This is a fantastic swoon-worthy no-bake dessert! I was inspired to create these Chocolate Raspberry Rounds after watching Megan Elizabeth’s latest youtube video, Halloween Berry Bat Bites and Ghosties. She combined the beloved medjool dates with freeze dried raspberries. Mind blown!!
Once you taste it, you will understand. The raspberries are super tart and are just raspberries, no extras (like sugar, food coloring, or preservatives) and when combined with the sweetness of the medjool date, it’s kind of like a starburst!
I’m a big fan of that little ‘strata’ one in the bottom right, the red of the raspberry is just so vibrant and beautiful against the cacao chocolate. Who doesn’t love chocolate and raspberry together?
Chocolate Raspberry Rounds
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 2 tablespoons Navitas Naturals raw cacao (or cocoa powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 16 medjool dates, pitted
- 8 medjool dates, pitted
- 1.2 oz Trader Joe's Freeze Dried Raspberries (about 1 cup)
Instructions
- Grind pecans, cacao, vanilla bean powder, and salt in a food processor fitted with the s-blade.
- Add dates and process or pulse until blended. The mixture should hold shape when pinched between your fingers. Empty onto a wax paper lined cutting board.
- Without rinsing the processor bowl, process the 8 medjool dates and freeze dried raspberries fitted with the s-blade. Stop processing when it changes from powder into the shape of a ball.
- Press or roll out chocolate and raspberry layers separately. Place raspberry on top of chocolate and press. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and cut into squares or shapes using a small cookie cutter. Store in refrigerator (would probably keep on the counter for a week too). Enjoy!
Notes
These healthy little treats contain fiber, protein, vitamin C, manganese, potassium, calcium, and iron.
My pictures are not exactly like the instructions because I intended there to be just 2 layers, but I started rolling out the raspberry on top of the chocolate (not separately) and quickly saw it was just smooshing down after a bit. That’s when I changed things up and cut off the edges to form a square. I then used those ‘cut-offs’ to make another top layer that only partially covered the top, hence the cute strata one in the corner. I honestly like the strata look so much that I might cut strips for a top layer next time. So you have options to how you can form these. They could also be pressed in an 8×8 inch pan … I love options!
The yummy chocolate layer.
Wax paper was awesome, it meant I didn’t need to add flour or use water to keep things less sticky.
When watching Megan’s video I didn’t have freeze dried raspberries but happened to see them hanging in the aisle at Trader Joe’s. Win! They just might be in your grocery store’s produce section near the dried fruit and nuts, if not check out Nuts.com. I also didn’t have dried figs so I just used more dates. 😉 Figs sound awesome though.
Taste the raspberry medjool mixture and tell me you are not inspired to make a million new desserts.
You can see it starting to smoosh just a little bit. No smooshing! 😉
Remove the edges and use them to make another layer because why not?
I contemplated making squares here with a knife, but decided rounds would be fun!
Instead of trying to pull the round out of the hole, peel/pull off the ‘in-betweens’, eat the little ones and plate the larger ones.
Enjoy!!