Deliciously Rich Avocado Brownies

Prepare yourself to be sending your taste buds on whirlwind of deliciousness!

In fact, if you’re dieting, one may think you’ve fell off the wagon.

When I first heard about avocado brownies I was skeptical. Green avocados mixed with chocolate made me think of something out of a Dr. Seuss book! Then I realized, replacing butter with these heart-healthy fats is a healthier options and pretty creative to be honest.

Most of us have only had avocados in the most amazing dish ever created, guacamole! However, the uses for avocados are endless. For example, a sandwich spread, a creamy sauce for pasta or vegetables, and even topped with an egg in the oven. Now that the low fat craze and misleading facts about fats are behind us (very sad for us dietitians to learn about) people are becoming more intrigued by these majestic, green beauties.

I eat avocados almost everyday whether it is for breakfast with an egg scramble or later in the day with a salad. In dessert however, this is a first! The kitchen is slowly becoming my second home as I share with you my cooking adventures. Baking? It is still a complete mystery to me and part of that is due to fear. For the upcoming New Year, I hope to explore more in the baking world and learn about the basics behind it.

BROWNIES ARE TRENDY AGAIN!

There are so many varieties out there today. Of course, avocado, but there are also sweet potato, beets, and black beans sneaking into brownie batter (these will be my next brownie adventure!).

After exploring the internet, most recipes for avocado brownies used melted chocolate and up to a cup of sugar. I really wanted to cut down on the sugar since the chocolate chips were sweet enough, and in reality, we do not need so much sugar in our diets.

I decreased the amount of granulated sugar by using all natural maple syrup in addition to the recipe. If you prefer cake-like brownies, I would add in an extra egg. These brownies are fudgy and with less structure as I used only a 1/2 cup of flour.

These brownies can be gluten free if you substitute almond flour for the whole wheat flour. To make them vegan, use flax eggs for the whole eggs, and be cautious with the chocolate chips (make sure you use dark chocolate). I hope you enjoy these avocado brownies and good luck not eating the whole pan at once!

Feel free to swap in different toppings such as nuts or seeds, dried fruit, or even coconut shreds. These brownies are good for up to a week in the refrigerator or a few months in the freezer.

2 medium, ripe avocados skin and pit removed (halve the avocado and scoop out with a spoon)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup raw granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt or pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or cacao nibs

Preheat oven to 350 and set aside a lightly greased 8 x 8 baking dish.
In a food processor, add the avocado, maple syrup, and sugar. Blend well. Then add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well so that all of the ingredients are blended together. Make sure to scrape the sides for any remnants.
Gently add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa and mix well.
Turn off the processor and remove the blade. Stir in the chocolate chips using a spoon or spatula.
Spread the batter into the pan evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until done. Test the middle of the batter with a knife or toothipick to make sure nothing sticks.
Remove from heat and let cool before cutting into squares. Enjoy!

OMG! I’m In Chocolate Heaven!

I think I died and went to chocolate heaven.

I’ve seen so many recipes for Brownie Pudding out there in internet land – but I have yet to see one like my grandma’s. Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen any ‘vintage’ recipes for brownie pudding anywhere really.

I remember eating a bowl of this fresh out of the oven with a big ol’ scoop of vanilla ice cream at my grandma’s house for breakfast. Yes, I said breakfast. I also said I was at my grandma’s house. If I were at my mom’s house, I would have been eating bran flakes for breakfast which I would subsequently run like a banshee from the dining room to flush down the toilet the instant my mother was preoccupied.

Anyhoo.

Back to this marvelousness at hand. Old Fashioned Brownie Pudding.

My Grandma’s Old Fashioned Brownie Pudding recipe is a chocolate lover’s dream. Warm, rich, fudgy chocolate with a thin ‘brownie edge’ crust. Only 6 simple ingredients too! INCREDIBLE!

This is a chocolate lovers dream.

The center is warm, fudgy, rich, & decadent – and the very top forms a nice crusty ‘brownie’ edge.

I can’t even find the words to describe to y’all how good this one is. You’re just gonna have to trust me on this! If you like warm, rich chocolate – this is the recipe for you. It certainly helps that everything you need is super basic, which is one of the greatest things about vintage recipes – you may even have everything you need on hand to make this right now.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 stick of melted butter (cooled slightly), 3 eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, & 2 cups of sugar.

Whisk in 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Batter will be thin & may have pinpoint little lumps. Don’t worry, those will even all out!

Pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

OLD FASHIONED BROWNIE PUDDING

1 stick butter, melted & slightly cooled
3 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, evaporated milk, sugar, & vanilla extract until combined. Now – whisk in the cocoa powder. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish.
Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

COFFEE BROWNIES MADE WITH REAL COFFEE!

I say if you’re going to put coffee in brownies, don’t be shy about it. Don’t try to hide a bit of coffee in there to “heighten the chocolate.” Nonsense. That’s not heightening the chocolate. That’s just adding a little coffee.

Am I coming off as opinionated? Probably. But that’s OK, because this is my blog and I get to do what I like with it.

When it comes to my brownies, it’s either no coffee, or lots of coffee. And although other coffee brownie recipes may use instant coffee granules or extracts to add a coffee flavor, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to use real coffee in these coffee brownies.

The trick is to add coffee without adding too much water (too much water makes brownies cake-like). To do that, I’m going to use a method I’ve employed once before to make fresh mint infused brownies. It’s a way of infusing the butter with the flavor before incorporating the butter into the brownie batter.

As you can see, I’ve been on a real coffee kick lately.

These coffee brownies are brilliantly made with real coffee infused into the ingredients. No instant coffee or extracts! Just pure, delicious java!

Now that we’re all set for coffee in every possible way, let’s make some coffee brownies!

Coffee Brownies

12 tablespoons unsalted butter plus extra for the pan
1/2 cup ground coffee
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350, then rub butter all over the inside of a 9 inch cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment. (If you don’t have parchment, butter the inside of the cake pan very generously to prevent sticking.)
In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat until it is very hot but not bubbling. Add the ground coffee, stir in, and remove from heat. Let sit for five minutes.
Strain the butter through a very fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Press down on the butter soaked coffee to extract as much butter as possible. Once it is strained, you’ll notice that the melted butter is brown and has very tiny particles of coffee in it.
Add the sugar, vanilla, sea salt, and eggs plus yolk to the butter, then whisk thoroughly to combine. Add the cocoa powder and flour, then stir until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. Let cool to room temperature on a rack, then slice and serve.