Description
Christmas cookies are totally clean eating with these Peppermint Mocha Fudge Avocado Brownies. They are chocolatey and fudgy, just like a brownie, but made with clean ingredients like avocado, dates, maple syrup, coconut sugar, eggs, whole wheat flour and cocoa. And they’re topped with a decadent chocolate peppermint avocado frosting! So bring on the Christmas cookies!
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 1/2 cup pitted dates
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 medium-sized ripe avocado
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled
- 1 tbsp peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the frosting:
- 1 medium-sized ripe avocado
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp peppermint extract
- Toppings of your choice (I used pomegranate arils and coconut)
Instructions
For the brownies:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8″ tart pan with cooking spray. (You can also line an 8″ square pan with parchment paper).
- In a blender, add the dates and maple syrup and blend on high until the dates are chopped (about 30 seconds). Add the avocado and sugar, and blend until well combined (about 1 minute). Don’t worry if there are still chunks of dates in the mixture. Add in the eggs, coffee and peppermint extract, and blend on high for another 30 seconds.
- Next, add the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt to the blender, and blend on high until the dry and wet ingredients are well combined. You may need to stop the blender a few times to scrape down the sides.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. (There may still be a few chunks of dates in the mixture, but that’s okay!)
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out almost clean. (If it’s totally clean, the brownies may not be as fudgy).
- Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
For the frosting:
- Add the avocado, maple syrup and peppermint extract to a medium-sized bowl and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium speed until the avocado is well blended (about a minute).
- On a low speed, gradually add in the cocoa, beating well after each addition. This will minimize the cocoa dust and ensure it’s well incorporated. After all the cocoa is added, beat on high until the frosting is creamy. This may take 1-2 minutes.
- Spread the icing on the cooled brownies and sprinkle with desired toppings.
- Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to serve. The brownies will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
- The first time I made these brownies, I added crushed candy canes to the top of the avocado frosting, which just seemed to dissolve into the frosting. So I would avoid adding crushed candy canes or peppermint candy as a topping.
- I’ve made these brownies using my Ninja blender and my food processor. While they both turned out well, I preferred the texture of the brownies made in the blender. It was also easier and quicker than using my food processor.
- You can make these brownies ahead of time and freeze them, but I would do this without the avocado frosting. When you’re ready to serve, just thaw and top with the frosting and other toppings. I’ve frozen these brownies with the frosting, and they seemed to freeze well. But it was only for a few days, so I’m not sure how long the avocado frosting would last in the freezer.
Keywords: brownies, avocado, peppermint, mocha, fudge, cookies, Christmas
