I Made Avocado Brownies to See If They’re the Perfect “Healthy Dessert”

As we all know, we are currently in the middle of an avocado craze-phase. All anyone ever wants to do is put avocados on everything and call it “healthy.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m basic enough to admit that my favorite food is avocado toast, but when I saw a recipe for “avocado brownies” I began to wonder if maybe this avocado craze has gone one step too far. 

To really see if this healthy alternative, which includes swapping butter for avocados, was worth it, I decided to experiment on my own to see if avocados really do make everything taste good.

Avocado Brownies

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 55 minutesTotal time:1 hour 15 minutesServings:16 servings

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces mashed avocados

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 275ºF.

2. Beat eggs on medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy and foamy.

3. Add both types of sugar to the eggs and mix until incorporated.

4. 
   

   Mash the avocados in a separate bowl before adding to the mixture.

5. 
   

   Add the rest of the ingredients to the sugar and eggs and mix until combined.

6. 
   

   Pour batter into 8×8 inch square pan and bake in oven for 50-55 minutes.

7. 
   

   Remove from oven and let cool before enjoying.

My Final Thoughts

At first glance, my avocado brownies looked just like normal brownies. However, once I cut into them there were little pieces of avocado that were visible. My first bite was very chocolatey and gooey, nothing too out of the ordinary. But, after a couple bites I began to pick up on the subtle taste of an avocado.

The only way that I can describe the taste is “earthy”–there’s a clear sense of something that is typically not found in a brownie, and that something is definitely not sweet. Before making these, I assumed the avocados would be totally blended in and the sweetness of the chocolate would overpower the more savory taste, but ultimately I found this was not the case.

Apart from the long baking time (for me, it took close to a hour), making the brownies was pretty easy. Would I make them again? In all honesty, I’m not sure. They weren’t terrible, but they also were not life changing. For now, I’m going to say that I’ll stick with avocados on my toast rather than in my desserts. Or maybe I’ll try these chocolate avocado truffles instead.

• Chocolate
• Dessert
• Health