Ingredients:

  • 1 large ripe avocado (approx. 200g), pitted and peeled
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 0.5 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cup (45g) high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 0.5 cup (65g) all-purpose flour
  • 0.25 tsp (1.5g) baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp (3g) sea salt
  • 1 tsp (2g) espresso powder
  • 0.5 cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 175°C and line your baking pan. Place the pitted avocado into a food processor and pulse until completely smooth and silky. Note: Any lumps left at this stage will stay in the finished brownie, so be thorough.
  2. Add the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the puree. Process for another 30 seconds until the mixture is pale and airy.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Use a fine mesh sieve for the cocoa until no dark clumps remain.
  4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula. Do this gently until just combined and no white streaks show. Note: Over mixing here will develop too much gluten, making the brownies tough.
  5. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand. The batter will be thick and glossy until it looks like heavy velvet.
  6. Spread the batter into your prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon to level the top until the surface is even and smooth.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes. At this point, the edges should be set but the center will still look slightly soft.
  8. Continue baking for another 5 minutes until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Note: If the toothpick is clean, they are overdone; if it's wet batter, give it 3 more minutes.
  9. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. This allows the internal structure to set until the fudge becomes firm.
  10. Lift the parchment sling and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp, warm knife to cut into 16 squares until you see clean, fudgy edges.