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If you’re looking for a recipe that is healthy and tastes amazing then try these banana date brownies. This is a gluten, dairy and sugar free brownie recipe. Sweetened naturally with dates and bananas, these are always a hit whenever I make them. The one draw back is that they contain almond flour. So if you have nut allergy you can replace the almond flour with oat.
How to make banana date brownies
This recipe only takes about 10 minutes to prepare. And it’s well worth it to make your sweetener from the dates. The combination between the almond flour, date sweetener, cocoa powder and the banana, creates an amazing flavor!
Buying Dates
I find buying dates for baking to be quite expensive so I always try to get the most affordable option. Personally I find the quality of the cheaper options to be great for baking. I like to purchase them in store if I can find them for a cheap price like what you pay at Aldi’s.
However if not, I found these on Amazon for a good price per pound. And trust me, if you are starting to bake more with dates, you will go through a lot of them pretty quickly! I never worry about them going bad in our house.
How to make a date sweetener
In order to make a sweetener from the dates I chop them and then cook them with some plant milk. This allows me to make a nice date puree without using the blender.
First, I chop the dates and place them in a small saucepan with the plant milk. Then I bring them to a boil for about a minute. After they boil, turn the heat down to low and let them simmer for 2-3 minutes. At this point you should be able to mash them with a fork or a potato masher. Mash them until they are of a fine puree consistency.
Mixing the Ingredients
While the date sweetener is cooling, mix together all of the dry ingredients and set aside. Then add all of the liquid ingredients right into the pot with date sweetener. Mix them together than pour them into the dry ingredients. Fold them together until you have a thick muffin batter. It will be fairly smooth but can still have dry spots. You want don’t mix it too much.
Baking and storing the banana date brownies
Spoon the batter into a greased 24 cup muffin tin. Bake them for about 11-13 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean when they are done and the tops of the brownie’s will spring back up when touched. Remove them from the oven and let them cool
In order to store them, I simply place then into an airtight container and leave them on the counter for up to 3 days. If you want to keep them longer than it’s best to refrigerate them. And they will keep for up to a week.
Brownie Bites
Ingredients
Cook together:
- ¾ cup chopped dates
- ½ cup oat almond or coconut milk (any plant milk works)
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup almond flour*
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 7 TBSP cocoa powder
Liquid ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana mashed about ½ – ¾ cup
- 2 eggs mixed with fork
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 TBSP coconut oil melted
Instructions
- Place dates and plant milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil for about 1 minute and then turn the heat down to low. Let simmer for about 2-3 minutes until they mash nicely with a fork. Mash them to a fine puree with a fork or potato masher. Let them cool down for a couple minutes while you mix together the dry ingredients.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In the small saucepan containing the cooked date/milk mixture, add the rest of the liquid ingredients: mashed banana, eggs, vanilla and the melted coconut oil. Mix them together until well combined then pour the liquid ingredients into the dry.
- Fold together the liquid and dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix. The mixture can still be a bit lumpy.
- Spoon into a greased mini muffin pan (24 size). Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for a minute before removing from the mini muffin tin. Gently loosen using a plastic knife or other small plastic kitchen tool.
It looks so delicious, I’ll try it too. Thank you for the recipe, I am sure it will taste very good.
You are welcome and thank-you! I love them for a sweet healthy snack.