The Fudgiest Brownies You've Ever Tasted... with Avocado??

"Brownies with an avocado in them? Are they going to be green?", I asked myself. This post from SouthernInLaw makes them sound delicious but c'mon, lets be honest, it also sounds slightly disgusting. No one dips a Hershey's bar into guacamole for a reason. However, just because it sounds odd, doesn't mean it's necessarily bad. I gave this one a shot and if you're a chocoholic, you're in for helluva treat. If you don't have that much of a sweet tooth, this might not be the recipe for you. But it's gluten free, low fat, low in sugar, and grain free so for all of those with specific dietary needs, this might be a good dessert option!

To make these you'll need:

1 ripe avocado
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon of water
3.5 oz of dark chocolate (bar or chocolate chips, up to you!)
1 cup + 1 Tablespoon of cocoa powder
1/4-1/2 cup of sugar (I used 1/2 cup and should have used more, however if you want this to not be as sweet, then go for 1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
Pinch of salt


Not sure if you picked a ripe avocado? Take off the tip - if it's green underneath, it's ripe. If it's brown, it's not. Also, give a squeeze. If it gives a little but doesn't leave an impression on the avocado, that's another sign it's ready to be cut open!

Start by preheating your oven to 355 and either in a food processor or mixer, combine your avocado, eggs, vanilla, and water until all lumps are gone.

In a separate bowl, melt your dark chocolate in the microwave (mine took about 1 minute), add to your avocado puree and mix until just combined.. I think next time I make this I'm going to try with milk or semi-sweet chocolate, as it was more bitter than sweet.

Next, add in your cocoa (I think the recipe is asking for a lot but that's just me), sugar (again, up to you on how sweet you want to make these), baking soda, and salt. Be careful adding the cocoa powder, as it can make quite a mess if it's all dumped in at once!

If you think it's too thick, add another Tablespoon of water. I didn't and yeah, these puppies were definitely thick!

Pour the mixture into a greased up 8"x8" pan and smooth the mixture out before baking for 20-25 minutes. Be sure to do the toothpick test (stick a toothpick in and if it comes out clean, it's all done!)

Let it cool in the pan before removing and let it chill in the fridge before serving. I've got to say, these are the fudgiest brownies I've ever had! Not cakey, very dense. You can't taste the avocado at all (and they're certainly not green) but my gosh are they chocolatey. Not for the faint of heart, these brownies are most certainly thicker than your average brownie but in small amounts, definitely fulfill your sweet tooth cravings!

And as my mother would say, "Have a glass of milk with that!"

TOTAL COSTS: About $18 (if you don't have any ingredients - prices from Vons)
$1.99 for an avocado
$2.79 for eggs
$3.49 for bag of dark chocolate chips
$3.99 for cocoa powder
$2.69 for sugar
$1.59 for baking soda
$.99 for salt
Homemade vanilla extract from scratch

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 50 minutes + overnight
30 minutes to prep
20 minutes to bake
Cool and chill overnight

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
The hardest thing is picking an avocado that's ripe enough! Other than that, it's just a matter of throwing things in a bowl and then into a pan. Simple enough for even the non-baker in your family to accomplish.

Clear Skin Smoothie

When I saw this recipe for a smoothie that helps clear your skin, I figured it probably tastes awful. Lets face it - anything green and in liquid form does not look appetizing and therefore, must taste like snot juice. L.A. is full of healthy hipsters who love to drink this stuff and in no way was I going to enjoy it. So... did I? Well, first off, here's what you'll need:

2 cups of spinach, 1/4 of an avocado, and 1/2 C of red grapes ("contain anti-inflammatory antioxidants")

1/2 C of frozen strawberries (to "help fight free-radical damage, giving skin a more radiant glow")

1 T of almond butter ("offers the minerals zinc and selenium, both essential for healthy skin")

1 t of flaxmeal ("contains omega-3s that help reduce inflammation)


First off, let me tell you I did not buy flaxmeal (it was $5 and for just a teaspoon's worth, it wasn't worth it). Also, I used almond milk instead of almond butter because almond butter was $8!

Second, I doubled the recipe because my husband had just come home from a run and wanted to give it a try. So I mixed the ingredients in a blender for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

Lastly, it will not be the same color as the original post. The original post looks like a Shamrock Shake from McDonalds. This looks like... well... liquid spinach.

It's not bad, but I wish it were sweeter. Honey would have been a nice addition. If you don't add something sweet, your face might freeze like this when trying to choke down something so... so... healthy...

This better make my skin look freakin' radiant.

TOTAL COSTS: About $16 to make as many as you can stomach (prices from Vons)
$1 for an avocado
$3.29 for spinach
$4.34 for red grapes
$4.99 for frozen strawberries
$2.99 for almond milk (versus $8.19 for almond butter)
($4.99 for flax meal, if you choose to add it)

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: Less than 5 minutes

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
Nothing easier than placing ingredients in a blender and hitting the "On" button. The hard part is drinking it.