Avocado Brownies

Avocado Brownies. Let’s take a moment to let those two words sink in.

Are you picturing the creamy texture and nutty flavor of avocado, mixed with deliciously moist and chocolatey decadence of brownies? Because that’s basically what you get when you put the two together in these delicious avocado brownies.

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If there is one thing you should know about me as a cook it’s that I LOVE to find ways to hide fruits and vegetables in my dishes. I like to think of it as a health benefit with no one being any wiser. I like finely dicing kale and hiding it in meatballs. Or shredding zucchini and hiding it in turkey burgers, breads, or muffins. And I love hiding avocado in these brownies.

My mom hates avocado. It pains me to say that since I’m such an avocado advocate. But I made her these brownies and she had no idea there was avocado in them until I told her. And she was mystified at how that could possibly be.

Oh, it be.

Why You’ll LOVE Avocados

Avocados Are Nutrient Dense. Avocados are incredibly nutrient-dense. They are loaded with healthy unsaturated fats that keep you full. They also help support skin health, aid in absorption of many vitamins and minerals, and are even thought to boost your immune system. Additionally, avocados are heart healthy, great for vision, aid in digestion, and may lower risk of depression and even protect against some cancers.

Super Easy to Add to Recipes. Another great thing about avocados is that they are easy to incorporate into your meals. You can add avocado to your morning smoothie, toss avocado in with your egg scramble or spread it on toast, use avocado as a topping in your weekday salads or use it in a dressing, or even hide avocado in baked goods, like these avocado brownies!

How to Pick a Ripe Avocado

Here’s a few quick tips to help you pick the perfectly ripe avocado. Underripe avocados will not yield the desired results in this recipe.

Color. To determine if an avocado is ripe, first look at the color. If the avocado is bright green, it is likely unripe. If the outside is brown or mostly brown with a hint of green, it is likely ripe or close to ripe.

Firmness. Next, place the avocado in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze. If the fruit feels very firm, it is unripe and may take a few days to ripen. Firm avocados are great if you don’t plan on using them for a few days. Leave it at room temperature until it ripens. If the avocado is soft and yields to firm gentle pressure, it is ripe and ready to eat. If the fruit is mushy when you squeeze it and has dimples or pockets in the outer skin, it is overripe and you won’t want to eat it.

Speed up Ripening

Another quick tip about avocados: if you want to speed up the ripening process, put your unripe avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana. Instead of taking 4 to 5 days to ripen, your avocado will be ready in about 2 to 3 days.

Additionally, ripe avocados can last a few days longer if you store them in the fridge.

How to Cut an Avocado

Now that you’ve selected the perfect avocado, how do you actually prepare and eat it? Its really simple!

Hold the avocado firmly with one hand and with the other, use a sharp knife to slice the outer skin lengthwise around the seed, traveling from the narrower end to the wider end. Gently twist the two halves in opposite directions to separate.

Use the knife to pry the pit out of the center of the fruit. If the avocado is fairly ripe, it will slide out easily. You can also use a spoon to wedge out the pit. You can slice the avocado inside of the skin. Scoop out the avocado using a large spoon.

You can also try cutting the avocado into wedges (all the way through the skin this time) and then pulling the skin away from the flesh. I haven’t had as good of luck with this technique, especially for not-quite-ripe avocado.

How to Store an Avocado

Avocados can be stored in both their cut and uncut forms. Uncut ripe avocados can be stored in the fridge for several days and will still remain fresh or they can be kept on the counter, but they will ripen much quicker so plant to use them within a few days.

Cut avocados will quickly oxidize and turn brown on the exposed skin. Oxidation can be prevented by adding an acidic agent, like lemon juice, to the exposed fruit and limiting the area of fruit exposed to air by placing the avocado in an air-tight container or wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap. It is also best to keep the pit to help reduce the exposed surface area.

We recommend wrapping the avocado in plastic wrap and placing it in a baggie without using an acidic agent. This will keep the avocado without impacting the flavor. The outer skin does oxidize and turn brown. When you’re ready to use the avocado, simply skim off the brown layer and the layer beneath will be the vibrant green.

I would advise using the avocado within 1 to 2 days if you don’t plan on using an acidic agent.

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Make the Brownies

First preheat your oven to 350F.

Line an 8″x 8″ or 9″x 9″ baking pan with parchment paper. Trust me, it will make your life easier!

Next, combine the avocado, eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil in the stand mixer and beat until smooth.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the paper-lined pan and scrape out any residual batter in the bowl with a spatula. Then use the spatula to smooth out the batter in an even square.

Bake the brownies for approximately 17 to 20 minutes. Test the brownies for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, the brownies are cooked. If it comes out with batter or lots of crumbs clinging to it, bake for another 2 to 3 minutes and test again.

Remove the brownies from the oven and let cool in the dish. I prefer this method and it has not resulted in overcooked or dried out brownies yet, so I believe in the method!

Cool the brownies in the pan on top of a cooling rack. Allow them to cool partially before cutting. The more cool they are, the cleaner they’ll cut.

Now you’re ready to enjoy! These brownies do well with vanilla ice cream. Just a hint ;).

Check out more of our delicious and healthier desserts:

• Chocolate Almond Butter Bars
• Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies
• Iced Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites
• Walnut Brownie Bliss Bites
• Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Lemon Loaf Cake with Strawberry Glaze