avocado brownies

whoa, it's been too long since I've blogged! we are finally moved and settled into our new house and finally, i can start cookin' in the kitchen with my dinah girl again. the kitchen in our new house is, well, far from ideal, but we are making do. it's a small, cramped and poorly designed 1930s kitchen. charming, yes. functional, not really. however, even with little workspace, dinah and i (and now baby charlie too) have made plenty of delicious dishes since moving here.

today, we made brownies. healthy brownies at that! it's june in albuquerque. it's freakin' hot and it's the time of year i like to cut back on sugar. i'm also eight months postpartum and still hanging onto some baby weight i'd be happy to shed. but, unfortunately, i still love sweets. and so does dinah. our solution - make healthy sweets! first up, avocado brownies.

this was my first time making this recipe and i was a little skeptical. i love avocado...on my burritos, but in my desserts, hmm. turns out, you can't taste it all, but only taste a rich cocoa flavor instead. the syrup and applesauce make it just sweet enough to feel like you're kinda sorta still indulging in the real deal. and the texture; ooooh, ooey gooey perfection. i could, and almost did, eat an entire pan in one setting. if i didn't have my darling three-year-old's big puppy dog eyes begging at me, i just may have.

healthy brownies

avocado brownies

1 large avocado

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup peanut butter chips (optional)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. combine avocado, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla in a food processer until smooth. whisk in three eggs. add flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. fold in optional baking chips (i used peanut butter chips, because that's what we had in the cupboard). greast an 8x8 inch baking dish with coconut oil and add batter. bake for about 20-25 minutes. more time for cake-like brownies, less for fudgier brownies.