Because I’ve been getting quite a lot of requests lately for healthy dessert recipes and because I had a pound of organic prunes that needed to be used up, I decided I would develop a gluten free prune cake recipe.
After a string of successful and not so successful prune cake experiments, I had a different, yet satisfactory result: Chocolate Prune Bars. All in all these are basically fudgey prune brownies. Whatever they’re called, I like ’em.
In fact, as I drove home from a lunch in Denver this afternoon, I was thinking about eating one of these little Paleo/primal friendly treats. Prunes or no prunes, a chocolate dessert recipe is a chocolate dessert recipe, and when it’s an easy dessert recipe that tastes good too? Well there’s nothing better than that! I walked in the door grabbed a chocolate prune bar and it was as good as I had recalled.
So here I am sharing it with you all. And don’t be afraid of prunes, they’re just another dried fruit, and are actually the dried version of European plums.
Chocolate Prune Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup prunes, pitted
- ½ cup apple juice
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon stevia
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place prunes and apple juice in a saucepan over medium heat
- Gently simmer for 10-15 minutes until just a little apple juice remains and prunes are plump
- Meanwhile, pulse eggs, oil, vanilla and stevia in a food processor
- Pulse in coconut sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda
- Remove prune mixture from heat and place in food processor, then pulse until combined
- Pulse in chocolate chips (they may melt a bit due to prune mixture)
- Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish
- Pour mixture into baking dish
- Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes
- Cool and serve
If you want to make this dessert into a chocolate prune cake, bake it up in a , which should work just fine. I tried this in one of my test batches, though can’t recall how long I baked it for so if you do so please leave a comment for all of us with your baking time.
Now, a brief commentary on the ingredients in this recipe. You will notice that rather than agave, I have chosen coconut sugar as the sweetener for this recipe (if you do want to make it with agave, feel free, however I’m not sure how much it would need, or if it would actually work as I haven’t tried it myself). I also used coconut oil (of which I am a huge fan) rather than my staple grapeseed oil (feel free to experiment with your oil of choice).
Finally, a little bit about prunes, or “dried plums” as they are often now referred to. Prunes are a very tasty and healthy food, full of unique phytonutrient antioxidants, potassium and soluble fiber. So don’t be shy, grab yourself some prunes, or try to hide them in this deliciously chocolatey dessert and fool your children, big and small.
More healthy recipes with prunes:
–Chocolate Prune Truffles
–Fruit Pudding
–Roasted Chicken with Olives and Prunes
What are your feelings when it comes to prunes? Like? Dislike? Or don’t care? Leave a comment below with your prune history.
Deliciously Organic says
Oh, wow. These look really good. Can’t wait to try them!
Karen says
For those of us who react to stevia (horrible reaction), how much sugar (more palm sugar?) would we use? I am fine with agave, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar… Stevia makes me viciously ill.
Adrienne @ Whole New Mom says
Hi Karen,
I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind sharing what your reaction to stevia is and what brand you use. I thought I was reacting to it, but now I think it is perhaps something else.
I have heard from several stevia manufacturers that reactions to stevia can come from the brand used and the processing.
Thanks in advance!
Cheryl says
This recipe sounds wonderful and I have a carton of prunes just taunting me every time I open the pantry door.
On the stevia, is it liquid or powder?
Thanks for your wonderful website.
Anne Fischer Silva says
So glad to see you using coconut oil and coconut sugar instead of agave and grape seed oil! I would love to see more recipes like this! Thanks, Elana!
Ashley says
We (including all of our kids) love prunes. Can not wait to try! I’ve been wanting to try palm sugar just forget to look every time I go to whole foods.
J says
Liquid stevia, right?
MaryK says
If you click on the NuNaturals Stevia link Elana provides, you’ll see it’s liquid. :)
Elaine says
Yum, thank you!
Ginger G says
… love ’em – remind me of my Mumsey who would put them in saucepan, add thin slices of lemon and then cover with water about an inch above and simmer till plump.
Susan M. says
At what stage do you add the palm sugar? When you combine the eggs, oil, vanilla, and stevia in the food processor? Thanks, Elana..
Reiko says
Step 4 :)
Christine @ Nourish the Budding Lotus says
I love prunes! And I am excited to try out this recipe. It looks delicious, and quite simple to put together! Thanks!
Erin L. says
Can we use more coconut sugar instead of adding the stevia? I ask because my husband can only have coconut sugar.
Also do we have to use Celtic sea salt or can we use other sea salts?