I don’t want healthy. Unless it’s accidentally healthy, and I’d never know it from the taste.
And that’s exactly what these are. They don’t taste healthy, and they don’t taste like avocado. You truly cannot tell there’s avocado in them and you cannot taste it. And in person, they don’t come off as blue as they’re translating on the screen. They’re just incredibly dark.
I think avocado is quite flavor-neutral and takes on the flavors of what it’s seasoned or mixed with. In the brownies, it serves to add moisture, density, and richness, without imparting flavor.
They’re healthier than most brownies because they’re nearly butter-free. I replaced all but 1/4 cup butter with avocado. Two tablespoons of butter has 200 calories, 23 grams of total fat, with 15 grams of saturated fat. Compared to 2 tablespoons of avocado which has 50 calories, 4.5 grams of total fat, and only .5 gram of saturated fat. Talk about a fat and calorie savings, which translates into having 2 or 3 of these brownies compared to 1 traditional.
If you’re a stats person, I entered the significant ingredients here using the closest comparable ingredients the site lists as options.
The brownies are gluten-free. I replaced all but 1/4 cup flour with dark cocoa powder, which is full of iron and fiber and ounce for ounce, has less than half the calories of flour. You can use regular unsweetened natural cocoa powder, but I like using the Hershey’s Special Dark for the ultra-dark color and taste. For the small amount of flour, to keep them gluten-free use your favorite gluten-free blend, or regular all-purpose if gluten isn’t a concern. There’s a splash of coffee and some espresso granules included; both are optional and don’t make the brownies taste like coffee, but enhance the chocolate intensity.
Making brownies healthier so that I can have seconds – and thirds – is only a good idea if the taste is amazing. I’d rather have nothing than have something that tastes like health food masquerading as a dessert. And these deliver. If you want to be a sneaky chef and trick people, or trick yourself, you definitely can with this recipe. Just make sure to mash the avocado very, very well so no stray little green blobs give you away. The batter comes together in one bowl with a whisk, no mixer needed. They’re as easy as boxed brownies, but taste so much more amazing.
They’ll likely be some of the fudgiest, gooeyest, moistest brownies you’ve ever had. No cakeiness whatsoever. All fudge. Even transferring the batter from the mixing bowl to the baking pan, is a dense, fudgy, spatula-clinging experience. They’re sweet enough, but not too sweet. They’re the type of brownie you’ll need to wash down with a glass of milk. Or with a Creamy Boozy Iced Coffee or some Homemade Baileys Irish Cream.
I served them to my family without saying a word about the ingredients to see if they noticed anything usual. Nope. When I say you cannot taste the avocado and it only serves to make the brownies moister, denser, and fudgier, I mean it. It makes me wonder why I haven’t always been making brownies this way.
Related Recipes:
Homemade Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies (Copycat Recipe) Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Fudgy Nutella Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
The Ultimate Fudgy Caramel Brownies
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache – The best, fastest, and easiest chocolate cake
Soft and Chewy Brownie Cookies
Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse (GF) – Made with avocado and so rich, decadent, and fudgy Vanilla Avocado Banana Ice Cream (vegan, GF) – Creamy, rich, and satisfying
What’s your favorite way to use avocado? Favorite brownie recipe? I also have lots of avocado recipes, including savory options, linked in this post.
