Planning on making something sweet to finish off tonight’s dinner? Try some lip-smacking brownies made with avocado. Not only is the dessert gluten-free, but the use of avocados also ensures that every bite gives you some amount of nutrients as well.
The recipe
To make the brownies, you will need ½ cup cacao powder, ½ cup mashed avocado, 2 eggs, 1 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar), ¼ cup almond butter, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and ½ cup dark chocolate chips.
First, preheat the oven to 325°F. Mix the mashed avocado, eggs, cacao powder, almond butter, vanilla, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Blend until you get a smooth mixture and add in the chocolate chips. Take a 9-inch square baking pan and place parchment paper in it. You can grease the pan first so that the paper stays in position.
Now, pour the mixture into the pan. Throw some chocolate chips on top. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until the center portion of the brownies looks thoroughly cooked. Take out the pan and let the brownies cool before serving. If you eat them warm, the taste of avocado will feel too overpowering. So patiently wait until the brownies are at least room temperature. If there are leftovers, you can store them for about 48 hours. You can extend the shelf life up to a week if you keep the brownies in an airtight container inside the fridge.
The total time to prepare the avocado brownies should be around an hour. If you are a vegan, you can substitute ¼ cup of gluten-free all-purpose flour for the eggs. Remember to use ½ cup of almond butter instead of ¼ cup in such a situation. For people who are on a keto diet, replace the coconut sugar with sugar-free sweeteners.
Healthy avocado
A serving of 100 grams, or two-thirds of a medium avocado, provides 26 percent of the Daily Value (DV) of Vitamin K, 20 percent DV of Folate, 17 percent DV of Vitamin C, 14 percent DV of potassium, 2 grams of protein, and 15 grams of healthy fats. Avocados are low in saturated fats and do not contain any sodium or cholesterol. Almost 77 percent of the calories in avocados come from fats, the majority of which is the beneficial oleic acid that is known to reduce inflammation and positively affect some of the genes that are linked to cancer.
“Potassium is a main health component of the fruit — a nutrient that helps promote healthy heart contraction and reduces high blood pressure, and is on average sorely neglected in the American diet… just one avocado can contain almost 15 percent of the daily recommended potassium intake, which is 4.7 g. That’s as much potassium as in one and a half large bananas (.73 g) or two small bananas (.72 g),” according to Everyday Health.
People who eat avocados have been found to be healthier. One study looked at 17,567 people and found that those who consumed avocados regularly were likely to have far higher nutrient intake, weighed less, had less belly fat, and had a lower BMI. These people were also half as likely to have metabolic syndrome, something that is associated with a higher risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. Their levels of good HDL cholesterol were also on the higher side.
