Thursday, April 29, 2010

For the True Avocado Lover!

I decided to really try an experiment with Avocados today, something I had never tried before!  I have been intrigued with the thought of using Avocados as a substitute for butter in baking, so I gave it my first attempt, and I thought it was a huge success!  I wanted to first try using avocados as a butter substitute in a biscuit recipe, as I thought that if I can make a biscuit light and fluffy without using butter (or buttermilk), I could make just about any kind of baked good with avocado!  I grew up eating my Great Grandma's biscuits, full of buttermilk and butter, and just loads of yummy fat that is not so good for us to be eating... This is definitely not Grandma's Saturday morning biscuit (which was always smothered in gravy too!), but it's a fresh, light and new version!  The avocado gave the biscuit a soft, almost creamy texture (almost like baking with pudding, or sour cream), and yet it was also very light and fluffy.  The amazing part?  Every single bite was exploding with avocado flavor, and it was also a very attractive pale green.  I thought the color might turn off some appetites at first (some people have issues eating "green" things), but once it was baked it became a pale and delightful green, that reminds me of fresh grass peeking out in the first of the spring!  I think these biscuits are lovely by themselves, as they are slightly sweet and incredibly flavorful, but I think they could also be delicious with just a bit of jam for breakfast, or could even be used for a delightful shortcake (hmmmm, Avocado shortcake anyone??).  I think they'd even taste great used as bread for a turkey sandwich, with a just a little dijon, some fresh sprouts, tomato, and a lovely slice of Swiss cheese, YUM! If you love avocados you will love these lovely little vegan biscuits, and you will feel great eating them, knowing they contain only healthy, good for you fats, and are not loaded with dairy products that can weigh you down.  Enjoy!!
Light and Fluffy Avocado Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 ripe Avocados (equals about 1 cup, mashed)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons agave nectar

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Very lightly oil a baking sheet with coconut oil or cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the fruit out with a spoon into a medium size bowl.  Using a fork, mash the avocados until creamy.  Add in the remaining ingredients, and use a fork to fully combine.  You can use your hands at the end to just get all the ingredients fully incorporated. 
3. Turn the biscuit dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat out to about 1/2 inch thick.  Use a glass (about 3 inches), with the rim lightly dipped in flour, to cut out the biscuits, reshaping the dough as needed to cut round biscuits about 1/2 an inch thick.  You could use a biscuit cutter if you have one, or we also used cans (cleaned thoroughly) to cut biscuits sometimes when I was growing up!
4. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart (you should have 6-8 biscuits), and place into the preheated oven.  Bake for about 14-16 minutes, until just slightly golden on the top, and fluffy. Remove from oven.
5. Serve, and ENJOY the delightful flavor of avocados!

3 comments:

  1. These sounds wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been wanting to try one of your avocado recipes and we finally had some avocados that I could use, so I tried this recipe. It worked really well. Some of my kids really really liked them and the others were less enthusiastic, but all were willing to eat them even though they were green.

    This was a nice and easy recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So glad you gave these a try! :) You know, my family had a similar reaction to these biscuits: my daughter and I loved them, but my husband wasn't quite as convinced! I think it all comes down to whether you really like the flavor of avocado or not! It may be too much for some people, but others will enjoy it's warm fruity flavor. :) But happy that you tried it out! :)

    ReplyDelete