Brownie Ingredients:
10 1/2 oz stevia-sweetened chocolate chips
2 heaping tbsp coconut oil
3 hass avocados, pitted and peeled
3/4 cup monk fruit
3 squirts of liquid stevia
1 dash of himalayan pink salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 organic eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup less 1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp purified water
Frosting Ingredients:
1 medium-sized hass avocado, pitted and peeled
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
5 heaping tbsp monk fruit
2 tbsp xylitol
5 squirts of liquid stevia
1 dash of himalayan pink salt
(optional) 1 tbsp organic butter
*(optional) spiced pecans to place on top of brownies
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line the base and sides of a 9 x 13 in pan with parchment paper, allowing some overhang.
3. Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small pan on low heat, stirring until smooth. Then remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the avocado into a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth. You will need 1 cup of avocado puree.
5. Stir the avocado, monk fruit, liquid stevia, and vanilla extract into the cooled chocolate.
6. Next, beat in the eggs. (I prefer to use an electric blender while making these brownies.)
7. Stir in the coconut flour, cocoa powder, and water until the batter is smooth.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread to cover the pan and fill the corners. Smooth the top.
9. Bake for 14 minutes or until the top is firm to the touch.
10. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan before lifting the brownie from the pan.
For the Avocado Frosting:
1. Place frosting ingredients in a food processor or blender.
2. Process/Blend, scraping down the sides as needed until very smooth.
3. Spread over completely cooled brownies.
4. Cut the brownie into 24 pieces. I store mine in an air-tight container in the refrigerator since it contains avocados. I’d recommend not keeping them over three days unless you are freezing extra batches.
Comments:
You’ll notice this recipe takes a lot of ingredients you may not be used to if you’re new to a low-carb diet. I want to encourage you to not feel overwhelmed. I used to bake with regular flour, sugar, and the other basic ingredients most of us grew up with. I, like some of you, had no clue what some of these strange and new ingredients were! And I felt they were too pricey for me!
As with any new skill, what I’ve noticed is that over time, I’ve become familiarized with these substitute products. Now I know how to bake and cook with them. It comes easily and naturally. This was not the case at first. At first, I had to go out and buy these ingredients, and I’d often have to ask for help in finding them in the grocery stores! (And I also learned that some grocery stores don’t contain some of these ingredients!) It felt cumbersome and frustrating. But I stuck with it. Now I feel like I’m becoming an expert, and it’s fun!
As far as the cost goes, bear in mind many of these natural sweeteners go a long way. So while it may be a lot of money up front, they should last you a while and be useful for many other recipes. Another idea to share is to become a member of Thrive Market. We purchase most of our dry foods from this website and have them delivered to our doorstep this way. We save around 25% by purchasing dry food items from this company. HERE is their website.
I’ve come to conclude that I’d rather spend more money, up front, on food that helps me stay healthy and that tastes yummy, as opposed to only buying food that tastes good and has no nutritional qualities to it (such as flour and sugar). I like to stay healthy preventatively. It ends up being much cheaper in the long run.
By the way… Did you know that only about a quarter of your health is determined by your genes?! An awesome new field of science, called epigenetics, studies how genes actually turn off or on, depending on our lifestyle choices! That’s right… about three quarters of our health is determined by how we live!!! This is amazing!
*The optional ingredient is sweet apple pecans. They are made by a company called Brothers Nuts. Two young boys, Austin and Caleb Majors, began their own business with the help of their father, Charles Majors. Dr. Majors passed away this year after blessing the lives of an untold amount of people. He was passionate about helping to transform people’s health, and he passed down a beautiful legacy to his sons. While grieving the loss of their dad, these boys are bravely carrying on their small business and trying to help make the world a better place. I support their delicious snacks whenever I can!
