
Raw Chocolate Hempseed Brownies – vegan, gluten-free, superfood
Raw Hemp Chocolate Chip Cookies – Vegan, Gluten Free, Superfood.
So there are chocolate chip cookies and there are CHOCOLATE BROWNEYS! Here in this recipe, we’re talking about cookies filled with so much goodness that you’ll wonder why in the world you should ever eat sugar and wheat sweet things again. It’s true. I get excited easily when I’m in the kitchen whipping up super-nutritious sweet treats. Vibrant, vibrant and incredibly delicious will do it for me every time. Today I’m sharing my hemp seed inspired raw chocolate chip cookies. Raw Hemp Seed Chocolate Chip Cookies – Gluten Free, Vegan, Natural. With refined sugar (like all my recipes) and with nourishing sweetness. For an added element of decadence, I use a dash of maple syrup (which, according to Dr. Ax, is said to contain many antioxidants in addition to its caramel-like sweetness and help protect against inflammatory diseases). Raw or not raw? For this, I often prefer to use raw ingredients (except maple syrup), which are supposed to retain more of their goodness. But if you don’t have everything raw, just use whatever you have available.
About cocoa and cocoa…
It may sound confusing (it confused me at first), but it’s easy once you know the difference. Cocoa powder (spelled slightly differently than cacao) is the name given to ground cocoa beans that have been roasted / heat treated before they become a powder. Cocoa is the name given to the raw materials (which have not been heat treated).
Simply put…
Cacao – raw (the purest form with more nutrients intact)
cocoa = heat-treated (less nutrients and sometimes (not always) chemically processed)
Raw cacao is said to retain more ingredients than the usual heat-treated variety. I also find raw cacao very strong.
However, you could still use organic cocoa powder, which is fairly traded, instead of the raw stuff – just make sure it’s pure and the only ingredient in your tub / packet is cocoa. In some places you can buy something called cocoa powder and find that it contains all sorts of other ingredients like milk powder and sugar – so be careful.
Just make sure that whatever you buy contains only one ingredient – cacao or cocoa.
AND ALWAYS buy organic and fairly marketed varieties.
If you think cacao, cocoa or chocolate isn’t good for you, then think again. In fact, it’s those sugar-laden bars that give chocolate a bad name. If you use pure cacao (or cocoa powder), then we are talking about tons of health benefits. Cacao is packed with mood-boosting nutrients that give us that feel-good factor. It is rich in flavonoids and antioxidants, which have been linked to heart-healthy benefits. Cacao is one of the best food sources of magnesium (necessary for brain health, nervous system health, and strong bones and teeth) and is good for iron.
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I also use hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, and cashews in this raw cookie recipe. They all have amazing food, so you can really be sure that every bite is good for you. I especially wanted to include hemp seeds in this superfood sweet treat because they’re insanely good for you and I’m always looking for great ways to incorporate them into my cooking. I wrote something about the health benefits of cannabis here:
All about hemp seeds – health benefits and delicious recipes
Hemp is one of the most versatile plants on the planet. It’s an amazing gift from nature, it can produce high quality clothing, textiles, paper, food and while we’re at it – you can even build a house with it! As a bonus, it’s also naturally pest-resistant, so it doesn’t require harmful pesticides even when grown under commercial conditions. As a food, hemp seeds have many health benefits. This article explores why you should definitely embrace this amazing superfood
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Basically, hemp is a complete protein (where does it get its protein and all that!!) and has a perfect balance of essential fats. They contain a lot of antioxidants, great for skin disorders, good for inflammation and everything else. I eat them every day.
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One last thing before we make them! If you like this raw hemp seed cookie idea, you’ll love my recipe.
Brownies
Ingridients:
◦ 200g dates (pitted) (1 ¾ cups)
◦ 50g hemp seeds (shelled) (⅓ cup)
◦ 50 g sunflower seeds (shelled) (½ cup)
◦ 100g cashews (¾ cup)
◦ 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
◦ 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
◦ 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or water (optional)
Topping up:
◦ 3 tablespoons of raw coconut oil
◦ 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
◦ 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
◦ 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar
Instructions:
Pulse the sunflower seeds in a food processor until you have a coarse “meal”.
Add cashew nuts and hemp seeds. Grind until you have a rustic meal. It doesn’t have to be very fine like flour, but it should be fairly well ground (a few rustic pieces are fine).
Add the cocoa, dates and vanilla and mix until everything is incorporated.
The mixture may hold together (this will depend on how moist your dates are, which varies from batch to batch and is impossible to tell until you use them).
When you press between your fingers, you should stick together nicely. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to add additional moisture. Add extra moisture by using maple syrup water. You may only need a SMALL amount, so be careful adding it at this stage. Try with a spoon first, then mix again. Press between your fingers again to test, then add a little more dash if needed.
Once you have the right consistency, push the whole mixture very firmly into a parchment-lined dish (I used my trusty piece of loaf for this, although something like this will do).
While you’re making the dressing, pop into the fridge or freezer.
Topping up:
Melt the coconut oil (if not already melted).
Add cocoa, maple syrup and coconut sugar and mix well.
Pour on top of the cookie and then put it in the fridge or freezer (which shouldn’t take long at all).
When the dressing has set, take it out and cut it.
This way it stays in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a few months.
Enjoy!
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