May I tempt you?

The combination of a master’s degree workload and the kooky oven in our little flat means that I have not been baking nearly as much in recent months as I used to.  The oven is so overenthusiastic about doing its job that it hits the preheat temperature and just keeps on going.  We don’t roast or bake things so much as strategically burn them.  Thank goodness we don’t have a sensitive smoke alarm.  Although I will redact that statement if I die in a fiery death.

I was sorely missing freshly baked banana bread, muffins, and most of all COOKIES, so I decided it was time to face the oven.  I thought I’d make something to share with a friend from school, who can’t have dairy, so I did a little recipe tweaking that led to the happiest accident I’ve had in a long time.

I have discovered the secret to super fudgy cookies, and it’s too good to keep to myself.  Get ready for the money shots.

And guess what?  It’s this guy:

Apparently, avocado makes a great substitute for butter in baking.  Just mash it up pretty well with a fork, and use the exact same amount as you would have used of butter.

I based my recipe off of this one for inside-out chocolate chip cookies from Sally’s Baking Addiction, but made a few alterations.  Instead of the original ingredient list, I used:

– 1/2 cup of mashed avocado instead of 1/2 cup butter

– 3 tbsp rice milk instead of 2 tbsp regular milk

The milk (dairy or not) just keeps the dough a little bit runnier but is probably negligible.  The avocado is the big deal here.  It makes this beautiful shiny mess that’s more like brownie batter than cookie dough.  These cookies were better than regular cookies.  Butter be gone (haha no).

The results were REALLY squidgy and soft – baked all the way through, just not set up too stiffly.  I’ve made one batch with butterscotch chips, and one batch with chopped up mint & Oreo chocolate bars (I KNOW).

If you dive in when they’re hot from the oven, they’re super melty and delicious.

If you wait a bit til they cool, or just have a crazy oven that bakes certain trays way more than others, they hold their shape better.

You can’t taste the avocado at all, but it makes the cookies really moist and soft and keeps them from getting dry or cakey.

I’m officially converted to the avocado baking camp (that’s not a camp?  I’m going to form it).  These cookies were so moist and dense and fudgy, it was almost like a slightly underbaked brownie instead of a cookie.

My friend actually told me I could sell these.  I must share the compliment at least equally with the majestic avocado.

I like them best when they’re piping hot and falling apart, with a cold glass of milk on the side.  But it’s up to you.