Monday, February 22, 2016

Clean No Bake Samoa Brownies

I am OBSESSED with Samoa Girl Scout cookies and it is that time of year again!  There is no eating just one and I could polish off a whole box in one sitting.  Of course I allow a few of them because they do only come around once a year (thank goodness) but when I saw a recipe on Facebook for Samoa Brownies, I knew I had to think of a way to clean them up.  I thought back to my Clean, Four Ingredient, Raw Brownies and knew I could use that as the base and the rest is history. Even I gave myself a pat on the back for this one!  Enjoy!

Clean No Bake Samoa Brownies
















Ingredients

For the brownie layer:
2 1/2 cups pitted dates
1 cup almond flour
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 Tbsp raw honey

For the caramel layer:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup raw coconut palm sugar
1 cup light coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Dark chocolate for drizzle (80% or higher, I used 1/4 of a 3.17oz bar for macro calculations)

In a food processor, add dates and pulse until they turn into a "dough" like consistency. Add almond flour, cocoa powder and honey, process until all ingredients are incorporated.

In a 8" square baking dish, lined with parchment paper, firmly press the brownie "dough" evenly, filling the entire bottom of the dish. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more.

While the brownie is setting, prepare the caramel. In a small pot, add water and sugar, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium/high and add coconut milk, vanilla and salt. Continue to boil, stirring consistently, for 15 minutes or until caramel begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and allow to fully cool. Add shredded coconut and set aside until brownies are done. The caramel may not completely set up like "normal" caramel, but it will become thicker as it cools.

When brownies are done, add the caramel/coconut mixture evenly over the top. Microwave the dark chocolate in a microwave safe dish for increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between, until it is completely melted. Drizzle over the top of the brownies. Let the brownies set for an additional hour in the refrigerator and enjoy.

Nutritional information
Serving size: 1 square (when cut into 16 squares)
Calories: 208
Fat: 9.3g
Carbs: 30.2g
Protein: 6.6g