These no bake brownie balls don't require any baking but taste just like traditional brownies: soft, fudgy and a little chewy. They only need 3 ingredients and don't require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil.
1.5cups (222g)pitted Medjool dates, weight and measurement is after pitted
3/4cup (72g)unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
2cups (316g)dark chocolate chips, see note
Instructions
Add dates to a food processor and blend until a mostly smooth paste forms. A few small specks of date skin in the paste is okay but you want the paste to be mostly smooth. You will need to scrape the sides of your food processor a few times with a spatula to help the processor mix and blend. If your dates are a little old or dry, soak your dates first before using them to rehydrate them. See notes for more details. If your dates are soft and moist, you do not need to soak them.
Once you have a smooth paste, add in 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, reserving the rest. Blend the cocoa powder and dates until you have a uniform mixture with the consistency of a soft dough. Test the consistency of the mixture. If it is too sticky and wet, add more cocoa, 1 tbsp at a time, and blend until your mixture is workable. You want the consistency so that the mixture is sticky enough to roll up into a ball, but not so sticky that it is going to stick to your hands.
Scoop 1 tbsp of filling and roll between palms to form a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and place into the freezer to freeze the balls, about 15-30 minutes or until frozen solid.
Meanwhile, add 2 cups of dark chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and heat in 15-30 seconds, stirring in between with a spatula, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate on the stove using the double boiler method. If your chocolate is too thick, stir in melted coconut oil, 1 tsp at a time, until you have a chocolate that has a thin enough consistency for coating/dipping smoothly and easily. How thin the chocolate consistency is will depend on the brand you use.
Using your preferred dipping tool, dip and coat each ball into the melted chocolate, letting the excess chocolate drip off. Place the coated balls back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. If desired you can garnish with chocolate drizzles or salt. You can let the chocolate set at room temperature or in the fridge. Store leftover balls in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
Dark chocolate note: If you need the brownie balls to be dairy-free and/or refined sugar free, make sure to choose a chocolate that is dairy free and refined sugar free. I like using Hu dark chocolate chips.* They also melt with a very thin and smooth consistency, perfect for dipping without the need for any added coconut oil.
Some dark chocolate brands will be very thick when melted. If this happens, you can add a little melted coconut oil to thin it out.
Dates note: If you are using an older package of dates or your dates seem dry, you will need to rehydrate the dates. To rehydrate them, soak them in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Then drain out the water and thoroughly pat dry the dates with paper towels. Then add dates to food processor to make the date paste.
Weight and measurement for the dates is after they have been pitted. I used whole dates and removed the pits. I find that dates that have already been pitted are usually more firm and not as soft as whole dates with the pits. I used Joolies Medjool Dates*
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Estimated nutrition assumes 1 cup of chocolate used because not all of the chocolate ends up on the brownie balls.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.