It’s been a while since I’ve baked something sweet because I’m always focused on finding weekday meal recipes. Lately though I’ve been craving chocolate, stealing my son’s M&Ms, chocolate chip cookies, etc. So I was curious to try a decadent looking avocado-based brownie by Gimme Some Oven. I always have at least 4 avocados in the fridge and at least a half of one sitting there completely brown. What a perfect way to use up discolored (but still edible) avocado!
This is a one-bowl easy recipe the kids can help with. The only changes I made were to add wheat germ for more nutrients and fiber, and omit the chocolate chips. Instead, my son Jake helped crush some Oreos to sprinkle on top with unsweetened coconut flakes. (Did you know Oreos are technically vegan?) With whole wheat flour, olive oil, avocado, cocoa and the wheat germ, it’s about as healthful a brownie recipe I can imagine, without skimping on taste! One pleasant surprise is that the batter was not that sweet, so you can get away with the cookie crumble on top.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup mashed avocado
- 1/4 cup olive or canola oil
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 6 Oreo cookies crushed
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pureed avocado and olive oil until smooth. Add in the flour, wheat germ, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, salt, and water. Stir until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared pan and spread the batter evenly throughout the pan. Sprinkle evenly with crushed cookies and coconut. Bake for 30 minutes*, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
*I baked at the original suggested time of 20 minutes but the batter was almost completely uncooked and gloppy (could have been my oven temperature being off), so I’m suggesting 30-40 minutes. Even better, use the clean toothpick or knife test. The extra cook time allowed the coconut flakes to toast to a beautiful crisp.
Nutrition Prescriptions 