Fresh Lemon Juice
5 Large Strawberries, stems off
 Blend until thick and creamy. It may be a bit grainy so keep blending. I did about 2-3 minutes on a medium speed, stopping to check the creaminess.

Take out pie crust and pour filling evenly into the crust. Put the pie back into the freezer for about 6 hours or until firm. Take out about 10 min. prior to serving and top it with fresh sliced strawberries.
Eat with pleasure.

 Have a slice!