After an accidental almond milk purchase, I decided to drum up a few vegan recipes instead of just taking it back to the store. Obviously, my first go-to was brownies, because… I mean who doesn’t love brownies? They’re so full of butter and fat and while that’s what makes them (and any dish) magical, it’s also what makes them terrible for you. So after swapping eggs for avocado, butter for coconut oil, and adding a bit of vanilla almond milk, I managed to pull off a dense, fudgy brownie that seriously tasted like the real thing.
Fact: it’s not reallynecessary to use eggs in a lot of baked goods. They act as emulsifiers, giving flavor and evening out the texture - so they do have useful properties - but leaving them out is not the end of the world. Good vegan replacements are applesauce and banana, but I didn’t have either of those, so an avocado worked just fine. In fact, the creaminess of the avocado was something I should have explored long ago in vegan cooking!
Some people like cake-y brownies, and some like them fudgy. For a more cake-like consistency, skip the chocolate chips and you’ll get a brownie like the one in the picture, which is cakey on the outside and fudgy/chewy in the middle. For a more gooey brownie, include 3/4 c. chocolate chips. They melt inside the batter and make the brownie really magical!
INGREDIENTS
1 avocado
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. flour
1 heaping tsp. baking powder
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. almond milk
3/4 c. coconut oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. ground coffee
3/4 c. chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the avocado. Like, pulverize the hell out of it. You want it to be creamy and free of chunks. I did this by putting it in a stand mixer and letting the machine do all the work while I prepared the dry ingredients, but that’s up to you.
- In a smaller bowl, sift the dry ingredients and set aside.
- When avocado is mashed, add the wet ingredients (vanilla, milk, oil). Mix well and add dry ingredients in batches, until a wet, chocolatey batter is formed. Stir in the chips and spread everything into a greased pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until top is set and a toothpick or knife stuck in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10-20 minutes before stuffing your face.
