Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies (in case you missed 'em the first time!)

I am not vegan, and nor do I ever plan to be.  But I think it's a good thing to try new recipes and expand my repertoire.  What I sometimes find difficult about making specialty recipes is the ingredients--they can be so hard to find unless you live near a specialty food store.  I don't have the time to "shop around" for specific, obscure ingredients.  Maybe I will someday.  But right now, with 2 little ones in tow, if it's not at my Hannaford or Market Basket, I'm probably not going to buy it.  So I took a recipe for vegan chocolate brownies and altered it--using only easy-to-find ingredients and adding peanut butter!  Who doesn't love a chocolate-peanut butter combo?!?!  :)

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies (No Bake!)
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup organic, unsalted sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups dates
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 - 2 tsps vanilla
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Process the peanuts in a food processor until fine.

Add the seeds and dates and process until fine and sticky.  Add the powder, vanilla, and salt and pulse until combined.  Evenly press the mixture into an 8 x 8 baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Place in the freezer while you make the peanut-butter sauce or for 10 minutes.  Remove from freezer and pour the peanut butter sauce (recipe follows) over the brownies.  Return to the freezer for 20 more minutes.  (Overnight is fine, too.)  Remove from freezer and cut into squares. 

Bethany's Peanut-Butter Sauce (vegan)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup vegetable/soybean oil
1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
1/4 cup almond milk (plain milk is fine if you're not making a vegan version)
1 tsp vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and vegetable oil over medium-low heat.  Whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the peanut butter and almond milk.  Continue to whisk and cook for another minute or until all incorporated.  Remove from heat, add the vanilla and stir.