Paleo Brownie à la Mode

My mom wanted brownies and specifically requested it to be "dark, fudgy and extra chocolatey", so I obliged. I know very well of my mom's tastebuds: she hates butter, too much oil, too much sugar and no saturated fat (even coconuts!). So I knew I had to brainstorm new brownie recipes to cater to my beloved mother's cravings.

These brownies were perfect for her! Knowing my mom's tastebuds so well, I knew that a light banana and sticky date ice cream would pair perfectly with the dark, decadent, fudge brownie- and she loved it! After devouring a serving, she even asked for another slice of brownie and said "This is really good! What is this ice cream made of!? It's really delicious! Take notes of the recipe, honey. I'm gonna need you to make me one of these again" - and that's a lot coming from a somewhat picky eater like my mother (next mission is to wow my dad's tastebuds, an even pickier eater). So I thought I'd share the recipe for all of you to test, taste (and judge) for yourselves:

Brownie Batter

Makes 6 square slices

Ingredients

Wet ingredients:

1/2 of a ripe avocado, mashed

1 tbsp almond butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 flax egg (2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp cold water)

45 grams dark chocolate chips, melted

Dry ingredients:

35 grams almond flour

15 grams dutch processed cocoa powder

35 grams coconut sugar

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 175C and line a baking pan with parchment paper or lightly coat in oil to avoid sticking

2. In a large bowl, place mashed avocado and almond butter. Whisk until smooth with a hand-held mixer or in a blender

3.Add in the flax egg and vanilla extract

4. Mix in the dry ingredients into the large bowl and blend again until well incorporated

5. When all ingredients are mixed in, pour in the melted chocolate and lightly mix with a spatula until well combined (Adding in the melted chocolate last will help give the brownie a shiny top)

6. Transfer into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean

7. Let cool on a wire rack

Sticky-date Banana Ice Cream

Makes 1 full scoop

Ingredients

1 large frozen banana

1 medjool date, pitted and chopped into small squares

1 tsp vanilla bean or extract

Recipe

1. Put all ingredients in a blender

2. Blend until smooth and texture resembles a thick soft serve consistency

With brownie is still slightly warm, scoop the banana ice cream on top, sprinkle with more cocoa powder. cacao nibs and enjoy!