Chocolate Avocado Brownies

I bought avocados last week to make some guacamole for taco night. Well, taco night came and went, and my avocados were still sitting in the fruit basket. I forgot to use them, and they were ready to be used. 

Meanwhile, my family was hankering for me to make a treat. I'd taken a break from treat-making since the new year, and they were starting to forage (eating chocolate chips right out of the bag, melting marshmallows on crakers, etc).  So I tried to find a brownie recipe that called for avocado. Sound crazy? I thought there HAD to be one. I made a chocolate mousse with avocados as the base a few years ago from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook that was incredible. Surely someone had incorporated avocado into brownies. 

Well, my search didn't turn up much in the way of brownies. I found some chocolate puddings and cupcakes, and some layer-bars. But I was hoping for brownies. So I decided to give it a go myself.  And I'm so glad I did! I made brownies (using avocado!) that have what I consider to be the perfect brownie consistency: slightly crispy on the outside; dense, moist and chewy on the inside (but not under-cooked). These were a crowd-pleaser AND a mommy-pleaser! My kids were getting all kinds of hidden nutrients as they gobbled them up!

Here's the recipe: 

Chocolate Avocado Brownies

Makes 24 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup avocado puree (about 3 medium avocados)

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat!)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, but milk is fine if you prefer sweeter)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat avocado puree with cocoa powder. Add eggs and beat at medium speed just until mixed. If you are using a stand mixer, use the paddle/cookie dough attachment from this point on. 

3. Mix melted butter with white sugar and add to avocado mixture. Mix in brown sugar and vanilla.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to wet mixture and stir well. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips. 

5. Spread evenly in prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips on top. 

6. Bake 20 minutes. Serve warm or cooled. Perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

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Canning Peach Salsa

Peaches are here! So many uses, so little time! One of my favorite ways to use peaches when they are in abundance is in Peach Salsa! 

I made some last year, but the recipe didn't include tomatoes. We had tomatoes to use this year, so with my neighbor (and partner in canning/crime), we came up with a delicious new recipe! It is just the right combination of spicy, savory, and sweet. Chunky and rich in flavor--you will love it!

First peel and chop peaches. Ours were so ripe, I just peeled them with my fingers right out of the crate.  If your peaches aren't so easy, here is a great method from Our Best Bites.

Then, chop tomatoes. I recommend Romas or some other more-meaty, less-juicy variety.

It already looks so pretty, huh?

I used my hand-crank food processor to chop all the peppers, onions, and garlic. I still chopped the cilantro by hand. Add all these ingredients, along with lime zest and juice to the tomato and peach mix.  Then, stir in 1/2 cup of sugar. 

Put your pot on the stove over medium-high heat.  While you are waiting on it to boil, mix 4 tablespoons of fruit pectin and 1/2 cup sugar. Once it boils 3 minutes, mix this into the pot, stirring well. Let it boil 3 more minutes. 

Ladle the hot salsa into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head-space. Wipe rims, and set sterilized lids on each jar. Screw on rings to finger-tight. Process in a waterbath canner: 10 minutes for pints, 15 minutes for quarts.  

Let them cool on the counter, then store in a cool, dry place.

I love eating salsa I have canned throughout the cold winter months! And peach salsa is such a rare-find.  You will love serving it to family and guests through the holidays!

Peach Salsa (Canned or Fresh*)

Makes 10 pints

Ingredients:

14 cups peaches, peeled and chopped

6 cups Roma tomatoes, chopped

2 red bell peppers, chopped

3 cups sweet onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped/minced

1 cup jalapeno pepper, chopped

3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1.5 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon lime zest

1 cup sugar-divided

4 tablespoons powdered fruit pectin

Directions: 

1. In a large stock pot, mix tomatoes, peaches, bell and jalapeno peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, salt, lime juice and zest.  Stir in 1/2 cup of sugar. (*If you are making fresh salsa, add full cup of sugar and refrigerate until ready to use.)

2. Place pot on stove over medium-high heat.  Stir together remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and fruit pectin.

3. Bring salsa to a full boil.  Boil 3 minutes, then stir in sugar and pectin mixture. Return to a boil for 3 more minutes. 

4. Ladle hot salsa into prepared canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head-space. Wipe rims, apply sterilized lids and rings. Process in a water bath canner--10 minutes for pints; 15 minutes for quarts.  Remove and let cool.  Store for 1+ year. 

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Peach Fruit Leather By-The-Foot

Millions of peaches...peaches for free...

Okay, I didn't get them for free--just on a good sale.  But I was so excited to make something with them.  And this fruit leather has been a hit around here! 

My kids LOVE Fruit By the Foot, Fruit Roll-Ups, fruit snacks--so much so that I rarely buy them. I joke that they are like crack in my house. If my kids know any of these items are in the house, that is ALL they want to have for snacks until they are gone! And they are mostly sugar. Not really a health food.

Well, these fruit snacks ARE healthy.  No refined sugar. Packed with real fruit. And yummy! They actually taste like peaches! Mmm, mmm. 

Here's how to make 'em: 

You'll need: About 10 medium peaches and 1/3 cup of honey; cooking spray, plastic wrap, and cookie sheets with sides.

1. Follow the directions to peel peaches found here on Our Best Bites. 

This process is an AWESOME time saver. 

2. Remove the stones from the peaches, and put the peeled halves in a blender with 1/3 cup of honey.

3. My 10 peaches made about 6.5 cups of puree. I kind of wanted to pour some on ice and just drink it. It looks tempting, huh?

4.  Cover a couple of walled cookie sheets, with plastic wrap. Make sure it is firmly over each edge. Spray it lightly with cooking spray, then pour the puree on to the pan, spreading it until it is 1/4 inch thick everywhere.

5. Place in an oven set to 175-200°.  Bake for 6-8 hours.  You can do this overnight, but I suggest the lower temp, longer cooking if you are leaving it unchecked.  Otherwise, check it at about 5 hours. The liquid content of peaches varies, so yours may take less or more time, depending on how juicy your peaches were. 

6. Remove from the oven when it is the texture of a fruit roll-up--sticky but not wet. This is what it will look like when you remove it from the oven.

7. Once it has cooled, roll it up with the plastic still on. Cut the roll into 1-2 inch pieces. I did this using a pair of kitchen scissors. A sharp knife would work as well. 

These are easy grab-and-go snacks. I store all of them in zip-lock bags in the pantry. Now my kids can snack on REAL FRUIT all they want to!

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