Ultra Fudgy, Oil-Free Brownies

Last week I was craving brownies in a bad way. I needed to sink my teeth into something thick, fudgy, and chocolatey and if anyone tried to stop me…well, let’s just say the wrath of the monthly monster would have been bestowed upon him.

I had three words stuck in my head: Ultra. Fudgy. Brownies.

Like a mantra, I chanted these words as I headed to the kitchen to test a recipe I had seen months ago. These are not your typical brownies. First of all, they’re vegan. Secondly, they’re made with whole wheat flour, no oil, and….avocado.

Wait! Don’t go! I swear they are amazing and you won’t know the difference!

Ultra Fudgy Brownies

-adapted from Oh She Glows (who adapted it from Sweet Freedom)

Super thick and rich, these brownies have just the right amount of gooeyness (–> that’s your ‘word of the day’) thanks to the avocado and applesauce.  They are full of guilt-free, good-for-you ingredients while still being incredibly indulgent. This recipe makes a small batch, but simply double it for 12 individually sized brownies or bake the doubled recipe in an 8″ square pan. I love the individual portions because they are easy to grab for an on-the-go snack.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup packed avocado flesh (about 1/2 a medium avocado)
• 1/2 cup sucanat (or other sugar)
• 2 Tbsp. real maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Tbsp. almond milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground flaxseed
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. instant espresso powder
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray six cups of a muffin tin with nonstick spray.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the avocado flesh until smooth. Add sucanat, maple syrup, applesauce, almond milk, vanilla extract, flaxseed, and espresso powder. Blend until smooth
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir by hand into the wet ingredients. The batter will be very, very thick. This is normal!
4. Using a scant 1/4 cup for each well of the muffin tin, scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers slightly and spread the batter smooth. Repeat for the 5 remaining brownies.
5. Push 4-5 chocolate chips into the top of each brownie. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing brownies to a cooling rack. Once cool, store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Let’s get mixing! Don’t be fooled by the ugly green color. That avocado is going to make these brownies incredibly fudgy!

  Blend in the dry ingredients.

 Next, scoop the batter into the prepared pan.

Then, using wet fingers, smooth them out.

This was my second time making these. I tested them out last week and made a few tweaks to suit my tastes.

I also got an extra brownie from the revised recipe, but that’s because last time I ate 1/4 cup of the batter straight from the mixing bowl. I told you….the monthly beast needed to be tamed.

The chocolate chips are my favorite part.

After just 10 minutes in the oven, they are done and ready to be inhaled!

I think the avocado in these scares my friends and family. If no one else wants to try them, that is A-okay with me!!!

Where did the rest of that brownie go?? 😉

I have a quick question before I go. I need some new additions to my usual go-to recipe websites. While I still LOVE them and will continue to read them daily, I’d like to know where you go when you’re looking for a recipe.

For vegan recipes I mainly use: Oh She Glows and Peas and Thank You (<– I want Mama Pea’s new cookbook so badly!)

For general baking: Joy of Baking

For delicious and decadent sweet and savories: Smitten Kitchen and Madeleines and Marathons

For healthier, but still absolutely delicious options: 101 Cookbooks

What are your favorite recipe websites or cooking blogs??

I’d better hurry up and hide the rest of the brownies before Travis gets home.

-Lou