Who on this planet does not love a gooey chocolate brownie? After seeing literally tonnes of gorgeous locally grown avocados in my favourite fruit and veg shops, I thought that let’s move away from the smoothies and avocado on toast (that’s apparently so last year…really?) and pop them into a brownie mixture for healthier version of a classic recipe.

My favourite brownie recipe comes from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook– it’s tried and tested, simple and works every time.

A traditional brownie must be chewy, chocolaty and dense. The trick is to use the best quality dark chocolate that you can find to make them super rich – this case I used raw cacao, which contains zero sugar and is an absolute powerhouse of antioxidants.

I used spelt flour which because it’s loaded with essential nutrients including complex carbohydrates, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and is high in vitamin B2, niacin, thiamin, copper and magnesium – and because spelt is highly water soluble, these nutrients are easily absorbed by the body.

The addition of avocado puree undoubtedly enhances the moisture level but it also has a health benefit too. You wouldn’t even know it was in there! Whilst the coconut sugar is far far better than refined sugar it is still calorific so best not scoff the whole tin!

One little tip – try and invest in a proper brownie tin which has been the right dimensions (also great for granola bars).

Enjoy these delightful brownies and you won’t believe how good that something healthier can possibly be!

Ingredients

Serves 10-12

225g raw cacao (or at least 90% dark chocolate, roughly chopped)
130g unsalted butter (or 4 tablespoons coconut oil)

1 lovely ripe Hass avocado
150g coconut sugar
3 eggs

100g Spelt flour (or plain flour)

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Pinch of sea salt

Icing sugar or cocoa powder for dusting

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan oven 160°C, Gas Mark 4

2 Grease and line a rectangular baking tin measuring approximately 25cm x 20cm

3 Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water, and leave until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat

4 Meanwhile, mash the ripe avocado to a smooth puree using a fork

5 Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla paste together for 2-3 minutes until light and airy, then add the avocado puree and whisk again until smooth

6 Add this to the melted chocolate and stir until combined

7 Add the flour and pinch of salt to the melted chocolate mixture, stirring gently until combined

8 Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until flaky on the top but still soft in the centre. Be careful not to overcook otherwise the edges will become hard and crunchy

9 Cool completely in the tin then cut into the appropriate amount of pieces for you to share…