Orange & Sea Salt Laced Brownies. [complete with chocolate frosting]

Orange, sea salt & chocolate. Impeccable combination.

I’ve always seen recipes for avocado pudding/frosting/crema etc…but I couldn’t wrap my head around the concept of using avocado in dessert. I finally caved…happy I did because this was amazing.

The avocado in the frosting makes for an unbelievably rich and velvety texture, something I wasn’t expecting. However, it’s important to find the right balance of sweetness so that the avocado flavor doesn’t take over. As usual, tasting and adjusting is necessary.

A few things that make this dessert special are the addition of orange zest & sea salt. These flavors are notoriously good with chocolate and heighten the chocolatey deliciousness of this dessert tenfold.

This recipe was inspired by raw food recipes which is my favorite site for all things raw. Tons of great ideas on there!

The recipe also called for a dehydrator but if you don’t have one, don’t fret, you can use an oven set at the lowest temperature.

For the brownie:

3 c almond meal
2 c dried shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 c raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t vanilla
12 dates, pitted and soaked in water if not soft
3 T raw coconut nectar, agave or maple syrup
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 small very ripe banana
Zest and juice of one orange
1/8 t cayenne powder (optional)

Combine almond meal, coconut, salt and cocoa powder in a food processor until uniform in texture and color (about 1 minute).
Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Add remaining ingredients to your now empty food processor.
Blend until you have a smooth paste.
Add half of almond mixture back to the food processor and blend until combined.
Add remaining almond mixture and blend again.
Pour mixture onto non-stick silicone or silpat sheet if using a dehydrator.
If using your oven pour mixture into a 8 or 9 inch springform pan, greased with a little coconut oil to prevent sticking.
Set your dehydrator to 115 degrees and let dry for about 12 hours. Flip over and dry on the other side for a few more hours, checking that your brownies don’t dry out completely and stay moist in the center.

if no dehydrator:
Set your oven at the lowest possible temp (mine goes to 150). Bake for two hours and check to make sure they’re not drying out completely. Two to three hours will be plenty of time.
Let the brownies cool and then set in the coldest part of your fridge (the bottom drawer) until ready to eat.
Alternatively, I have kept these in the freezer and they get very firm. If you like your brownies super cold (I do!) store them there rather than the fridge.
If your pan doesn’t fit in your fridge, you can cut the brownies into shapes, wrap then in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Let your brownies cool for at least two hours, if not more, before eating. Letting them cool and set up makes them easier to handle as they can be a bit gooey.

Now for the frosting…

Ingredients:
2 very ripe avocados
1/2 c cocoa powder (or whatever chocolate powder you used for the brownies)
1/4 c raw coconut nectar, agave or maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1 t vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a blender stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides and add sweetener if needed.
If you don’t sweeten the frosting enough the avocado flavor could overpower the chocolate, which you don’t want.
Spread onto of your brownies before serving.
Do not freeze!

When you serve your brownies be sure to add some fresh orange zest on top for an extra punch of acidity. This is a very chocolatey dessert and to cut some of the richness, the orange zest and sea salt work wonders.

Enjoy!

a word of advice…

Don’t even THINK about making these without the frosting. I know it might sound intimidating to use avocado as a chocolate frosting base, but you will understand why once you taste it. Without the frosting these are only half as good as they deserve to be.