Healthy Avocado Fudge Brownies ( Low Carb & Gluten free )

Hello everyone! This is my first post and to be honest I don't really know how to introduce myself. So in a nutshell, after going through some quite drastic changes in my life recently including moving out of my mothers and starting university in a new city, i've decided to start a cooking blog and finally share my love for food with the internet. 

Anyways back to the main reason why you're here. Avocados seem to be the craze lately due to its rich creamy texture and well, generally being good for you! So with that being said , i'm a sucker for dense fudgey brownies ( i'm personally not a fan of cakey ones at all ) and i wanted to share with you my recipe for a healthier, low carb and gluten free alternative to your traditional fudge brownies by substituting butter for - you guessed it! Avocados! 

In case you're worried that your brownies will taste like avocados, i promise you they won't. In fact i find they bring out an even more intense chocolate flavour which will leave you craving fo' some mo' choco. Oh one more thing, they're even fudgier the next day!

Ingredients (makes 8 brownies):

• 1/2 cup of blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder ( or 4 tablespoons )
• A pinch of salt
• Around a teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 vanilla bean pod ( or a teaspoon of vanilla extract )
• 1 ripe avocado ( should measure around 1/2 cup )
• 4 egg whites 
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Xylitol depending how sweet you like it ( If you're not doing the low carb thing or you don't mind the extra calories then feel free to use sugar )
• 50g roughly chopped 60%-85% dark chocolate 
• 50g roughly chopped macadamia nuts or any nut of your choice ( optional ) 
• 20g roughly chopped dark chocolate to sprinkle on top (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 175 °C ( 350 farenheit ) and line your 8x8 inch ( 20x20 cm ) pan with parchment paper or spray some cooking oil.
   
   
2. In a small bowl, purée your avocado with a hand held blender until it's smooth or just mush it up as best as you can with a fork.
   
   
3. In a separate bowl, combine your blanched almond flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, xylitol and vanilla. 
   
   
4. Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add in the egg whites and avocado and mix it all up. 
   
   
5. Incorporate the chopped chocolate and macadamia and pour the batter into your baking pan.
   
   
6. Sprinkle the 20g of chopped chocolate on top and bake in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes. 
   
   
7. Let it cool before you slice into it, and voilà you have your healthier chocado brownies! 

Nutrition Information:

1 slice of your traditional brownie contains: 242 calories, 10.1 g of fat, 39 g of carbs ( 0 g of fiber ) & 2.7 g of protein. 

1 slice of a chocado brownie ( excluding the macadamia nuts & extra chocolate on top ) contains: 130.6 calories, 9.5 g of fat , 5 g of carbs ( 2.5 g of fiber = 2.5 net carbs ) & 4.375 g of protein.