Raw Vegan Chocolate-Orange Christmas Bites

Bring this to a Christmas party and your brownie points will shoot through the chimney.

These little morsels will bring melty, sweet, whole-food goodness to your Christmas Holidays.

Pour yourself a cup of tea, and dip away.

Right now, I’m going through the Raw Gastronomy chapter in my Plant-Based Rouxbe Culinary course. The challenge was to create a raw dessert, and I thought, why should I be the only one to appreciate the taste of my creation? It’s too good not to share with all of you.

Eating whole foods in their raw form does wonders for your body.

Raw, or ‘living foods’ still have the vitality and energy in the food itself. If they aren’t heated over 118 degrees farenheit, their naturally occurring enzymes stay active. Heating foods can deactivate some of the beneficial, vital enzymes, plus destroy other nutrients like minerals, essential fatty acids, and vitamins. So, why not eat as much food in their natural raw form as possible?

Plus, this chocolate sauce is just 3 ingredients! So simple and it works soooo well. The coconut oil is just slightly heated enough to melt into a saucy texture.

Even after freezing for a while, the bottom layer of these bites still stays deliciously gooey.

It’s pretty much cookie dough, that’s packed with nutrients, with hard chocolate on top. YUM.

Benefits:

–Cacao powder is the raw form of dark chocolate. It’s the part with the highest amount of antioxidants (40 times the amount of blueberries). It’s a natural energy booster, mood elevator and is packed with magnesium for your brain and heart health.

–Dates are packed with minerals and fibre. They’re super sweet, but are actually good for you! Pure magic. Your brain, heart and digestive system will thank you. They’re actually a great source of protein, plus they’re packed with vitamin C and D to help your beautiful skin and promote elasticity for the anti-aging effects.

–Coconut has iron, healthy fats and fibre. A bit of coconut will help ward off disease and keep your tissues healthy too.

Ingredients:

Base layer:

• 1  1/2 cups dates, pitted (meaning without pits), soaked in hot water for 5 minutes then strained (if super dry)
• 3/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tbsp orange juice, freshly squeezed

Chocolate sauce:

• 1  1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Steps:

1. Pulse walnuts, coconut and orange zest in food processor until a meal forms
2. Add dates and orange juice. Blend until all is combined
3. Use two small spoons to press mixture into balls then into a mini muffin tin. OR you could also press the mixture into a loaf pan as one large layer
4. Make chocolate sauce: Melt coconut oil in small sauce pan, add maple syrup and cacao powder. Use whisk to mix until smooth and creamy.
5. Spoon chocolate layer over each base layer
6. Sprinkle with shredded coconut
7. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes or as long as you like. They don’t become rock solid!