Dark Chocolate Avocado Brownies
I must confess, I have never been a big fan of brownies. This feeling likely stems from my childhood when I devoured nearly 3/4 of an 9″ x 13″ baking pan full of brownies and suffered the consequences that night. However, that all changed recently. I bought my first avocado (yes, at the age of 31…) ever from a farmer’s stand. Having no idea what to do with it, I searched for brownie recipes and came across this one by SkinnyMs (see credit below). These Dark Chocolate Avocado Brownies are amazing! You don’t taste the avocado at all, and they are super fudgy and rich. AND, they don’t use refined sugar. These dark chocolate avocado brownies have surely won me over, and they will win you over too!
Cut open the avocado. If it’s ripe, it should be dark green near the skin, and light green near the pit. If it’s rotten, the avocado will be separated, stringy, and brown or black in color. One thing worth noting, is that exposing a ripe avocado to the air can also cause brown discoloration. If this happens, you can cut it off and still use it. There is a great post and graphic from Host The Toast that nicely illustrates and discusses this in more detail. Also, it is ok if there are some brown spots on the inside. But, if the avocado is nearly all brown, has fuzzy spots, and/or smells funky, then toss it.
Yes! The most popular way to eat it raw, is to drizzle it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper. A lot of people also like to make avocado toast or slice it up and use it in a Buddha bowl. And then there are people like me, that need it to be more cleverly disguised…like using them in brownies.
Yes! But likely not in the way they are being used here ;). Avocados contain a lot of fiber and healthy fats, which help you stay fuller, longer. They are also a low carb food. Avocados also contain many vitamins and minerals that are important to overall health and proper functioning of your body. For example, they contain about 25% RDA of vitamin K, 20% RDA of folate, and 14% RDA of potassium.
Nope! If it helps any, I cannot even eat a plain avocado. Heck, I can’t even eat it if it’s mixed into Mexican food. But stuff it into a brownie, cookie, or some other type of dessert, and I am all over it. This is a great way actually, to trick your kids into eating avocados.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350F and then grease an 8″ x 8″ pan with shortening and flour. To do this, use a paper towel with a dollop of shortening and wipe it all over the interior of the pan. Then scoop a little bit of flour into the pan and shake it around until all of the surfaces are covered. Discard any loose excess flour in the pan. Next, halve an avocado using an 8″ chef’s knife. Double check that it is ripe inside (see FAQs above). Take the pit out, discard, and then using a spoon scoop out the meat and place into a bowl. Using a potato masher, mash up the avocado.
Step 2. Combine avocado, coconut oil, egg, vanilla extract, and pure maple syrup in a large bowl with an electric mixture. Beat on low speed until smooth. Now, if there’s going to be a picture on my entire website that is going to make people exit out of a recipe, it’s going to be this one. Yes, it looks yucky and it’s a very weird green color. But just trust me on this, and press on! 🙂
Step 3. Add in baking powder, Kosher salt, and cocoa powder. Blend on low speed until incorporated. Ahhhh, much better! Now we are getting somewhere!
Step 4. Add in flour. Blend on low speed until incorporated.
Step 5. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
Step 6. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Step 7. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. …but what exactly is meant by this? In the photo, I am showing two toothpicks: the one on the left corresponds to under-cooked brownies and the one on the right corresponds to completely cooked brownies. If the brownies were over-cooked, you would get a toothpick with nothing on it (which you don’t want!). You want to aim for the toothpick on the right. You can also check doneness by examining your brownies directly. When you take the pan out of the oven, give it a good shake. If the center of the brownies don’t wiggle, then this indicates that they are likely done. Other indicators pertain to how the brownies look from the top. The edges of the brownies where they meet the pan should be a little bit cracked, whereas the brownies in the center of the pan should be un-cracked and have a glossiness to them. If your brownies pass these tests, then double check with a toothpick. Once your brownies are completely cooked, allow them to cool completely before cutting. Store refrigerated in an airtight container. These brownies also freeze really well!
Recipe Video
Pair With:
Dark Chocolate Avocado Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed smooth
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease an 8″ x 8″ pan with shortening and flour.
- Combine avocado, coconut oil, egg, vanilla extract, and pure maple syrup in a large bowl with an electric mixture. Beat on low speed until smooth.
- Add in baking powder, Kosher salt, and cocoa powder. Blend on low speed until incorporated.
- Add in flour. Blend on low speed until incorporated.
- Gently fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Store refrigerated in an airtight container.
Notes
- These brownies freeze really well, if you ever need to make a bunch in advance.
- I have tried substituting extra light olive oil for the coconut oil, and the taste was just a little bit off. I would not recommend this substitution.
Credit: Recipe lightly adapted from SkinnyMs
ARE YOU MAKING THIS RECIPE OR OTHERS? Share your creations with me by posting a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, share it on Twitter, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #thepanickedfoodie.
This is very interesting. I have never tried avocado mixed with chocolate. Since these are two of my favorite things, we will definitely try this soon.
The moment I see the ingredients I waste no time I bookmark this post right away. Avocado and Mapple syrup, they’re my favourite. I am so excited to try this recipe soon.
I love brownies and I love that these are healthy too! I will definitely be trying this recipe.
First time I have read about a recipe like this. The brownies look really moist and divine. I have to try this recipe soon.
That looks pretty darn good. I will have to give them a go but I may sub that flour another time for almond flour.
One thing I know for sure is that I am going to try out this recipe soon. The picture is so drool worthy that I can’t wait more!
Oh, this recipe will definitely be loved by my nieces! I am not a big fan of brownies, but they sure are.
Rated 5! I have never had avocado in brownies before and I never thought it would taste good. But thinking about it, why not? I will defo try this for next batch if I can find some nice avocados in the market. 😀
I like dark chocolates and avocado! I can’t imagine that you can combine them! It’s interesting. I’d try doing your recipe this weekend.
This is such a great idea! It must taste delicious!