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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