I was having a chocolate craving one day and an hour later these Salted Caramel Brownies were born! Dense, chocolaty, sweet with a hint of salted caramel – these babies will satisfy your cravings and then some. There are perfect to take to a BBQ, make ahead for a dinner party or just make as a yummy treat for you and your family… or just you… no judgement! 😉 Enjoy!

Yield: 1 dozen raw brownies

Prep Time: 30 minutes + 30 minutes chill time

Brownie Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup sunflower seeds

2.5 cups pitted medjool dates

3/4 cup cacao powder

1/2 tsp salt

Ganache Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond milk

1.5 cups unsweetened, dairy free chocolate chips (or use semi-sweet if you can’t find unsweetened)

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup organic cornstarch free powdered cane sugar

Salted Caramel Sauce:

1 cup medjool dates

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup almond milk

1 cup coconut nector

1 cup pecans roughly chopped

Method:

1. Prepare an 8″x 8″ pan by lining it with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Soak dates (for the brownies) in 2 cups of hot water to soften for 10 minutes.
3. In a food processor place walnuts and sunflower seeds and process until finely ground.
4. Add the cacao powder and salt and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
5. Drain the dates then add them to the food processor and process until relatively smooth. Then add half the cacao and nut mixture. Pulse until the nuts and cacao are mixed in. Then add the remaining 1/2 of the cacao and nut mixture. Pulse until all ingredients come together into a dough like mixture.
6. Press dough unto the prepared pan and set aside.
7. To make the ganache, heat the almond milk in a small saucepan until almost boiling and then remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips and let them rest for 1-2 minutes until they melt.
8. Add the coconut oil and sea salt and whisk until smooth and glossy.
9. Add the powdered sugar and continue to whisk until smooth.
10. Pour ganache onto brownie mixture and spread evenly.
11. Let brownies chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow the ganache to begin to harden. Meanwhile, make the salted caramel sauce.
12. Heat almond milk in a small sauce pan until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add the dates and add sea salt. Let sit for 5 mins.
13. Then add dates and almond milk mixture to a high powered blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
14. Return date mixture to saucepan and bring to a boil, letting boil for 1-2 mins. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
15. Remove brownies from refrigerator and drizzle salted caramel sauce over top of the ganache. Chop pecans and then sprinkle on top of caramel. Return to the refrigerator to cool until you’d like to serve or enjoy immediately. Brownies will keep in air tight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days.