When I discovered that black bean brownies were a thing that existed in our universe, I was instantly intrigued.
The black beans actually replace the flour called for in the brownie.
What the what!?
I’m not even going to begin to try to understand how that whole situation works because chemistry seems hard.
But I’m all for making things healthier so I spent a good chunk of my Thursday afternoon searching the internets for “the best black bean brownie recipe” and do you know what I found?
The same recipe over and over with a slight variation here and there.
With so many people using this recipe and proclaiming it to be “delicious” over and over I figured that it must be a winner.
Nope.
It most definitely was not. I’m not even going to post it here.
If you’re really curious, do a quick search and you should easily be able to find that recipe and be well on your way to a pan of chocolate flavored pureed black beans.
Gross.
After that epic kitchen fail I searched one of my favorite online resources (aka Pinterest) for more baking substitution ideas and found this:
Helpful no?
Check out the fats section.
See where it says you can substitute butter with avocados?
I totally did that.
Science is crazy.
I used a really simple brownie recipe that I love because it uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate.
It’s great in a pinch, there’s no melting of anything involved, and it’s so easy my kids can make it.
I pulled a switcharoo on the sugar as well, trying to get away from the refined white sugar called for in the recipe.
What’s the verdict?
My kids ate every bite of their brownies and then asked for seconds.
And they ate them the second day too.
I was able to detect a slight avocado after taste but I’m also one of those super-taster people who can’t stand bitter things that other people can’t even taste and I can tell when there’s coconut oil or food coloring in something without ever reading the ingredients so don’t go by my highfalutin’ opinion.
If you’re really craving a brownie, go for the version made with butter and sugar because nothing beats that.
But… oh I don’t know, maybe you have some extra avocados lying around, or maybe you want something a little healthier, or maybe you want to try something a little different, or maybe you just want to mess with your kids by sneaking produce into their dessert, I won’t pretend to know your life.
For any of the above mentioned reasons, this one’s for you. 😉
Ingredients:
1/2 a ripe avocado – mashed really well
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
2 eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
Directions:
Add the first five ingredients to a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Make sure there are no avocado lumps. The mixture should be smooth.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
Pour into a greased 9 inch pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 until done.
Chocolate Avocado Frosting:
In a medium-sized bowl add:
3 Tbsp mashed avocado
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 Tbsp honey
1-2 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 milk (I used almond milk)
Whisk together until smooth and shiny. If it’s too thin, add a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar, if it seems too dry, add a tablespoon or two of milk.
Spread on top of the brownies once they’ve cooled and add sprinkles if you want ’em.
♥
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We Should Be Folding Laundry 