AVOCADO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

delish! fact: these delightful treats have ZERO butter, oil, or crisco in them! in fact, using avocado removes 75% of the fat content! each cookie has roughly 3.5 grams of fat, and about 90 calories! compare that to a normal chocolate chip cookie's 13 grams of fat, and 240 calories! (via deconstructing the home blog, and my own calculations!)

i have to admit: i was a little apprehensive testing these out. avocado isn't for everyone, but fortunately, it is for me! i probably eat 3 avocados a week. for breakfast, for lunch, mixed with salsa, on a sandwich, as guac. you name it. so i was eager to see if this superfood would wind up tasting okay with my other favorite: chocolate!

i am beyond thrilled with the results! these cookies have just the right amount of sweetness! they are not crispy, nor chewy, but are very moist, fluffy and spongey! they almost have the smooth texture of a muffin top, but with healthier ingredients, won't give you one! :)

i googled recipes, and found one that worked for me (via deconstructing the home blog), and made a few modifications:

preheat your oven to 290 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease. (i used my silicone baking sheet with a quick spray of pam!)

beat 2 small avocados (1/2 cup) with a mixer. i used my beloved kitchen aid stand mixer!

add in 3/4 cup brown sugar. to be honest, you could probably add 2 extra tablespoons too :)

add 1 large egg and 1 tsp of vanilla. mix together on high until it forms a smooth mixture.

the wet ingredients should turn into a smooth, greenish-tan mixture; sort of looking like split pea soup!

in another bowl, mix 1 cup of flour (white or whole wheat is fine! i only had white on hand), 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp of salt. next time, i am going to up that to about 1/2 a tsp of salt; i couldn't taste any, and i thought it might go well with the slight undertone of the 'cado!

slowly incorporate the dry ingredients to the mixer in about 4 equal parts. it should become much like a thick paste; it won't ever look much like a dough.

add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (i prefer the mini-chips!)

use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture out onto the cookie sheet. the original recipe called for 24, but i found that it made about 18 decent sized cookies (three wide across the baking sheet).

bake for 15-20 minutes, but i would suggest checking them at about 13. i have an older oven now, and 15 seemed perfect, but i have a feeling the temperature was higher than recommended. the cookies don't spread much like typical cookies, and they puff up. again, they are super light and fluffy, which i love because i am not a fan of the too-crisp cookie!

enjoy!