Going Green - Part II

To continue with the green theme, I decided to try a new recipe the other day. A few weeks ago I saw a tip while browsing Pinterest that said you can substitute 1/2 the butter (or margarine) in cookie recipes for the same amount of avocado.

So, I decided to give it a whirl.

I'm sure you could try this with any cookie recipe, but I decided for my first go I would google an actual avocado cookie recipe. The first one that came up was this one and it promised to be so good that I wouldn't be able to eat just one!

The recipe intro on the blog included a bit of a disclaimer: "I’m pretty sure that this still doesn’t classify them as healthy or part of your five-a-day and I’m sure that some of you are thinking ‘what’s the point- if you’re going to eat a cookie, eat a cookie’."

But then it goes on to say that sometimes it's the little things that count. And especially as a mom with young kids (some more picky than others), I'm always looking for ways to add healthful content to their food intake. Avocado is one of the best foods around - and the idea of replacing some bad fat with some healthy fat? Bring it on.

Oatmeal-Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1/2 cup butter softened (I used margarine)

1/2 cup peeled mashed avocado (I needed a whole one to get 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup shredded coconut (I opted to add 1/2 cup of rolled oats instead)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional - I didn't use them)

1. Beat the butter/margarine and sugars until smooth. Add the mashed avocado.

If you have any little helpers around, they might enjoy the mashing process.

Margarine and sugar... meet avocado.


The mixture was tinged slightly green after we added the avocado. I took a taste at this point and could faintly pick up on the avocado. But only for a moment until all that sugar took over in my mouth :)

2. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the avocado mixture and mix well. Stir in oats and coconut. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.

And, you might ask, how does avocado cookie dough taste?

Still delicious.

Just ask my assistant.


4. Drop into tablespoon-sized balls onto a baking sheet.

I found it helped to press them down a little so they baked wider rather than rounder. The recipe says to bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, but I probably did mine for a little under 10 minutes.

The end result? A delicious and kind-of-nutritious, slightly yellowy-tinged, after-school snack that the kids were happy to eat.


I even shared them with the moms at ballet and I believe they passed the "yummy" test... Now, who is brave enough to try this in your favourite tried-and-true cookie recipe?? Please do and let me know how they turn out!