I’m with Roseanne Barr. I don’t know why people hate PMT. It’s the only time of the month when I can actually be myself.
These pecan brownies contain zinc, a fancy mineral our body needs to manufacture hormones. Think of hormones as the call centre for mood, and for hundreds of other intricate biological processes inside the body.
We’re told that a deficit in zinc can result in hormonal imbalances, sharpened fangs and many code red situations.
I figure making brownies is considerably cheaper than attending a psychotherapist.
Zinc is also important for our front line defences. Without it, our immunity wheezes. Sometimes it can be easy to tell you have a deficiency – scrapes or bruises will take longer than usual to heal. Sound familiar? If you’re worried, always contact your GP or dietician.
Me? I tuck into these badass brownie bites. They contain very few ingredients and don’t require an oven or brain cells. Score.
Probiotic Brownie Bites
This raw brownie recipe was first published in my Sunday Independent column five years ago. It has since done laps on the international blogosphere, and features in many hip cookbooks. Fly my pretties, fly!
(P.S. yez can find bags of cheap medjool dates in Halal stores. Otherwise, you’ll be shelling out £3 per dozen in regular supermarkets).
2 cups pecans or walnuts (we use Lidl, top quality)
1 teapsoon probiotics (optional snazz, we use Udo’s)
9-12 medjool dates (regular dates won’t work)
Good pinch of sea salt flakes
6-8 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder
Using a food processor, pulse the nuts and optional probiotics until they are crumbly.
Add each medjool date down the food processor chute, one by one, while the motor is still running. It’s important to bin the stones first, and to check for black dust. If you find that dreaded powdery black stuff, stop the motor, discard the date and any dates it happened to socialise with, then wash your hands thoroughly and proceed as usual. Black dust is a sign of plant mould and occurs with one in every sixty medjools in my experience. Gah!
When all the medjools have been added, spoon in the cacao or cocoa powder. A generous pinch of sea salt flakes is all that’s required now. Give it one last blast in the food processor. Pinch the brownie ‘dough’ together with your fingertips. It should stick like gum.
Scoop into a pre-lined loaf tin. I use baking parchment. Press down firmly with the back of a spoon and freeze. After 1 hour, remove from the freezer, chop into bite sized brownies, and return to the freezer in a glass or plastic container. This is where they will live until beckoned. The idea is to eat them straight from frozen. You’ll soon understand why.
Makes a lavish snack, which is what all snacks should be.
Taking the hell out of healthy.
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9 Comments
Do you use powdered probiotics or oils for the brownies?
Powdered probiotics – there’s a link in the ingredients list for you to check out 😉 Good luck!
Would the metal blade of the food processor be ok with the probiotics?
And would you recommend soaking the Medjool before use?
I\’m going to try these today 🙂
Hi! Medjool quality varies, so I find I need to soak Supervalu’s medjools, but not the ones I buy at farmer’s markets (better quality I reckon). And the probiotics don’t really meet the blade – too much content in the bowl at this stage 😉 You can use it as “icing powder” though instead, which I prefer to do (only it sounds a little wanky so I left that bit out!) Hope this helps!
i\’m crap I cant find medjool dates anywhere (loads at christmas time but not at the mo) I have two bags of normal dates – is there a big differnce?
Hi there – in this recipe, yes! Sorry to say! But in other recipes like flapjacks, no. You can just soak regular dates in hot water for 5 minutes to plump them up. Supervalu have medjools now (woohoooo) so I hope you get your mitts on some soon 😉 This recipe is outrageously good. xx
Some or most of the Middle Eastern or Mediterranean shops have medjool dates all year. Hope this helps?!
Oh my goodness, these have become a regular in our house… my hubby also suffers with PMS occasionally, (his own words when he’s feeling glum for no reason!) and these always work a treat. Thanks Susan.
So happy to hear that. You just made my evening brighter! x