Chocolate morsels, red roses and champagne - a few of the many things we love about Valentine's day. Enjoying this special day can be difficult when you have dietary restrictions and allergies. At Kardish, we understand that not everyone can eat milk chocolate or cupcakes made with wheat flour. Try this delicious, allergy-friendly recipe by nutritionist & plant-based chef, Amy Longard!

Raw Brownie Bites by Amy Longard

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hemp hearts

1/2 cup raw, unsalted pecan pieces

1/2 cup raw cacao powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

20 pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine the hemp hearts, pecans, cacao powder and salt in a food processor. Pulse for about 10 seconds or until you’ve created a finely ground mixture.

Add half the dates and the vanilla extract to the food processor and process for about 15 seconds. Then add the remaining dates and process for another 15 seconds or until mixture is fairly smooth and begins to clump into a large ball of brownie dough. Transfer the brownie dough to mixing bowl and roll out approximately 20 little balls.

You can enjoy your brownie bites right away, but I suggest storing them in the fridge for an hour or so to allow them to set and harden a bit. They can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Note: if your dates are very hard, you can soften them a bit by soaking them in warm water. Drain off the water and then follow the instructions as listed above.