Chocolate Caramel Avocado Brownies
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One of the words that are way overused is “awesome”.
Everyone (including myself - I am actually the worst offender) just throw that term on the table like they are giving out change in a toll-booth.
We use it so much, I believe we’re all starting to get a little desensitized to that word — it doesn’t mean anything to anyone anymore.
Think about the things we daily describe as "awesome"...are they really awesome?
Because we’re doing it without even evaluating the traits that make up the word.
Awesome is an adjective which means “causing awe, inspiring wonder or excitement.”
Are we really feeling a “reverential wonder” when we bite into a big juicy “awesome” burger?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Still, the English language is not short on words that can have the same meaning of, or hold just as much power as, awesome.
Amazing, fantastic, excellent, great, incredible, outstanding, superb, terrific are all semantically similar words that can be used in lieu of awesome.
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That being said, I am 100% guilty of overusing "awesome”.
I have absolutely no excuse. I just like it. A lot. So much, sometimes I even capitalize it for some reason (why?)
Which makes me wonder: is my vocabulary really this limited?
Furthermore, does overusing a single word make me uneducated or lower the value of what I have to share?
I can definitely see how it would turn some people off. I’ve actually tried to be mindful about it and I’ve censored myself a few times.
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Nephew told me to start using “awesmazing” - instead of “awesome” - because the latter is “so old school!”
I’m not certain if replacing awesome with a neologism is a viable course of action. I’ll cut it out for a bit while I consider the issue.
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However, allow me to use awesome one more time, because frankly I can’t find a better word to describe these chocolate caramel avocado brownies.
They are, well...AWESOME (ha!)
Fudgy, dense, gooey, sticky, and with the right amount of sweetness.
Needless to say it, I made my own (paleo) caramel sauce, because it’s so easy to make and so much better than store bought (and it’s also dairy-free and refined-sugar free).
The chocolate part of the brownie melts in your mouth — not cakey at all. The caramel top is superb (see? I’m learning!)
All in all, these brownies were a success. Aunt G kept saying “Mike these are supergood! I can’t believe there’s no sugar, no dairy and they’re made with avocado”, while licking her fingers and grabbing another piece.
So just go and make them. We'll discuss how healthy they are later.
Chocolate Caramel Avocado Brownies Print this recipe!
Ingredients
Makes 12 (large) brownies
2 large ripe avocados (I used Hass)
8 oz / 220 gr +70% dark chocolate, chopped (I used Dagoba)
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (or butter)
1 cup / 7 oz / 200 gr raw coconut palm sugar (I used Madhava)
2 free-range organic eggs (or 2 flax eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup / 2.65 oz / 75 gr almond meal (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
¼ cup / 1.12 oz / 32 gr unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
4 tablespoons caramel sauce (make your own paleo caramel with this recipe)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Grease a 8x8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with foil and lightly grease the foil. This will make brownie removal much easier.
Place coconut oil and chopped chocolate in a medium size heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the boiling water. Stir with a wooden spoon until chocolate and coconut oil are completely melted. Use pot holders to remove the bowl from over the boiling water. Let mixture sit for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, mash avocado until very smooth (I used an immersion blender to do this).
Stir in the chocolate coconut oil mixture.
Whisk in sugar until combined, then add in eggs (one at a time) and vanilla extract.
Sift in cocoa powder, then add almond meal, baking powder and salt, mixing with a large spoon until just combined (do not overmix).
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth using a spatula.
Take your caramel sauce, scoop out spoonfuls and dot them into the brownie mixture, pressing to submerge. Once you have a third of the caramel left, drizzle it on top, using your spoon to ripple it through.
Bake for about 28 to 30 minutes until the middle is set.
Let cool on a rack completely and cut into 12 squares using a sharp knife.
Nutrition facts
One brownie yields 327 calories, 29 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbs and 6 grams of fat.
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