Avocado Brownies - or why does Pinterest suck so badly · Saturday November 29, 2025 by colin newell
Found this Pinterest recipe on the “Recipes by Honey…” Website…
which appears to be more of a front for 1000 pop-up ads before you get to the actual recipe.
Why Pinterest, why!?
My blog – coffee.bc.ca – has no popups, no shills, no tension, frustration or BS —
much like the “blog” that I nicked from “Honey…”
The brownies are currently in the oven for the first time…
We will see if this was worth the effort and frustration of wading through yet another Pinterest recipe.
For the Brownie Batter
2 medium Ripe Avocados – Ensure they are fully ripe for a creamy texture.
1 cup Granulated Sugar – consider substituting with honey or maple syrup.
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder – consider unsweetened for richer flavour.
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract.
1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour Can – you substitute with gluten-free options.
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt – It balances sweetness.
Optional Add-Ins
1/2 cup Nuts or Chocolate Chips can be added for crunch and indulgence.
1/4 cup Peanut Butter Swirl in before baking for added flavor.
Step by step guide to preparation
Grab your KitchenAid or mixmaster (you could also use a Vitamix — but set aside more clean up time!)
The Wet Mix
In the mixmaster (or blender) Mash avocados until they are creamy with no lumps (and of course – it goes without saying… you cut open the avocado, removing the skin and the seed… the skin and the seed goes into the compost!)
In this instance, I added 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup Maple Syrup for that Canadian touch!
Add in 1/2 cup fine unsweetened cocoa powder.
Drizzle in 1/2 teaspoon (or more) vanilla extract (I also contemplated adding 1/2 ounce of white rum but one must keep in mind that when adding alcohol, it can impact on how the brownies set!)
The Dry Mix
Add a teaspoon of magic baking powder to 1/2 cup standard white flour (I used bread flour without issue.)
Add the flour and leavening mix slowly to the “wet” mix… Do not over mix please…
Add ons
I added a tablespoon or two of creamy peanut butter at the very end of mixing (for something of a swirl effect…) Let’s see how that works out.
I used an 8” x 8” purpose made brownie pan – lined with parchment paper and sprayed with Pam - cooking spray.
Move your batter from its mixing vessel into the baking tray and level out the brownie mix – try and get as even a layer as possible. With this batch size the batter will be about 1/2” thick or so on the bottom of the tray.
Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 25-35 minutes… or when a toothpick goes in and comes out clean!
Important Rule says – Let the brownies cool for an hour before you attempt to cut them.
Taste test These are crazy creamy and awesome! I could have added another bit of nut butter up to maybe 1/4 cup AND some finely ground or coarsely chopped nuts – despite my frustration with the Pinterest mega-ad BS, this recipe is a win! Thank you “Honey…”
This blog entry is dedicated to our longest long suffering reader-fan of the CoffeeCrew blog... with me for almost 20 years if not more! Hey Oh Jeanie Marie!
Winter all food, fun and drink marathon begins - muffins updated · Tuesday October 14, 2025 by colin newell
I make my own muffins. Partially because I like to know what I am eating – and I have a hard time paying $2 for a muffin that contains stuff that I am not interested in… or may be allergic to. Lately I have been using Goat’s milk or Almond milk or a blend of the two.
Here is my recipe for Colin`s Kitchen Sink Muffins – they are healthy, rich in nutrients, low in fat, not quite vegan and if you are looking for daily regularity, they are as predictable as sunrise and reliable as gravity. Enjoy.
Dry Mix
2 Cups Whole Wheat flour and 2 Cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Each; rolled oats, corn meal and (oat or wheat) bran (total=3 cups of grain)
1.5 Cups dark brown sugar (can be reduced to taste)
1 Tbsp Baking Soda and 1 Tbsp Magic Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
2 Tsp Organic Saigon Cinnamon
(Optional extra spices); 1.5 Tsp Allspice, 1.5 Tsp fresh ground nutmeg
Wet Mix
3/4 Cup unsweetened Apple Sauce
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
3 Eggs
1 Tbsp Vanilla
2 Cups Buttermilk OR 2 Cups Lactose-reduced 2% Milk OR 2 Cups Soy milk OR 2 Cups Almond milk OR 2 Cups Goat’s milk
Add Wet to Dry Mix – Do not over-mix.
Add from 2 to 4 cups of the fruit of your choice – I use finely chopped mango, or apple, or fresh figs, or anything in the way of frozen fruit medleys – the sky is the limit.
Put equal amounts in pre-greased or pre-Pammed pans – I use a pro-Ice Cream scoop for quantity management.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven – (or 22 minutes in a convection oven…) check for degree of done with a toothpick. Poke the muffins. If the picks come out clean, you are good to go. Let cool in pans for about 10 minutes and then air dry on cooling grid. Makes about 22 freezer ready muffins.The Coffee.bc.ca blog has been on the air for over 30 years! Edited and created by Colin Newell – long time Victoria B.C. resident and food/coffee/culture writer…
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As we approach September, some ideas... · Saturday August 23, 2025 by colin newell
For those just joining us… hello. For those here for the first time or dropping in after a long time… Hola! Good day.
Looking at the stats for this blog, I see a lot of visitors… but I don’t get a lot of feedback.
I’d love some feedback. I have some ideas I am cooking up for the Fall.
One is a radio show. Yep. A new medium… or is it an old medium?
Either way. Yea. And it will be paralleled with a podcast.
But what are we up to? That is going to be the subject of some up and coming posts.
Stay tuned.
If you are a regular here, please send me a note via this easy contact page.
Singing with the trees quick book review · Sunday June 29, 2025 by colin newell
In his debut novella, artist and singer songwriter Rob Fillo invites us on a journey of self discovery, enlightenment and wisdom born of pain.
From the urban malaise of Richmond, British Columbia and the rising spectre of COVID globally, Rob has decided to flee the capitalist establishment and degradation of civilization, casting off the yokes of modernity and boiling down his belongings into the cramped comforts of his 2004 Nissan Sentra.
I took a deep breath and realized that I packed my 2004 Sentra to the gills with nearly everything I owned. I think part of me never wanted to come back to my condo…
In the summer of 2020, Rob Fillo, then 38 years old decided it was time to find out what he was made of – what measure of human man he was — and by what measure he would measure himself. This was, after all, the recesses of Vancouver Island, in all its pitiless and unforgiving and often impenetrable wilderness; from dense black forest, alpine mountains high to plunging rock crevices to a restless Pacific Ocean. And guarding these confines, cougars and marmots and bears (Oh my!)
I imagined I would have to fight a bear — or something — to earn my stripes. I awaited this challenge on my last night, alone in the misty darkness…
Equipped with a keen sense of empathy and the ability to, above and beyond all other things, listen, Rob was quickly initiated into the back-World of Island bush camping and co-existing with his co-escapees. His preternatural skills with the acoustic guitar and West Coast song writing won him quick accolades with groups small and large — quickly leading to headlining small town pub and bistro gigs.
There I was, under the stars, fire blazing, and this goddess of the forest decided to materialize and come sit with me.
At a reasonably lean 80 pages, Rob fills us with wonder within the realm of our surroundings, encouraging us to question our motives in the material World. After two easy breezy reads (yes, you can read this cover to cover in one 1.5 hour ferry ride between Island and mainland…) I felt like I had a brace of important questions for myself (and others) and wanted more. Here is hoping for another chapter in Rob’s life! The life and music of Rob Fillo can be found at his website RobFillo.com – and his books in many respectable bricks and mortar book shops as well as Amazon online.
Colin Newell is a Victoria resident and former authority on the subject of coffee, food and beverage culture… who likes to read and review great books…
