Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)

Chocolate-Walnut Avocado Brownies (Paleo & Vegan)

Ingredients

Makes 12 (large) brownies

2 large ripe avocados (I used Haas)

8 oz / 220 gr +70% dark chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (or butter)

1 cup / 7 oz / 200 gr raw coconut palm sugar (I used Madhava)

2 free-range organic eggs or flax 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

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.