You’d never guess these ULTRA chocolatey brownies are flourless, date-sweetened, vegan, and paleo. Perfect base for a sundae or dessert all their own!
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY SO DELICIOUS DAIRY FREE. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.
What an unfortunate chore it was to have to make decadent flourless brownie bowls and force myself to fill them with creamydelicious scoops of vegan ice cream in fun new flavors and feel obliged to top them with rainbow sprinkles. Such. A. Burden. And to “clean up” the melty messy post-photoshoot leftovers…I don’t know how I got through.
But real talk. I am so jazzed to share both these crazy good new So Delicious flavors and this brownie recipe with you, I don’t even know where to begin. And the amount of ice cream I have consumed in the past 24 hours has absolutely nothing to do with my currently over-excited semi-incoherent brain. Nothing.
If you know me or have spent anytime around these internet parts in the summertime, then you know I am pretty into (read: OBSESSED) with ice cream. And I have tried just about every vegan brand I can get my hands on. I haven’t met many pints I don’t like, but So Delicious is one of my all time FAVORITES.
But oh friends! These five new flavors just took that love up to eleven – killing it. It would be unfair to yourself and your tastebuds NOT to visit every grocery store freezer section until you find them and buy all five. I think my favorite part is that they aren’t the usual cookie dough or mint chip. They are unexpected, but not too crazy. Just unique enough to have me like: Why haven’t I been eating peachy maple pecan ice cream all my life?
And the purple one ♡ I didn’t know I could love a pint of ice cream as much as I love this blueberry cardamom coconut milk ice cream. If I could sign up for a never-ending supply I would boot everything else out of my freezer in an instant (who really needs frozen cauliflower anyways?) and fill it with nothing but. That pint is my ice cream spirit animal.
But in all ice cream fairness, let’s do this flavor by flavor…
- Cold Brew Coffee. The kind of BOLD flavor that you just know you shouldn’t eat this right before bed. (Morning ice cream? Twist my arm.) But perfectly sweet too, and I can vouch for it’s deliciousness with chocolate toppings.
- Toasted Coconut Key Lime. This one is disappearing alarmingly fast, citrusy ice creams aren’t easy to find but I love the tangy-sweetness. Not my favorite with the brownies, but with granola on top it’s quite possibly better than pie.
- Chocolate Drizzled Bananas Foster. I mean just that title and you know it’s going to be good, am I right? Banana, vanilla, chocolate, and no shortage of chunky mix-ins. I am a big fan of the cashew base too.
- Peachy Maple Pecan. I did not see this flavor coming but YESSSS. It’s like butter pecan with a fruity kick and a side of pancakes. I do wish there were a few more pecan chunks though.
- Blueberry Cardamom. Just pure purple perfection. Don’t even bother with toppings, this magnificence does not need a single thing.
And the texture of all of them is hella creamy and lush. Perfectly scoop-able without having to let it sit out for the longest 10 minutes of your life. Thank you So Delicious. Sincerely, all the impatient ice cream lovers everywhere.
More info on these new flavors (and a coupon!) HERE.
The brownies. Slash bowls. Slash they are actually muffins. I am just as smitten with these as I am the blueb cardamom because they are…
- flourless
- date-sweetened
- only 7 ingredients
- easy!
- rich and moist and fudgy (but not mushy)
- vegan, gluten-free, and paleo
- blowing my mind
How so few and healthy ingredients can create something so decadent with impeccable texture and ice cream holding ability I don’t even know. Sundae style or just straight up chocolate snack style – you will be amazed!
Ice Cream Sundae Brownie Cups
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 brownies 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
You’d never guess these ULTRA chocolatey brownies are flourless, date-sweetened, vegan, and paleo. Perfect base for a brownie sundae or dessert all their own!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (180g) pitted medjool dates
- 1/2 cup (120g) nondairy milk
- 1/2 cup (130g) almond butter (or any nut/seed butter)
- 1/2 cup (45g) cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- So Delicious Dairy Free ice cream in your favorite flavor!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Combine the pitted medjool dates, nondairy milk, and almond butter in a blender. Blend until no date chunks remain.
- Add the cacao powder, baking soda, vanilla, and salt. Blend until combined.
- Grease your muffin pan with coconut oil or use muffin liners. Divide the batter into 6 muffins, filling about 3/4 of the way.
- Use the back of a spoon (or your fingers!) to make a depression in the center of each.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350F.
- Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan. If they won’t come out easily, gently slide a dull knife around the outside and they should pop out.
- Top with whatever ice cream and toppings you love. Enjoy!
- Keep leftover brownies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownie cup
- Calories: 232
- Sugar: 21g
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 6g
Keywords: chocolate, baking, dessert, vegan, paleo, flourless, gluten-free
[nutrifox id=”30869″]
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Thank you So Delicious Dairy Free for sponsoring this post!
This looks amazing! Dates are sugar is sugar, so is there an option that might lower the sugar content of this recipe without too much compromise? i.e. applesauce or…? Thanks!
You can try applesauce, but I can’t guarantee it will work without testing it myself so you will have to experiment 🙂
I’ll give it a try and report back! Cheers! Thanks!
Carol
I made these this morning using 1/2 c. dates (soaked in hot water for a few minutes) and 1/2 cup homemade, unsweetened applesauce, instead of 1 c. dates. Absolutely amazing–decadent! and, according to My Fitness Pal calculations), cut the sugar by half–down to 10.8g/cupcake and 18.8g Carbs/cupcake…
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Great idea, I’m so happy it worked! Thanks for sharing Carol 🙂 Happy weekend!
Carol, thanks for testing that for us! I follow a low carb diet, but I had a bunch of dates left over from an event and I didn’t want them to go to waste. I made the posted recipe (as mini muffins, baked 10 min) and was very impressed. Tomorrow I’ll make the half applesauce recipe to go in the freezer.
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I am so happy you liked them and made good use of those lovely dates🤗 I hope the applesauce batch turns out just as good, I will have to try that soon too!
So chocolatey. These are amazing. Thank you
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I was amazed with how delish and perfectly texture the brownies came out🙊 Let me know if you give them a shot, Rachel!
Omigosh! Your brilliance strikes again!!
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I was soooo surprised adn excited with how those brownies turned out🤗 Thanks Lori!
I can’t get over the fudgy decadence of these! What a fabulous idea to make them brownie cups for the ice cream, omg. You know I’m not a date fan, but with all that cocoa powder mixed in, I wouldn’t even detect a date, lol! I buy them for Olivia but have really been wanting to dive into trying them more for desserts since they are so healthy. It will be a challenge for me, lol. I just love the taste of maple syrup so much! But these are definitely a good kick in the butt to try! Ok, that ice cream, the coffee brew, omg, my favorite all-time ice cream flavor is coffee and that looks so good. What is the ice cream base, cashews or coconut?? I much prefer cashew based since coconut (the full fat) tends to really upset my tummy. Or maybe it’s all the sugar,hahahaha! I’ll definitely have to try these out for Olivia since they are so healthy! She would love them I bet! I love desserts that are on the healthier side for her. Awesome recipe Natalie!
If you started posting dessert recipe with dates in them…omg my life would be complete because i KNOW they would be epic!! Ha I feel you though, maple syrup is damn good and easier too. I’ve actually been re-embracing coconut sugar lately even just because it’s actually not a zillion dollars like the other two😜 The cold brew is coconut milk. I really love the cashew ones too, although with these flavors you can’t taste a difference. Interesting that coconut milk bugs you, just in ice cream form or full fat in other stuff too? Well I guess you will just have to make your own cold brew ice cream then😊😊 Happy weekend Brandi!
Is the brownie cup moist on the inside? I cannot wait to try this. Seriously.. 🤗
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Yes very! But not mushy at all 🙂
Yeyyyy just what I’m looking for!! Can’t wait!! 😘
I am on a SERIOUS MISSION to find all of these delicious flavors of ice cream! Can’t wait to top all the flourless brownies (thanks for another epic recipe), cookies, and every other dessert with multiple scoops. I love bloobs and cardamom so I predict that will be my favorite as well! Oh, and I really want your job – there’s no such thing as too much ice cream testing =)
I feel like we need some dramatic theme music or something right about now for this VERY important mission haha! But honestly since you are a bloob fan too I recommend you do not rest until you get your hands on that bloob-cardamom pint. Mine is long gone and I miss it already😥 I don’t think I could ever get tired of ice cream either💙 Happy weekend girly!
Can I use normal pitted dates instead of medjool ones for this? Thanks! 🙂
Sure! You will need more dates since they are smaller, so just go with 1 cup packed or by the weight measurement 🙂
So, when I saw the email come through for this recipe, I almost ran to the kitchen to make them right away…but then I decided to be nice and wait to make them so I could share with my parents. That’s exactly what we did today!!! Minus those mind blowing ice cream flavor combos 😭 peachy maple pecan?!?! Seriously??? And blueberry cardamom…oh, man. I need both of those in my life! Ok, but the brownie cups…OMG. OMG!!!!!!!!! There almost wasn’t any brownies because I couldn’t stop eating the batter! Notice how I didn’t even try to pin it on Willow? 😉😂 I’m not kidding when I say you don’t really need to bake it because the batter is a delicious, decadent treat on its own 😍 But I stayed strong and managed to get six (albeit smaller😆) brownie cups and we all topped it with ice cream and DEVOURED them. Our only complaint is that it didn’t make more because I’m pretty sure we all would have gone back for seconds! These are seriously so amazing and I’m so glad I stocked up on dates this last Costco run because now I can make them again later this week…or tomorrow 😉 Hope you had a fabulous weekend, my friend! ❤️
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Wahooooooo!! You just made me so so happy and painted the most fun delicious sunday ice cream party with the whole famjam mental image in my head🤗 You have no idea how happy I was when this recipe worked–finally i don’t have to pick a dang flour for once! lol That’s the hardest part of recipes lately though. Idk how nut butters can make for such a cakey texture, but it is pure magic and I am all about it. Ha I cracked up at the not pinning it on Willow this time part😂 Hmm so now I am thinking back to all the past times you did and wondering who was the true culprit…🤔 Anywho, thank you for the positive vibes for my monday and I wish you a most wonderful week too❤️
When I was making these my blender didn’t want to blend the dates up well it just made a weird sound, I have the vitamix 7500 any tips?
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What size blender container were you using, the full size 64oz? Using a small container if you have one would help. And how runny was your almond butter? It is a little bit thick to blend, sometimes a lower speed for longer works better than high speed. And stopping to scrape down the sides a few time helps too. Or if your dates were really dry you can try soaking them in the milk first and then adding it all to the blender with the AB. Hope that helps!
I have Barhi dates on hand – do you think they would work, or be too sweet? I’ve never had medjool, so I can’t compare.
Well I’ve never had Barhi dates so I can’t compare either, but they are not overly sweet so I think it will be fine 🙂
They pretty much taste like butterscotch. Maybe too sweet…
I think that will still be fine, sounds delicious actually 🙂
Fabulous! What could be better than Brownie and Ice-Cream!
Right?! The perfect hot + cold, fudgy + creamy combo 🙂
Do you think I could use a food processor for this recipe? I don’t know if my blender is powerful enough
Yep, that will work too! Just let the dates process for a while so there aren’t any big chunks left, and soaking them first (in the milk you are going to blend them with so you don’t add too much extra moisture) may help too 🙂
I just made these tonight and they are AH-mazing! How did you make this recipe so decadent but healthy? I am amazed everytime with your recipes! I’m trying to save these for the week but want to eat them all! Thank you Natalie and keep on being your creative self.
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These surprised me even, so honestly I don’t know ha! Thanks for the kind words and good luck pacing yourself 😀
Hi Natalie,
I made this recipe and I’m obsessed with it. It is so delicious and healthy I love it.
Thank you very much for sharing it with us.
Hugs,
Laura
★★★★★
YAY!! I am so so happy you liked the Laura 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
Again thank you very much for your recipes I have cooked many and I love them all.
Please keep sharing your gift with us!
★★★★★
So. My husband devoured his muffin in two bites!! This is “Mr. Picky” himself! Thank you for another healthy winner my friend. So glad I found you on IG!🤗
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Oh my gosh these look AMAZING Natalie. I could eat like, ten of them at once. I get the So Delicious ice cream at Whole Foods and it’s a favorite in my house 🙂
10 seems like a very reasonable number😂 I mean gotta try it with every different flavor of ice cream to be sure you find the best one, right?
Hi! This looks so amazing! Would it work to put the batter in a pan? I want to double the recipe to feed company, wondering if I could put it in a pan and what size?
Yep, that will work too! I would try an 8×8″ pan or smaller, otherwise they will come out quite thin. Hope that helps!
Hey, Natalie, if I wanted to bake them as traditional brownies, in a pan, how long would I bake them for?
In a square brownie pan they will probably take 35-40 minutes, but check them at 30 just in case!
OH MY GOD! Natalie, these brownies are honestly the best I’ve ever had. Even my family who are picky eaters said that they were better than any brownies they’ve ever had. After making the first batch, I had to make another batch, this time with double the amount. So, three batches in total. I reduced the cacao powder because I felt like it would be too intense and replaced a scant 1/4 c of it with oat flour just in case any was interested … 😊
★★★★★
Wahooooo!! That is amazing to hear, what wonderful feedback🤗🤗 Ha three fudgy batches strong and hopefully many more in the future. And very good to know that the decreased cocoa powder was still yummy too, they are quite chocolatey as is. Thanks Cynthia!
I would give this a million stars if I could! I’ve tried many vegan, gf, date-sweetened brownie recipes but this is the first to turn out like a real brownie. It’s so delicious. Thank you thank you!
★★★★★
Woohoo!! That is amazing feedback, I am so happy you liked them Sarah 🙂
Hi Natalie, it’s Cynthia again! If I wanted to make these into blodnies, would I sub the amount of cacao powder for oat flour? Do you think that would work? Crazy, I know, to replace brownies but I just LOVE the texture of these sooo much! Perfectly fudgy yet also not fudge.
That could work! I haven’t tried it personally so I can’t say what the texture will be like. I do have a similar recipe that I used coconut flour + tapioca starch to make a non chocolate version based on those cups here: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/coconut-flour-donuts/ And you can make them in a muffin pan too!
Oooh! Are they as fudgy as these brownies?
Not fudgy so much, but the texture is equally wonderful if you ask me 🙂
Hi Natalie, These brownie cups are seriously the BEST! I’ve probably made them 2 dozen times now for gatherings, travel snacks and, of course, just me. They are so easy and so darn delicious!! I wanted to mention that I used Bare Smooth Barney Butter and the consistency of the brownie cup was just like I remember from the days of eating gluten. Fudgey, soft and super chocolatey! Your recipes are my go to for almost any treat I make now. Thank you for sharing all this goodness with all of us!
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Jennifer you have no idea how happy that makes me to hear🤗🤗 I absolutely adore these too, they are just so easy and that texture is magical with the dates + nut butter. I’ve had that nut butter before, it’s awesome and such simple ingredients! I appreciate the feedback and the kind words–honored to be your go to❤️
Natalie these are AMAZING! I don’t normally leave reviews but I just HAD to for this one. I’ve been testing many brownie recipes over the past few years in attempt to find a nutritious brownie that is also indulgent enough for me (i love dark chocolate!) & I think this will be my go to recipe from now on!
I used a weighing scale for mine, used whole organic cows milk (I’m not vegan & that’s all I had) & perfect!
I added a little piece of dark chocolate to the centre of each one.
According to my fitness pal, with the ingredients & measurements I used this works out as around 12g protein per brownie, 6% of your days calcium needs & a decent 17% of your days iron requirements! I’m slightly low on iron so very happy with that! (RDA based on requirements of a 20something yr old female)
Thank you once again for sharing your delicious yet nutritious recipes with us !
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Whoa this is high praise! I am THRILLED to hear that you liked them so much and may have just found your brownie😊😊 And thanks for sharing the stats too. I hope you enjoy many more delicious brownie batches to come, thanks for the feedback!