Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)

June 9, 2014

Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)
“I had a dream so big and loud
I jumped so high I touched the clouds
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh [2x]
I stretched my hands out to the sky
We danced with monsters through the night
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh [2x]”

Sometimes I hear song and it sounds so perfect rhythmically or the lyrics are so good that it bores into my head and it doesn’t let go. There, stuck.
I keep playing it on my iPod over and over again, and I keep hearing it in my head.
Take for instance “Best Of My Day My Life” by American Authors (FIY, lyrics above).
A good song, not a great one.
Certainly not as epic as “Here Comes Your Man” by The Pixies.
Still good, good enough that the other day it attacked me and stuck inside my head for the whole day.
I went for a 10 miles run and I swear, it was the only song I played on the iPod for the whole 1 hour and 5 minutes it took me to complete the run.
The song lasts 3:14, meaning that I’ve played it about 20 times...I know...

Walnuts


Another thing I’m obsessed with is avocado brownies.
I rarely bake them because unless I quickly give them away, I'll eat the whole batch.
Once they're there, I can't not eat them.
All obsessions are not created equal though.
There’s a difference between obsessing over a song and obsessing over brownies.
The former can - in rare and extreme circumstances - cause insanity; the latter can make you, well, a tad chubbier.
Even when the brownies at hand are super healthy avocado brownies. Made with lots of avocado, antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and super healthy coconut oil.
Paleo and vegan. The best of both worlds.

Avocado

Because people let’s not forget there is such a thing as overeating healthy foods.
While these brownies are nutritious and healthy, too much of even a healthy food can lead to weight gain.
The key is to remember to control the portion sizes of the foods we consume, even super duper healthy ones, like these brownies.
Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)
If you have never tried baking with avocado before, then this recipe might the one for you to take the jump.
Here’s the thing when you mix avocados with chocolate: magic happens.
Let me explain better. The avocado disappears but at the same time it allows the chocolate to stand out front and center. It empowers it, quite a lot.
In addition, the avocado gives to the brownies a smooth and thick consistency. Something you don’t wanna miss out.

Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)
The brownies are dense with a good crunch from the walnuts and a tornado of chocolate — they are fudgy and rich, and super moist because of the avocado.
Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)


No, they do not taste like avocado. I said this already but I feel like I need to say it once again.
It’s all about the chocolate and the walnuts. Trust.

Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)
Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)                                Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Makes 12 (large) brownies

2 large ripe avocados (I used Hass)
8 oz / 220 gr +70% dark chocolate, chopped (I used Dagoba)
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (or butter)
1 cup / 7 oz / 200 gr raw coconut palm sugar (I used Madhava)*
2 flax eggs (or 2 free-range organic eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup / 2.65 oz / 75 gr almond meal (I used Bob’s Red Mill)*
¼ cup / 1.12 oz / 32 gr unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
½ cup / 2 oz / 56 gr chopped walnuts

* If you don't care about the paleo thing you can use regular brown sugar
**For those of you allergic to nuts, you can use GF flour or regular wheat flour.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Grease a 8x8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with foil and lightly grease the foil. This will make brownie removal much easier.
Place coconut oil and chopped chocolate in a medium size heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the boiling water. Stir with a wooden spoon until chocolate and coconut oil are completely melted. Use pot holders to remove the bowl from over the boiling water. Let mixture sit for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, mash avocado until very smooth (I used an immersion blender).
Stir in the chocolate coconut oil mixture.
Whisk in sugar until combined, then add in eggs (one at a time) and vanilla extract.
Sift in cocoa powder, then add almond meal, baking powder and salt, mixing with a large spoon until just combined (do not overmix). Finally, stir in chopped walnuts.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth using a spatula.
Bake for about 28 to 30 minutes until the middle is set.
Let cool on a rack and cut into 12 squares using a sharp knife.

Nutrition facts

One brownies yields 298 calories, 25 grams of fat, 24 grams of carbs and 6 grams of protein.

47 comments:

  1. My oh my Mike, drooling over my keyboard!

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  2. Awesome as always Mike! These look incredible, hard to believe they are actually healthy too. Love 'em!

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  3. Portion control? Is that Spanish for 'eat as much as I want'? :-)

    These look insane Mike! Sadly, I'm allergic to almonds, so if you ever have some time to experiment, maybe a coconut flour brownie could be in your repertoire? :-D

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    1. You can sub the almond meal with GF flour, if you want to give 'em a try.

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  4. What's the ratio of flax eggs to normal eggs? The entire recipe worth that you linked to or a certain measurement?

    I want to try both versions and see which one I like best!

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  5. Your photos are killer Mike! These look amazing - I've baked with avocado before - and my humble opinion is avocados are better than butter - combined with dark chocolate AND cocoa - dang doogley moogley!!!
    Next time you make these and feel your will power is faltering, PUH-LEEEZZ box whatever extras of these you might have lying around and mail it to me -C.O.D.!!! I am that good a friend - yup - your welcome :)

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    1. I'll definitely send a box your way Shashi next time around, as long as the mailman doesn't eat them...

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  6. Oh man, these brownies sound awesome! I've never put avocados in a dessert before, but I think I need to asap! I bet they make them so moist and delicious! Also, I do the same things sometimes, if I find a song that is really motivating me while exercising, I listen to it over and over again!

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    1. You should totally try baking with avocado, it's life changing...well, almost...

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  7. Great looking brownies and nice that they use healthier ingredients! I love that they look dense, moist, and fudgy, just how I like my brownies!

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    1. Avocado brownies are the best Danae, you should totally give 'em a try!

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  8. Nice! Healthy and decadent at the same time. Love using coconut palm sugar, coconut oil and almond flour! You've got a winner here.

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  9. It is clear that the world is conspiring for me to mix avocado and chocolate - one of my favorite food blogs (in Portuguese) just published a fantastic looking mousse made with avocado and chocolate. May some agave nectar, I cannot quite remember now. And, you now bring these awesome looking brownies into my life. (sigh)

    Your 10 mile run with the same music over and over reminded me of my good old marathon training days, in which at some point I got too excited about a song, kept the rhythm going, and pulled a hamstring... Good times ;-)

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    1. I have to come clean Sally, we're secretly plotting to force you to give avocado+chocolate a try. :)

      BTW I can totally feel your pain about your marathon days, is there really nothing you can do about the running?

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  10. Hi Mike, now these sound good, really good. Will be making these, so intrigued about baking with avocado, made your chocolate and avocado mousse already and it was delicious!

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    1. That's fantastic Cheri. If you loved the pudding, you're going to love the brownies!

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  11. I love avocado brownies. I was a bit skeptical when I first tried them but it really doesn't taste like avocado (just wanted to confirm that a 3rd time for you, haha). And I'll echo what our friend GiGi above said... I want to see Alpha impart his Iron You prowess on blondies! #wolfpackeats

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    1. I will come up with a recipe for paleo/grainfree blondies, I promise. It's a wolf pinky swear! ;)

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  12. So happy to finally hear someone say that even though a treat is "healthier" it should still be eaten in moderation! I ADORE avocado brownies, but I also must give them away ASAP (my hubbies coworkers love him.) the walnut crunch is the bomb! Pinning!

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    1. Thanks a bunch Taylor!
      Avocado brownies are the best indeed, you should try them with walnuts, the crunch is to die for!

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  13. Here comes your man = all time favorite Pixies song. Would you believe that when they toured her last month I was out of the country, and I was also overseas last time they were in Australia in 2010 as well - so unlucky! Oh well, I'm sure I'll get to see them one day.. On a more positive note, how good do these brownies look! You can never have too many healthy brownie recipes (fact!) I'm pinning these for a rainy day :)

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    1. Pixies are LEGEND, although last time I went to their concert here in NYC I was a bit disappointed. They lacked energy and they were a bit flat...still the songs are so epic, I was in tears!

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  14. Mike! These brownies look amazing. I'm imagining them warm...and I'm pretty sure I would eat the whole tray. Perhaps while watching the World Cup. Let's get this party started! #WolfpackEats

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  15. I've got to try baking with avocado, and what better way to start than with these fudgy looking brownies!

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    1. Get on board Kari, baking with avocado is the best thing ever!

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  16. Hi Mike! I've never baked with avocado before, but you've convinced me to give it a try! These brownies look amazing. A new fan of your blog! So many delicious and healthy recipes and your photos are GORGEOUS! Very inspiring.

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  17. they really taste great.. we have experimented with using other raw nuts in this recipe as well .. very delish thank you

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  18. Your recipe sounds great and photos are amazing. I'm trying not to go processed-fats free. Is adding coconut oil essential even with 2 avocados in the mix? Thanks so much.

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  19. Replies
    1. Nancy, the recipe says 2 flax eggs, then it gives the option to use regular eggs if you're not vegan. Seriously, where's the problem?

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  20. Great recipe.. really moist, chocolatey, not too sweet... You wouldn't know avocado was in there...Thanks!

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  21. I just made these last night and they are awesome! They have a rich chocolate flavor and are so moist. Definitely making these again. Thank you for this recipe!

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    1. Thank you for reporting back, I'm so glad you enjoyed them this much!

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  22. These are amazing!! Best ever brownies ..I love avacado but my husband hate it and he is absolutely in love with these brownies .. Friend and family liked them every time I made it. I used xylitol as sugar making them completely healthy.
    Just wanted to ask do they freeze well
    As I wanted to make a batch just for myself and freeze it so I can enjoy my occasional treat.
    Thank you

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  23. I love your site and just tried these brownies for the first time.
    My husband is diabetic, so I subbed the sugar for stevia.
    He loved them, however I noticed a sort of bitter after taste. Could that also have something to do with the avocado?
    I'd appreciate learning more about baking with avocado! Thank you

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  24. I tricked my mother into eating avocado. HA! They are my fav treat now. With a cup of coffee...mmmMmmhhh!
    //Marlene, Sweden

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