Raw Walnut-Cacao Chunk Brownies with "Cream Cheese" Frosting
Dense, fudgy no-bake brownies packed with chunky walnuts and dark chocolate, topped with a thick, tangy cream cheese frosting, shredded coconut, and crunchy cacao nibs. Rich, satisfying, and ready in minutes, with no oven needed.
Yield: One 8x8 pan, 16 squares · Active: 25 min · Total: 2–3 hours, mostly setting · Year-round (walnuts are harvested in fall in California) · Best eaten: midday or early afternoon
Ingredients
Walnut-cacao brownie base
2 cups walnuts, divided
1½ cups pitted Medjool dates (about 18), soaked 10 minutes in warm water if dry
½ cup raw cacao powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
⅓ cup 100% cacao chocolate, chopped into chunks (or cacao nibs)
1–2 tbsp water, only if needed
"Cream cheese" frosting: choose one
Option 1: Cashew "cream cheese" (dairy-free)
1½ cups cashews, soaked at least 2 hours, then drained
¼ cup full-fat coconut cream
3 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
2 tbsp melted coconut oil or cacao butter
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (for that cream cheese tang)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Option 2: Classic cream cheese
8 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp grass-fed butter, softened
2–3 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
To finish
⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tbsp cacao nibs
Method
Make the base. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment, leaving some hanging over two sides. Roughly chop ½ cup of the walnuts and set them aside for chunks. Pulse the remaining 1½ cups of walnuts in a food processor to a coarse crumb, stopping before they turn into nut butter.
Add the dates and cacao. Add the dates, cacao powder, vanilla, and salt, and process until the mixture is sticky and holds together when pressed. Add a splash of water only if it's dry.
Fold in the chunks. Pulse in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chunks just a few times, so they stay in big, chunky pieces.
Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the pan, and freeze 20 minutes.
Make the frosting.
Cashew: Blend everything in a high-speed blender until completely silky, 1–2 minutes. Taste and adjust the sweetness and lemon.
Classic: Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy, then beat in the honey, vanilla, and salt.
Frost and finish. Spread the frosting thickly over the base, then scatter generously with shredded coconut and cacao nibs, pressing them in lightly.
Set. Refrigerate 2 hours, or freeze 1 hour, until firm.
Slice into 16 squares with a hot, dry knife, and serve slightly chilled.
A note on “raw”: Every cashew sold has been heat-treated to remove the caustic oil in its shell, even when labeled "raw," so "raw" here means no-bake. Raw honey stays truly raw, since nothing in these brownies is heated. Raw honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months; use maple syrup instead if little ones will be eating it.
Storage: Refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week (up to 5 days with the classic cream cheese frosting), or frozen up to 2 months. Let frozen squares sit 10 minutes before serving.
Love brownies? For a baked version, try my Grain-Free Collagen Brownies.
Nourishment Notes
Walnuts — the richest nut source of ALA omega-3s, plus polyphenols, magnesium, and copper.
Medjool dates — potassium, magnesium, and fiber, with deep caramel sweetness.
Raw cacao and 100% chocolate — magnesium, iron, flavanols, and theobromine, a gentle stimulant.
Cacao nibs — fiber, magnesium, and a satisfying crunch.
Cashews — magnesium, copper, and zinc.
Coconut — fiber and lauric acid, a medium-chain fat.
Grass-fed cream cheese and butter — calcium, vitamin A, and K2.
Raw honey — enzymes and trace minerals, kept intact in this no-bake recipe.
As a circadian treat, these brownies land best at midday or in the early afternoon, when your body handles sweets most gracefully in daylight (and the cacao's theobromine won't interfere with your sleep).
Sourcing
Walnuts — organic, ideally from California, kept in the fridge so their delicate omega-3 oils stay fresh
Medjool dates — organic, soft, and plump
Raw cacao powder and cacao nibs — organic, and ideally tested for heavy metals
100% cacao chocolate — organic, single-origin, and tested for heavy metals (a 2022 Consumer Reports investigation found concerning levels of lead and cadmium in many dark chocolates)
Cashews — organic (every cashew sold has been heat-treated, even "raw" ones)
Cream cheese — organic, full-fat, cultured cream cheese from grass-fed cows, with no gums or stabilizers (check the label)
Grass-fed butter — organic, cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows
Coconut cream, coconut oil, and shredded coconut — organic; Native Forest Simple coconut cream comes in BPA-free cans; unsweetened, sulfite-free coconut
Cacao butter (optional) — organic and raw
Raw honey or maple syrup — organic, local, and unfiltered raw honey, or organic Grade A dark maple syrup
Lemons — organic
Vanilla — organic pure vanilla extract with no added sugar
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall