When many of us hear the words “aloe vera”, we immediately think of all the topical uses for the special, soothing, medicinal gel: we know we’ve relied on its healing powers in the past when we’ve had particularly bad sunburns.

What many people don’t realize, however, is that aloe vera is a superfood that you can eat. Not only does aloe vera gel contain vitamin B-12 and folate, but it actually hosts an array of essential minerals, including calcium, potassium, magnesium, chromium, sodium, copper, zinc, and selenium. If you’re looking to alkalize your body, aloe vera is a great supplement.

So how do we suggest enjoying this magical plant? Why, by using it to create decadent, raw brownies, of course!

Food Monster App blogger Kyra Howearth has created a comforting, ultra-healing recipe for Raw Aloe Vera Brownies that showcases aloe vera in all the best ways.

The best part about these brownies, other than their fudgy, rich texture and taste, is that they only require four simple ingredients to whip up.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the brownies: 1 cup of sunflower seeds, 3/4 cup of Thompson seedless raisins, 2 tablespoons of cacao powder, and 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel from inside of the aloe vera leaf.

Then, all you have to do is tip your sunflower seeds into a blender, and blend them until they’re fine. Once they achieve your desired consistency, add the rest of your ingredients and blend again until they combine into a dough. After that, you just need to extract your ingredients, place them into either a loaf tray or small rectangular tray, and slice them up into your desired shapes and sizes.

See? Easy peasy! Serve these immediately and enjoy all the delicious benefits aloe vera has to offer in chocolate-form.

If you’re interested in finding some more raw vegan recipes, or are on the hunt for more alkaline foods, then we highly recommend downloading our Food Monster App, which is available for both Android and iPhone, and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. The app has more than 8,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to ten new recipes per day. Check it out!

Lead image source: Raw Aloe Vera Brownies