Engagement announcements, marriage announcements, and pregnancy announcements are taking over my facebook newsfeed. Every time I blink, another of my friends gets married. This past Saturday I attended my third bridal shower in the past eight months, which is nothing compared to one of my friends who has gone to two bridal showers and five weddings since January! She says she’s beginning to feel like the main character in 27 Dresses.
For Saturday’s shower, I wanted to make something simple yet elegant, which is how these bite-sized coffee cream brownie cups came into existence:
Alternate filling ideas: chocolate mousse, frosting shots, cashew cream, my ice cream recipe or my banana pudding recipe (or any ice cream or pudding recipe).
Coffee Cream Brownie Bites
Mousse:
- 1 cup raw cashews or macadamia nuts(120g)
- 1.5 cups (360g) over-ripe banana (Banana-Free Version: Omit banana. Add milk of choice until a mousse-like texture is achieved. Add extra sweetener to taste.)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp instant coffee granules (regular or decaf – I used Mt. Hagen)
- pinch pure stevia extract, or 3 tbsp sugar of choice (dry or liquid)
- 1 1/2 tbsp water or milk of choice (omit if using liquid sweetener)
Brownie Cups:
- 1 cup raw almonds (120g)
- 1 cup pitted dates (115g – about 15 small dates)
- 1/3 cup raw walnuts (30g)
- 1/3 cup cocoa or cacao powder (28g)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp water
For the mousse: Put the nuts in a cereal bowl with enough water to cover them. Let soak 4-6 hours. Drain completely and pat dry. Mash the banana (if using), and measure out the 1.5 cups after mashing, then combine all ingredients in a high-quality food processor or Vita-Mix, and blend on high, scraping down the sides occasionally, until a completely-smooth consistency is reached. (It can take up to 10 minutes in a food processor; much less in a Vita.)
Make the brownie cups: Combine the almonds, walnuts, dates, cocoa, and salt in a high-quality food processor. (Using a blender or vita-mix will yield sticky results and will have trouble processing.) Process until mixture turns to small crumbles. Add no more than 2 tbsp water to achieve a slightly-sticky dough, then process again until it sticks together in one big ball. Break off pieces with your hands and mold along the edges of mini muffin cups, pressing down in the middle so that a cup shape is formed. Freeze 20 minutes, then fill with the mousse. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top each mini tart with Vegan Cool Whip if desired. Makes around 20-21 brownie tarts, and you’ll only use about half the filling but it’s best to make a bigger serving for smoother blending. With the extra filling you can either eat it as mousse or make another batch of the brownie tart shells.
Link of the Day:
These sound delicious! I guess wedding month would/should be partially determined by what kind of wedding one wants to have. If you want it outside, have it in a warm month. If you want a silly Valentine’s theme, have it in February.
Having gotten married in July, I am partial to summer weddings, but there is something SO cozy and romantic (and sparkly!) about a winter wedding. If I could do it all again…. 🙂
I love that these cups are so versatile! I want to try them with chocolate mousse! I got married in January and it turned out to be perfect. The weather was cold but I was running around all day, I liked it! Plus, everyone looked great! We weren’t having to deal with looking super hot and sweaty with frizzy hair from humidity. My pictures turned out perfect because of it! But ultimately I think it comes down to when the right time is for the couple. When you know it’s right, why wait longer than you want to just to marry in your ideal month?
I’ve been reading your blog and making your recipes for a while, but this is my first comment I think. Your recipes are great, a success each time. I just have a question, though. I never seem to be able to get cashews creamy smooth. I have a decent 100w blender and I let it go at it for 20+ minutes, I have tried soaking them about 8 hours but still no luck. Do you have any tips for me? I wish I could get a Vitamix but unfortunately we don’t get have brand over here. Thanks!
I meant 1000w, not 100w 😉
This is straight from Miyoko Schinner’s FB page: “Who’s having trouble getting their cashews to get really creamy? Skip the soaking and burning out your blender trying to get them creamy – use raw cashew butter instead! About 4.5 ounces equals a cup of raw cashews, and you don’t need to soak.”
Thanks!! I just saw this comment yesterday and tried a recipe with homemade cashew butter this morning, and it worked VERY well.
Success! Happy to hear this worked for you! Thanks for sharing.
Hm I think spring is the best time to get married too, or fall. I live in the mountains and a lot of people choose the fall for outdoor vineyard-type weddings. Not so sure about those winter weddings though! Your cups are so chic! Almost too pretty to eat 🙂
Recently started reading your blog and have since been trying out your recipes and enjoying catching up on prior posts. I’ve made the protein fries 3x, the blondies 4x (once w/ butterscotch chips and once w fesh cherries which were yummy but added a lot of moisture) and the deep dish choc chip pie 2x. Loving everything!
My hubby and I were married in October. Fall is our favorite season and we wanted to share everything we love about fall w our guests. We invited everyone to join us for a 5k the morning of our wedding, an apple festival over the weekend, and held a gorgeous outdoor celebration surrounded by changing leaves. Finding a fall themed cake was hard. We looked for decorating ideas and there were lots of spring flower themed cakes but few fall. We finally found a photo of a cake covered in edible berries and leaves that a local baker recreated.
We’ve had a number of friends schedule weddings around events (Disney marathon, etc…). Some of the most memorable weddings I’ve attended have been those where guests were invited to participate in numerous activities throughout the weekend. So, I suppose the timing of the wedding was more about an event that represented the couple’s interest.
Absolutely Delicious..one again
i really appreciate how consistent you are with posting frequently with quality pictures and simple recipes! keep up the awesomeness!
These bites look too addicting! I love the combination of coffee and chocolate!
As for best wedding month, I would think sometime when there aren’t a lot of other holidays going on. Maybe late spring or early summer.
WOW these look amazing i’m gonna have to try them. How do you come up with such great ideas?