How To Make Pana Chocolate's Raw Sticky Date Brownie

You know those indecisive moments when you absolutely cannot pick between making sticky date pudding or brownies? We have those moments, too. Thankfully, healthy chocolatiers and raw dessert experts, Pana Chocolate have combined the two in a dairy, soy, gluten and refined sugar-free recipe. You’ll get the same great taste, without the bloat and sugar-rush.

This raw sticky date brownie is full of crunchy walnuts and smothered in a thick butterscotch sauce. The refreshing coconut ice cream provides a little lightness and balance to this sweet and lavish dessert.

Sticky Date Brownie

Serves: 4–6

Time: 25 minutes preparation, plus 12 hours dehydrating time

Equipment: food processor, 20 cm × 20 cm (8 in × 8 in) brownie or cake tin, dehydrator with mesh tray

Ingredients: 
50 g (1¾ oz/½ cup) desiccated coconut
6½ medjool dates, pitted
50 ml (1¾ fl oz) filtered water
1 tablespoon lacuma powder
pinch of Himalayan pink salt
4 tablespoons nut flour
2 teaspoons cacao powder
25 g (1 oz/¼ cup) activated walnuts, roughly chopped
BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
100 ml (3½ fl oz) Brazil nut milk (see page 184, or use store-bought)
50 g (1¾ oz) cacao butter, melted
120 g (4¼ oz) coconut sugar
4 tablespoons lacuma powder
TO SERVE
1 quantity coconut ice cream

Method

1. Line your cake or brownie tin with baking paper.
2. Blitz the desiccated coconut in a food processer until very fine, then set aside.
3. Pulse the dates, water, lacuma powder and salt in a food processor or high-speed blender, leaving the mixture slightly chunky. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the blitzed coconut, along with the nut flour and cacao powder. Massage together with your hands until all ingredients have been incorporated, then fold through the chopped nuts. Press the mixture into the tin to mould it into shape. Pop the mixture out of the tin and place it on a mesh dehydrator tray. Dehydrate overnight at 40°C (104°F).
4. For the butterscotch sauch, whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Store in the fridge until needed, or use straight away.
5. Cut the brownie into four to six portions and serve with coconut ice cream and butterscotch sauce.

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This is an edited extract from Pana Chocolate, The Recipes by Pana Barbounis published by Hardie Grant Books RRP $36 and is available in stores nationally.

Photographer: © Armelle Habib