more greens, please

Thanksgiving came and went in the blink of an eye…with much too many bites of pie!  {See what I did there 😉 }

And as we continue into the holiday season, with holiday parties, drinks, and desserts galore, I wanted to provide a brownie recipe that most certainly is not a bore.

The secret? Just one, very green, avocado. And green in both its nutritious value and color of course.

Avocados provide about 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, and folic acid. Since it contains so many nutrients, it has been dubbed a “nutrient dense” food. Additionally, it contains the “good” fat, also known as monounsaturated fat, and is virtually the only fruit that contains this type of fat!

I hope you enjoy the recipe and know that if you make this dessert, bring it to a holiday party, and exclaim “These brownies are healthy – they’re made with avocados!” you will not only appear impressive, and worldly, but also trendy…since let’s face it, avocados were the #trendiestfruitoftheyear.

Serving Size: 9 brownies

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

half of one stick of unsalted butter, melted

1 egg

1 cup coconut sugar

2 tbsp water

2 tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup flour, regular or gluten-free

½ tsp salt

1/3 heaping cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure to cover the sides. Spray the aluminum foil lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork, aiming to make it as smooth as possible. Then add the melted butter, egg, coconut sugar, water, and vanilla. Stir well to combine.
3. Next add the cocoa powder and stir until fully incorporated and free of large lumps. Stir in flour and salt, and then briefly mix in the chocolate chips.
4. Spread the batter evenly into the baking pan and cook for 32-35 minutes.
5. After you remove them from the oven, let cool for 1 hour in the pan. Once completely cooled, lift the aluminum foil out of the pan, and slice into 9 squares. Enjoy!