Chocolate Covered Brownie Cake Pops that are no Bake (& Shhhh! Raw Vegan!)? Just wait for the children to come running to your refrigerator! In fact, I bet children that aren’t even yours will mysteriously find these. I’m sorry if your fridge gets robbed. I can attest that these won’t last long and you should definitely consider doubling the recipe.
You know those guys that aren’t very verbal about food? It’s more in how they act. This is how I know my husband thought I had a “good” recipe.
Me: There are brownie cake pops in the fridge.
Mr. Wonderful: Mmmmm!
Me: So…how are they?
Mr. Wonderful: They’re good. (nonchalant) They need milk.
Me: (open fridge) Babe…? Where are the cake pops?
I know that those are cookies in the picture, but you get the idea. The picture will tell you that these brownie cake pops didn’t even last 24 hours.
I looked up how to make cake pops since I was curious how most people make them. Apparently it’s a 2 hour process! First you have to bake the brownies or cake, then you have to mix with frosting, roll into balls, then melt the candies. Not only are these recipes horrible for you but they take forever!! Once the walnuts were done soaking, the whole process probably took me about 20 minutes to make…plus I did other stuff while they were getting cold in the fridge. No cooking, just blending, rolling, setting. That’s it! This is so easy and really quite nutritious. Trust me, the kids will never know you snuck walnuts in place of their white flour. Plus, including toppings, this ingredient list is less than 10 ingredients. Pretty sure you have that in just the cake mix on most recipes. 
As always, I am compelled to tell you why you should care about this awesome ingredient list. Though there aren’t any veggies in this one, though you probably could sneak some in the blender if you wanted, there are plenty of antioxidants and health benefits in every bite.
-Rich in the amino acid l-argenine, which helps reduce cardiac risk
-May help prevent breast and prostate cancer as well as decrease growth (see info in this link)
-Has alpha-linolenic acid omega-3 (anti-inflammatories, brain health, cognitive health, anti-aging)
-Has unusual antioxidants that actually “may help prevent chemically-induced liver damage”
-Okay, gotta quote this one directly, or you may not believe me when I say eating nuts may help you LOSE weight!! Who doesn’t like that!? “Adding healthful amounts of nuts such as walnuts to your diet can help you to maintain your ideal weight over time. In one review of 31 trials, those whose diets included extra nuts or nuts substituted for other foods lost about 1.4 extra pounds and half an inch from their waists.10 Eating walnuts is also associated with increased satiety after just three days.”
-Won’t raise your blood sugar
-Lots of B vitamins, especially B-6 (helps with new blood cells)
-Great mineral profile: Potassium (electrolyte/controls blood pressure), copper, manganese, phosphorous, iron, zinc
-lower triglycerides
-protect against macular (eye) degeneration
-Vitamin K (blood coagulant & bone metabolizer)
-helps prevent heart disease and certain cancers
-Fiber: sweeps out your colon
Cacao…I talk about this one a lot, so check out my my Mississippi Mud Pie, Salted Chocolate Cups and Raw Peppermint Bark for nutrition details, complete with charts.
Have you ever see Portlandia’s take on cacao? Maybe it’s because we live in LA and know people like this, but wow! Just wow! It’s definitely inappropriate, so I’ll link it here, but I’m not gonna put this on my site…don’t want anyone telling me their kids can’t go on my site anymore! haha.
Vanilla Extract Don’t buy artificial extract. Why? Because there is antioxidant activity in vanilla extract! My favorite Vanilla Extract is this one here. I used to buy the Nielsen-Massey extract, but nothing is as flavorful as this one. Thanks mom for the intro! I actually buy the 32 oz bottle because I put it in everything! I love flavoring yogurt with vanilla extract and honey…once you’ve had this one, you’ll never go back. *licking lips*
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnuts, soaked
- 1 cup dates, soft-dried and pitted
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/4 tsp fleur de sel (or any salt you prefer)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 0-2 tbsp coconut oil (0 tbsp=cakey, up to 2 tbsp=super soft ooey-gooey)
- 1 tsp lacuma (optional, I used for the vitamin b and the butterscotch flavor)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, measured in the oil's melted state
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut nectar
- 1 tsp lacuma (optional butterscotch flavoring)
- *add a tsp of fleur de sel
- 1 tsp salt unless you are using salt as a topping, then omit & top instead
- 1/2 cup strawberries
- Himalayan or Sea Salt
- Goji Berries
- Coconut Flakes
- lollypop sticks (I got mine at Michael's)
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. If you are using a food processor, use the full 2 tbsp of coconut oil to make it more smooth. If you want the strawberry flavor, add the strawberries in this step.
- Shape into round balls and put in the refrigerator while you make the frosting
- In a narrow container (I used my measuring cup) add all the ingredients and stir until smooth
- Prepare parchment paper on a plate or cookie sheet
- Put a stick in each of brownie balls and dip into the chocolate. Let the chocolate drip off before you set the chocolate.
- Refrigerate for 3 minutes or until the chocolate is tacky. Re-dip and repeat until desired frosting thickness.
- Take the cake pops out and roll or sprinkle toppings on each pop.
- Put back in the refrigerator and leave until you are ready to eat.
Notes
These taste best refrigerated, however, if you are displaying, they should be fine for about a half hour out of the fridge.
I made these without the strawberry puree, but my friend and I thought strawberries would be tasty in it!
Leftover chocolate? Put parchment paper down on a cookie sheet, pour the chocolate on the sheet, sprinkle the coconut and goji berry toppings (or whatever you like) then freeze or refrigerate. Break apart and you now have chocolate bark! Or use any of my other chocolate recipes listed in the cacao part of my post.
In a hurry? Just make the brownie part and you have chocolate energy bites!
Want protein? Add hemp seeds or hemp powder to the brownie for a brownie protein ball!
I have a question for you!!! I’m prepping our guest room for my favorite mom and dad-in-law to be in town next week. We haven’t seen them in awhile and I have to say I am blessed with some pretty awesome in-laws. Still planning what we’ll do when they’re here, any thoughts for amazing things you’ve done in LA? What is your favorite “guest room” item to have when you stay at someone else’s house?
I’m gonna have to eat a whole lot of that garbanzo tabouli to afford this, but luckily this dessert also nutritious, and the tabouli isn’t really a sacrifice.
Thanks again for great food.
Marjorie Stradinger recently posted…The Albrecht’s – Grocery wisdom
Hi Marjorie, thanks for commenting. If walnuts are expensive where you live, are you able to buy them in bulk? I’ve been buying my nuts in bulk for awhile now and it has really helped my budget!
Foodscape recently posted…Chocolate Covered Brownie Cake Pops (Raw Vegan, No Bake)
lol. Mostly meant afford the calories, not the walnuts. But, yes, bulk buying does help for nuts.
Marjorie Stradinger recently posted…The Albrecht’s – Grocery wisdom
Actually, I didn’t mean to afford to buy the ingredients. I mean to afford the calories. 🙂 But it is nutritious and so worth it.
Marjorie Stradinger recently posted…Soon every day will be a Monday
And guess what else I learned about Walnuts………roll drum please……they specifically help cut down on belly fat! yay. I need that right now. These cake pops look delicious and my husband would NOT safe any for the children in the neighborhood who will be goggling these down as fast as their fat little hands can get them out of the fridge. Absolutely love all the ingredients you’ve put in these (not to mention the love!!!). Will be making =)
Totally with you Laura! I will always take less belly fat! Let me know what you think!! And let me know if you had any toppings/purees you added to make them yours. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Foodscape recently posted…Chocolate Covered Brownie Cake Pops (Raw Vegan, No Bake)
These look INCREDIBLE! I would eat them all!
Rachel (LittleChefBigAppetite) recently posted…How I Meal Plan
Thank you so much Rachel! It is absolutely impossible to keep these in the fridge for long…you’ll love them!
Foodscape recently posted…Chocolate Covered Brownie Cake Pops (Raw Vegan, No Bake)
Is there a good substitute for the dates? Dates and figs are the only plant based foods I just absolutely cannot stand. Neither can my significant other. I’d love to make this recipe but I’m not sure what could replace that sweet/binding quality that dates have. Prunes maybe?
Hi Melissa, Hmmm. Prunes or golden raisins would work fine for the texture but I’m not sure how it would change the flavor since I haven’t experimented with prunes. Challenge accepted!
Dates have a light caramel, brown sugar flavor, but I imagine prunes will be a great dark chocolate cousin. Who knows, maybe they’ll turn out even better! Let me know if you try it and like it? Otherwise I’ll let you know when I do!
Foodscape recently posted…Lunch Meal Planning For Work and School Year