Raw Christmas Treats Round-Up

Being a grown-up at Christmas can be tough. Before working full-time and taking on the responsibilities that come with getting married and moving to another state, I would have had about ten Christmas treats baked by now, have eaten at least half of them, watched about eleven Christmas movies, and have tins of goodies on all of my family and friends' doorsteps. As of right now I have watched maybe two Christmas movies, made one batch of chocolate covered crunchy peanut butter balls, and have delivered zero goodies to anyone… It changes THIS week. No more putzing around with to-do lists and piles of laundry and cooking. I'm going to let the house get dirty, wear my least favorite socks and shirts leftover when it's laundry day, and bake some darn cookies. All I want to do is hang out with my husband and get fat on the couch with piles of treats while watching movies with little elves and talking snowmen and forget that I am a responsible 24 year old for a few nights. I want to sit and take way too long to wrap all the special gifts we got our family, fill tins of goodies and stand in line way too long at the post office to mail them without a care in the world. I don't care if I still have to show up to work all day for the next five days, THIS IS STILL HAPPENING PEOPLE. I refuse to let another week go by half-committed to this season. (Deep breath.)

Now that I have that off of my chest, here is a little round-up of the healthy, raw versions of my favorite Christmas treats I made last year for those of you looking to watch your refined sugar intake this season (without compromising flavor, I promise these will not disappoint). 

1. Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

2. Peanut Butter & Brazil Nut Chocolate Fudge

3. Mint Chocolate Pudding

4. Snowball Cookies

5. Triple Layer Mint Fudge Brownies

Raw Triple Layer Mint Fudge Brownies

These brownies and me go way back. The fudgy, decadent, brownie with two sugary fudge layers topping it off would always send my taste buds to the moon. Not to mention there is a mint layer of fudge in there - don't even get me started on how much I crave mint and chocolate together this time of year! Therefore, I thought it made sense to include a healthy, raw recipe of these in my Christmas-treats-gone-healthy series this season. I have two words for the raw version of these brownies - OH MY. These not only compete with the real thing in flavor, but may be one of my favorite raw desserts of all time. I said it. Really creating a lot of hype I know but I have fallen in love. Here is to nutritiously eating our way through the holidays without missing out on one darn thing.

Ingredients

Brownie Layer
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
2-3 tablespoons raw agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon of water

Mint Layer
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup dried coconut (shredded and unsweetened)
1 tablespoon raw honey (raw agave or imitation honey work too)
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (in liquid form)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (or peppermint oil)

Chocolate Layer
1/2 cup raw cacao
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil (in liquid form)
2 tablespoons raw honey or agave

Prepare an 8x8 inch pan for your brownies by lining it with parchment paper, and brush any exposed pan areas with some coconut oil. Combine the cashews and almonds for the brownie layer in a food processor and process until it resembles a coarse meal. Add in the raw cacao and pulse to incorporate. Now add the agave and cinnamon. Process until well combined and crumbly. Add a tablespoon of water and process until it starts whirling around the bowl in a ball. Transfer the mixture to your prepared pan and press out evenly, creating your brownie layer. Clean out your food processor bowl and blade.

Make the mint layer by processing the cashews and coconut until they resemble a coarse meal. Then add in the raw honey (or raw agave or imitation honey if you do not eat honey), coconut oil, and 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract/oil. Process this mixture well until it becomes smooth. Taste and add additional peppermint extract/oil if desired. Then spread the mint layer on top of the brownie layer.

Lastly, make the chocolate layer for the top by combining all the ingredients listed for the layer above, and pouring it on top of the mint layer. Make sure it coats the entire top evenly, and then wrap the pan in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before slicing. Store the squares in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to consume.