heartyspoonful

"Forget love, I'd rather fall in chocolate."- Theophile Gautier

Mmm... brownies. My dad has always been a big fan of chocolate. No, really. This is a man who can wolf down on a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates like it's drinking water. I remember all our "field trips" taste testing brownies from different pastry shops and bakeries and rating which one's our favourites. Of course I was never really able to keep tabs because they all tasted the same to me. In other words, I enjoyed each and every bite of chocolate goodness. 

Thinking about it now, however, I do remember a particular brownie from one rainy day. (Many great things so happen on rainy days -- it's not simply a cliche from movies.) It was soft, pillowy, with just enough chewiness plus bulleted in dark chocolate chips. God, it was glorious. But everyone has their own preferences, right? 

When I turned vegan, my first instinct was to find a recipe for vegan brownies. I tried a few, but most just tasted like chocolate cake to me. They were delicious, I grant you that, but they lacked a certain quality of gooeyness and chewiness that I look for in brownies. That is of course, until I found a recipe for vegan avocado brownies. As with any recipe that isn't my own, I fully followed it on the first try and tinkered with it the next times. Cha-ching! I kid you not, even your non-vegan friends would love these brownies! 

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x9 inch square pan. Line with parchment paper if preferred.

In a medium bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and in a smaller bowl, mix together the pureed avocado, milk, water and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour in the wet ingredients with the dry and mix together. Don't over mix. Add in your chocolate chips (you can add in all or save some and top your batter). 

Spread batter into your greased pan. 

Baking for 20-30 minutes, make sure to check as ovens vary. 

* : Whole wheat flour works perfectly. I have also tried spelt flour and a mix of whole wheat and spelt with great success. Watch your liquid though. 

** : If using white sugar, this could easily be reduced to 3/4 cup. Brown sugar and coconut sugar are both good options as well. The texture will be slightly different. 

*** : I have tried this recipe with cocoa powder (Dutch processed, raw, etc.) and they give chocolatey test. I also baked with carob powder; it will be more cake-like in texture with more liquid added or very fudgey with the same amount. 

**** : Personally, I'm not a fan of soy milk. I prefer almond milk or coconut milk, but any milk of choice should be fine. Also, if you prefer, you can replace the water with more milk. 

Happy baking!

 xx