To soften the dates: Cover the dates with warm water and let sit for about 5-10 minutes to soften. If your dates are already squishy and “fresh”, you might not need to do this step.

To make the brownies: Place the walnuts and cocoa in a food processor. Puree until you get a crumbly, coarse texture.

Remove the dates from the soaking liquid and squeeze out any excess liquid. Hold on to the soaking liquid! Add the dates to the food processor, along with the vanilla and salt. Puree. Blend until the mixture comes together in a big, sticky ball. If it’s not holding together, it’s too dry. Add some of the date soaking liquid (or water), a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together.

Press your mixture into a square pan lined with plastic wrap to make brownies. If you want to enjoy these as “energy balls” or as chocolate chunks over Banana “Nice” cream, you can roll them into small bites

Line a 8×8 inch square pan with plastic wrap. Remove the dough ball from the food processor. and place in the square pan. Use your fingers to press the dough into a single, even layer in the pan. Cover the top of the brownies with plastic. Place another 8×8 inch square pan on top and weight it down with a few heavy cans.

Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to “set”…or refrigerate overnight.

Remove the brownies from the pan, cut into 16 squares, and enjoy!