be prepared for a spicy joie de vivre

Ooh, our beloved food of the gods, the xocolatl, the bitter water of the Mayans. Traditionaly cocoa beans were prepared with chili pepper and water, then poured from one cup to another, til a foam developed, not unlike the Japanese ceremony of frothing matcha tea whith a bamboo wisk called chasen. By adding texture to the smell and taste of a brewage, the overal flavor is enhanced.

At one time in history, when the Aztecs conquered the Mayans, cocoa beans served as a currency.

The exchange rate was as follows:
4 beans equaled 1 pumpkin
10 beans equaled 1 rabbit
10 beans equaled 1 lady to stay overnight

Maybe it is time to buy the dip and invest in some cocoa beans again :)

To honor the Mayan tradition, the raw vegan brownies I present today are on the spicy side.

Serves 16

Preparation: 30 minutes
Chill: 1-2 hours

Brownie Base

400 g walnuts
100 g raisins
100 g dates
50 g cocoa powder
1 T Ceylon cinnamon
pulp of 1 vanilla pod
2 T star anise, finely ground
2 T cayenne pepper
1 pinch sea salt
2 T filtered water

presoak the walnuts for 6 hours

First we put the walnuts in a food processor.

dry with a paper towel before

Blend coarse but not too fine and oily.

for additional fun use the pulse function

groated, not pulverized

Add raisins and dates and blend again.

preferably use medjool dates which are fresh, harvested from the date palm, cleaned, sorted and packaged right away

still a nice crumby texture

Next cut the vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a paring knife and scrape the vanilla seeds.

did you know that the vanilla plant is actually an orchid?

Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla seeds, star anise, cayenne pepper and sea salt.

the salt brings out the sweet flavor and tamps down the bitter one if used at the right stage of cooking

Stir well and put into a big bowl.
You should get a sticky but stil coarse mixture.

i made once a dish called eddible dirt which had a similar consistency

Add the water and knead well. Put the dough on a backing pan.

if you use a backing plate, have backing paper on the sides too so you can pull the brownies out later

spread and press the dough on

Icing

170 g honey (or maple syrup, which from an ecological point of view is less preferable I was told)
60 ml coconut oil
50 g cocoa powder

Put honey, coconut oil and cocoa powder into the food processor.

you can stir a little to bind the cocoa powder

Blend into a paste, then pour over the brownies.

with that amount of cocoa you could have lived a prosperous live as a Mayan

Spread the sauce evenly over the brownies with a spatula, then put in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

star anise has antiviral properties, 90% of the world's star anise crop is actually processed into influenza medication

Cut into pieces and top with some cocoa powder through a sieve and anise fruits for decoration.

You can store the brownies for one week in the fridge and for one month in the freezer.

ku méejtech uutsil!

Warm greetings to the hosts @sweetsssj and @healthsquared,
until next time,
Miron

My other love play between cocoa and chili:
Mango Asado com Salsa de Cacao y Pasta de Aji Panca