Peppermint-Mocha Fudge Brownies

by Arielle J on December 15, 2014

On a long drive home from brunch
one weekend, my new cute friend,
Carly from Collegeprepster.com
started chatting about baking.

She apparently makes killer brownies.
So, I told her that I make some killer
brownies too…. but home-made and healthified.

She didn’t believe me how delicious
a healthy brownie could be,
so we decided to have a brownie bake-off!

We met last Friday morning,
wrapped them up really cute
and brought them to our local NYC fire station (Engine 22, Ladder 13)
for the firefighters to taste-test.

I bought a treat box, drew the “I Love New York” logo and wrapped it in twine for an easy, festive NY holiday decor.

And Carly wrapped hers in cute box with a red plaid bow.

Here’s what Happened:
I made the silly mistake of telling the firefighters
that mine was the healthy version before
they even took a bite!!

Lesson #1: If you’re having
a taste-test, be as general as possible about
what makes them different and let the the taste-testers do the guessing!

But beware – apparently, one of the firefighters had
a “sensitivity” to coconut oil and a took a bite without knowing.
What happened? He started itching all over! OY!

Lesson #2: Ask if anyone is allergic or sensitive before serving (even
big, brawny fire-men). And, ALWAYS include a little note with the ingredients – people like to know whats in them
AND they may even want the recipe to make themselves.

We took some pictures, had some laughs and then
an alarm went off so they hustled to get their gear on.
And off they went to fight the fire
at the Natural History Museum,
which was the big news in NYC the
rest of that afternoon!

It was a super fun way to spread some holiday cheer
and gratitude to the people who serve us
AND we got Carly back into the kitchen —
she’s been cooking up a storm ever since!

Try mine — yes, the healthy version!
They’re made with avocados and oats so you can eat them for breakfast
and serve them to kiddies for a HEALTHY holiday treat.

Gluten-free, flour-free, butter-free, egg-free AND nut-free too.

I shaped mine with a “New York State” cookie cutter.

Arielle’s HEALTHY Peppermint-Mocha Fudge Brownies
What You Need:
2 avocados, ripe
1 cup coconut palm sugar
2 tsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup oats, ground
1/4 cup unsweetened raw cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

(optional) “Peppermint Candy Cane” Toppings:
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 raw or cooked beet, peeled and sliced
sprinkle peppermint extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
3. In a large bowl, mash together avocados, coconut palm, and coconut oil.
4. Add ground oats (you can blend rolled oats in blender until powdery), cocoa powder, vanilla extract, peppermint extract and sea salt. Mix until creamy.
5. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Cool and then place in refrigerator
6. Cut out fun shapes (I used a cookie cutter in the shape of New York State) and then put some toppings on.
7. To make Red and White Peppermint “Candy Cane” topping: in a baggie, shake up chocolate chips, beets and peppermint extract. Then place a towel over bag and use a hammer or knife and bang until chips are crushed. Sprinkle on top of brownie and Voila!

And if you want the real deal,
(like the big and brawny firemen preferred.)
here is Carly’s recipe:

Carly’s (Def Not Healthy) One-Bowl Brownies
What You Need:
1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER’S Unsweetened Chocolate
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Line 13×9-inch pan with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray or butter.
3. Heat chocolate and butter in a small pan and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
4. Bake 30 to 35 min. and cool completely.