Raw Brownies with Chocolate Pepppermint Glaze (Vegan, Gluten Free)

I love mint and chocolate together. It's quite possibly my favorite flavor combination. I had been wanting to make a peppermint brownie recipe for awhile now and finally got around to it last week. My original plan was to make it from my nut butter brownie recipe using almond butter instead of peanut butter and adding peppermint extract. But when I went to make them I was suddenly inspired to make them raw instead and I am so glad I did. 'Cause guys, these brownies, they're good.

Plus they're made with only wholesome ingredients. Nuts, dried fruit, oats, cacao and coconut oil. It's a brownie you can feel good about. Yup, I just said that. This is a healthy brownie that does not taste like crap. And don't even think about skimping and leaving out the glaze. It's what makes it, plus that's where all the mint flavor is. So do yourself the favor, take the five extra minutes and dirty a couple more dishes and make that glaze. You deserve it.

Raw Brownies with Chocolate Peppermint Glaze
Makes 1 loaf pan.

For the brownie:
-2 cups raw pecans
-1 cup rolled oats
-8 dates
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-Pinch of sea salt
-2-3  cacao

Place the pecans and oats in a food processor and pulse until it becomes a uniform consistency, it should look like a coarse flour. Add in the dates, vanilla, sea salt and cacao and pulse until it creates a sticky dough.  Scoop out the dough and place it in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Press the dough firmly until it evenly covers the pan. Place it in the freezer. Time for the glaze!

For the glaze:

-1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

-2 tablespoon raw agave

-1 1/2 tablespoon cacao

-1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients until they are evenly combined. Remove the brownies from the freezer. Slowly and evenly pour the glaze over the brownies, use a rubber spatula to even it out if necessary. Return brownies to the freezer, be sure they are on a flat surface otherwise all your glaze will end up in one side. Allow brownies to chill for 15-20 minutes or until the glaze has hardened. Remove from freezer a minute before serving to allow it to thaw slightly. Enjoy your brownie guilt free. Just try not to eat the whole pan, but if you did it wouldn't be the end of the world.

What's your favorite flavor combination?