This is what happens when two roommates are bored on a Monday night:
Brownie batter happens.
Just to be clear: Lentil stew also happened Monday night. We didn’t only eat brownie batter for dinner. Although that might have been fun…
By popular demand, what follows is a sugar-free version of my Dark Chocolate Brownie Dip.
Emily and I liked this version, but I haven’t actually tried it on any of my other friends yet. So if you’re planning to bring it to a party with people not used to healthy-tasting desserts, I’d stick with the original decadent dip, linked above. (Or taste-test the following version before serving it to others. Then again, I think you should always taste-test before bringing a dish to a party!)
No-Sugar Brownie Batter Dip
Inspired by the Sugar-Free Cookie Dough Dip
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained (250g)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- up to 2 tbsp milk of choice
- 1/4c nut butter of choice (or oil, if you don’t want any nutty flavor)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- a little over 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 and 1/4 cup pitted dates (I used SunMaid, from a regular grocery store)
- optional: feel free to add flaxmeal or quick oats
In a bowl, cover the dates with 1/2 cup water. Let this sit for at least 8 hours. Then add all ingredients (including the dates’ soaking liquid) to a food processor and blend until very, very smooth. It tasted much better in a food processor than in a Vitamix, so use a blender at your own risk. To make this taste more like brownie batter from a boxed mix, use dutch-processed cocoa or Hersheys special dark. This dip can be served as a dessert dip, as a spread with fruit or crackers, eaten with a spoon, mixed into oatmeal, stuffed into cupcakes, or even used to top pancakes.
If you wish, you can add some Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips.
Link Of The Day:
I really want to make this tonight is there anyway I can soak the dates for less then 8 hours? I’m craving a desert that is sugar free and chocolate full!
xoxo,
Madeline
It depends on the dates you have… if they’re already soft (like Sunmaid), it should be ok to just do 3-4ish hours. But some dates are much tougher.
I had medjool dates and I only soaked them for around an hour and it still turned out amazing!! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
I have microwaved mine and that also softens them up quickly. =0)
Ok,i know i can get this info on google and so on,but i think it’s best to ask the “inventor” of these recipes.Can you please please tell me how much a cup is?I don’t mean exactly,maybe…compared to a water glass or tablespoons or anything. I’ve tried one of your recipes already and it turned out yumy althout i’m not sure it really turned as it should:))) I am really new at cooking and ever more at making it vegan…and thanks for posting great recipes!
Sorry, I’m not exactly sure what you mean… how much what? A cup is 16 tablespoons, if that’s what you mean :).
Don’t dates have fructose in them? Yes, it’s much healthier than a dessert with a big glob of refined sugar, but it’s not technically “sugar-free” if they do because fructose is a sugar. And it’s really not if you add a banana as at least one person suggested. That little nit-pick aside, you have some of the most amazingly creative, yummy-licious recipes here. I’m an unapologetic carnivore and ‘health-conscious’ is a phrase that isn’t used often in conjunction with my name, but, I do love chocolate (and foods with surprising ingredients) so I am actually looking forward to trying some of these out. If I like them, it can only be a win-win, right?
Hi Renae,
When I say “sugar-free” I mean free of the white stuff, or even agave, maple syrup, or other added sugar (as opposed to naturally-occuring sugars). Even things like vegetables and milk have naturally-occuring sugars ;). Sorry for the confusion!
This is fantastic! I used a combination of almond butter and coconut oil, and it was delicious!! I spread it on a big stack of almond flour pancakes today.. so decadent and nutritious to boot! 🙂
Hey Katie, I really love your blog and recipes! I did want to comment though that it is kind of misleading when you label a recipe as sugar free but include bananas or dates in the recipe.. Even though your not putting processed sugar in the mix, it still has sugar! Maybe sugar free versions can include stevia?
Hi Katherine,
A few other commenters actually have been posting about this in a different post. Here’s the thread if you’re interested: https://lett-trim.today/2011/09/27/new-recipe-sugar-free-cookie-dough-dip/#comment-139200%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I made this with a very ripe banana (and half a not-as-ripe banana) instead of dates, and I added flaxseed meal.. YUM!
Al, you are smarter than me. Dates are 8 bucks a pound FFS. Four of the little suckers cost me 2, Geez-ass. I have not bought dates in a year, so maybe it was time but a the texture and sweetness of both is probably similar enough to make for a suitable substitution. As this my first time making the dip, I did not want to distract from the chocolate flavor, and I thought the banana might do that, but in the future I will try the banana.
To Ms. Katie,
Do you use whole dates? Do you use already chopped dates (from Sun-Maid)? The pre-chopped variety was all I could find in my local grocery store’s baking isle. The only whole dates I found were in the produce section and they were wicked expensive. I only bought four, that could be 1/4-1/3 of a cup. I am going to supplement with molasses, which may go well with the chocolate.
I use Sunmaid whole dates… but maybe the pre-chopped ones could work too?
Feedback:
Oops. Anyway, I decided not to use most of the soaking liquid from the dates. That may have been a mistake as the “dip” came out with the consistency of a spread. I used chocolate hazelnut butter (not Nutella, actually hazelnut butter) and added a tablespoon of molasses to make up for the lack of date-soaking water. The taste was fine but it lacked the “pop” of chocolate that I would expect from actual brownie batter. I picked up the hazelnut and the vanilla was really strong. I melted some 90% chocolate and added that. I thought it might loosen up the consistency but it may have had the opposite effect. So the texture is kind of dry and chunky (like a spread); and, there is not a very strong chocolate flavor (like actual brownie batter). Any advice you may provide would be helpful.
Unfortunately, I definitely wouldn’t have gotten rid of the soaking liquid… :-?.
Maybe add a little almond milk?
Wow! So good, my kids all have happy chocolate covered smiles thanks to Chocolate Covered Katie! I didn’t soak the dates (just not organized enough) but the vitamix dealt with them just fine, and I upped the liquids.
Hey Katie! I’ve been stalking your blog for a while now, but this is the first time I’ve left a comment. Just wanted to let you know that I SO appreciate your tasty inventions! I tend to eat really healthily… until it comes to desserts… so I am loving the the creative genius of your healthy desserts! I’ve also been spreading the word to friends and family!
As a side note, I made this recipe tonight and used raisins instead of dates, bc I only had raisins. Same proportions and everything, as well as the soaking water, and it turned out great! 🙂
Thanks for making me smile, and glad to know that the raisins worked. 🙂