dairy-free fudgy salted "caramel" brownies

One of the few things I’ve learned in quarantine is that dates are very tasty. Also, surprisingly versatile. And yesterday, I was bored(as I often am these days), and thought, what if I could make a better-for-you version of salted caramel brownies?

I vaguely remember watching a youtube video where someone made better-for-you candy bars with dates as the caramel bit, and I thought I’d give it a try myself. And I gotta say, I’m very pleased. Turns out, when you put dates in a food processor with a little bit of warm water for long enough, it becomes this slightly creamy, whipped, vaguely-caramel-esque concoction! Amazing. Honestly I was surprised how good it turned out.

And after that, it was a matter of slightly modifying one hungry bunny’s recipe for avocado brownies by decreasing the sugar and increasing the chocolate, and then voila! Salted “caramel” brownies.

look how smooth the avocado is! I’ve never seen it this way before.

And just look at how good they came out! Just look at those fudgy, gooey layers. So good, I stood in my kitchen just spooning this into my mouth 10 seconds after it came out of the oven. Honestly, these are one of the best desserts you’ll eat that are somewhat good for you too. I mean, they do have avocado in them. They’re basically a health food. So you should make these often and eat them as much as possible. Obviously..

Dairy-Free Fudgy Salted “Caramel” Brownies

modified from One Hungry Bunny’s Deliciously Rich Avocado Brownies

Serves: 8 (honestly it depends on how much dessert you want)

cooking time: 25 minutes

ingredients

For the Salted “Caramel”:

• 9 oz dates (I used deglet noor dates)

• 1/4 cup warm water

• 1/4 tsp salt

For the Brownie:

• 1 ripe avocado

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 large egg

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

• 1/4 whole wheat flour

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, melted

• pinch of salt

steps

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Puree dates, warm water, and salt in food processor until relatively smooth, and mixture pales in color and turns light-brown.

3. Puree avocado + maple syrup in food processor until fully combined, then add in eggs and vanilla. Blend until mixture is smooth.

4. Transfer mixture to separate bowl, and add in dry ingredients and melted dark chocolate, mixing until fully incorporated.

5. Grease loaf pan and spread half of the batter into the loaf pan, then top with the date mixture spread into an even layer, and finally top with the rest of the brownie batter.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, then remove from oven, cut into squares, and enjoy!