salted caramel mocha fudge brownies with coffee buttercream

These brownies are just plain stupid.

Brownies aren’t cookies, but lord, would anyone complain about a gooey mess of chocolate and caramel sitting in their gift box? The cool part about these brownies is the fat base is avocado with just a hint of coconut oil, so among the sweet chocolatey brownie goodness is some semblance of nutrition. Health food? Sure, we’ll go with that. Just don’t tell mom. It’s a mug of your favorite fall latte, but edible instead of sippable, and drenched in a soft sweet buttercream tinted with extra espresso because what harm can be done with a bit more coffee during the holiday season?

A food processor is very useful for these brownies, as it allows the avocado to soften into an easy-to-incorporate consistency to mask any alarming chunks of green in the final product. If you don’t have one, you can still smash the crap out of the fruit and it’ll work okay. I blended my avocado with the coconut oil to expedite the softening process, then transferred it to a bowl and whipped in the sugar and eggs with the hand mixer. Worked a charm.

The salted caramel sauce is the same as in my Giant Turtle Cookies, which I posted before this because there was a glitch in my mental Matrix. Oops. As mentioned in that post, caramel is not a difficult venture, but it does require some close observance or else you’ll end up with black sugar soup, which is no bueno. If you use salted butter, reduce the amount of kosher salt in the final product so to not overwhelm your tongue.

Loving these brownies? Be sure to leave a comment below and come say hi on Instagram!

12 Days of Christmas so far:

Day 1: Holiday Cookie Box

Day 2: Butterscotch Snickerdoodles

Day 3: Graham Cracker Gingerbread Crumb Bars

Day 4: Giant Turtle Cookies

Day 5: Salty Pretzel Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Bars

Day 6: Vanilla Mint Snowflakes

salted caramel mocha fudge brownies with coffee buttercream

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I promise you do not taste the avocado – it is merely a substitute for butter and serves as the creamy rich fat base for these gooey, thick, chocolate-laden brownies. Perfect way to trick people into eating more nutritious fare without depriving them of a deserved holiday sugar kick.

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Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Servings 12 brownies

Ingredients

  

salted caramel

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream *see note
• 1 tbsp kosher salt

salted caramel mocha fudge brownies

• 1 medium avocado, pitted
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp instant coffee or espresso
• 6 tbsp salted caramel, divided
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

coffee buttercream

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp instant coffee or espresso
• milk or water as needed

Instructions

 

for the salted caramel

• In a small saucepot, add sugar and heat until completely melted and golden, about 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Bring sugar to a boil and whisk continually until a rich golden color develops, which takes only a minute or two. Be careful not to boil too long else you'll scorch it! When the gold color arises, immediately remove from heat and whisk in butter until melted. Add heavy cream, whisk to combine. Place pot back onto heat, add salt, and cook another 5-8 minutes until caramel thickens slightly. Keep in mind it will continue to thicken as it cools. Remove from heat and set aside.

for the brownies + buttercream

• Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment, allowing about an inch or two to overhang the edges. In a food processor or blender, whip avocado and coconut oil together until all large chunks of avocado are blended and the mixture is completely smooth. Spoon into a large bowl. With a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat in sugar with the avocado mix until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until fully combined. Measure vanilla and blend.
• In a separate bowl, stir flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and instant coffee or espresso until thoroughly incorporated. In two batches, blend the dry ingredients into the wet until mostly mixed. Fold chocolate chips into batter with a rubber spatula. The batter will be quite thick, but if it is too stiff and difficult to spread, add 1-2tsp milk or water until a more pliable texture is achieved.
• Spread half of the brownie batter into prepared baking pan. Drizzle 4 tbsp of salted caramel overtop as evenly as possible, but don't sweat if it's uneven! Smooth the remainder of the brownie batter overtop and give your pan a few taps on the counter to spread the batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. A crumb or two is ok! Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then grasp both sides of the parchment and place onto a baking rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Once the brownies are cool to the touch, prepare the buttercream. With your hand or stand mixer, beat softened butter, powdered sugar, and instant coffee/espresso until a thick soft frosting is achieved. You may need 1-2 tsp of milk or water to create the spreadable but creamy texture. Be sure to lick the beaters once you've finished blending. And make sure your mixer is off before you do so.
• Spread buttercream atop cooled brownies, then drizzle with 2 (or more!) tbsp of salted caramel. Sprinkle flaky sea salt overtop. Enjoy with a big mug of coffee!

Notes

* I actually used oat milk in my caramel since I didn’t have any heavy cream on hand. I think it turned out just fine! You can also sub canned coconut milk if you wish.