Get Baked: Margarita Butterfruit Cookies

In some parts of the world, avocados are called butterfruit. The good thing about this name is that it provides a sneaky way to name your cookies without people realizing that there’s avocado in them until after they’ve eaten one and fallen in love with it.

Because let’s get real: some people are grossed out by the idea of sweet avocados. They love their guacamole and avocado toast but HEAVEN FORBID their avocado appear in any form other than savory.

The thing is, though, that avocados are really just nature’s butter . So when I read that you could substitute avocado for butter when you bake, I was all up on it. (A word to the wise: it doesn’t melt quite like butter, so if you want to do a 1:1 swap, you’ll need to mess around with the recipe a little more).

This recipe from Heather Homemade  seemed like the perfect dry run for avocado cookies. Everyone already knows that avocado and lime are delicious together and using avocado in the icing gives it a natural green tint. And if you’re wondering: yes, the cookies are also slightly green on the first day. After a night in a tupperwear container, the avocado had oxidized and  the cookies had faded to a normal brown color. The icing – I’m happy to report – stayed nice and green. The acid in the lime juice prevents avocados from oxidizing as quickly.

Margarita Butterfruit Cookies

img_6044

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch, if you like)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup avocado, mashed
  • 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp of almond extract

Icing

  • 1 Tbsp avocado, mashed
  • 1 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • Zest of 1 lime

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate, larger bowl, cream the avocado, butter, and sugar. “Cream” is a fancy work for “beat it for 3 to 4 minutes until it’s nice and airy.” Now add the egg, egg white, and extracts to the sugar/fats mixture. Beat them until they’re well combined. About half a cup at a time, add the flour mixture. The resulting dough should be fairly wet. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.

In the meantime, make the icing! Cream together the avocado and cream cheese before adding the powdered sugar, lime juice, and zest. This ensures that you don’t end up with a really avocado-y bite of icing followed by a really cream-cheesy bite.

After the dough has refrigerated, you can either roll it out and use cookie cutters or roll little balls and flatten them before putting them in the oven. This dough won’t spread like chocolate chip cookie dough, so expect the cookies to pretty much hold their shape while they cook.

img_5883

Bake at 375ºF for 7-9 minutes.

Allow the cookies to cool to room temperate before icing them. The icing should go on pretty wet, but it’ll dry in twenty minutes or so. You can either use the thumbprint method (dip your thumb in the icing and smear it on the cookie) or ice them properly.

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!

Laura

Laura is a tiny girl who wishes she were a superhero. She likes talking to her grandma on the phone and making things with her hands. Strengths include an impressive knowledge of Harry Potter, the ability to apply sociology to everything under the sun, and a knack for haggling for groceries in Spanish. Weaknesses: Chick-fil-a, her triceps, girls in glasses, and the subjunctive mood. Follow the vagabond adventures of Laura and her bike on twitter [@laurrrrita].

Laura has written 308 articles for us.

12 Comments

  1. Ever since I told my gf that in some places avocados are used in desserts, we’ve made it our goal to make/bake something sweet using avocados. This may be the perfect dish!

    • if you have access to an ice cream maker, I’ve had some pretty amazing homemade avocado ice cream before. it was suuuuper rich. or on the simple side, every now and then with breakfast I’ll slice up some strawberries and avocado and toss those in a bowl with some blueberries and a tiny bit of sugar. tastes nice.

      I’m super intrigued by these cookies though. def have to try them.

  2. i’ve heard a common dessert in south america is to toss an avocado and some sweetened condensed milk into a blender and zap it into a pudding-like treat –
    has anyone else heard about this? have been meaning to try it for ages…

    • ha! just checked out the pie recipe & it’s basically this in a crust… well, there you go!

  3. I developed an allergy to avocados at 21. I feel like there has to be a customer service agent somewhere I can speak to regarding it.

  4. Excited that I will be able to make these soon/when the cookie sheet I bought comes in the mail!

  5. Just want everyone to know about LESBIANS GOT TALENT! Scheduled Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7:00pm, at Montview Presbyterian Church in Denver. The annual event showcases lesbian performers in a variety of music, dance & performance art numbers. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door if still available. The show has sold out each time in the past. More information is available at http://www.lesbiansgottalent.com

  6. I just made these and am waiting for the icing to dry. I think it is pretty promising!

    Flattening the cookies was a little tough for me, as the dough kept sticking to my hands and I made a mess of the top of them. By the time I got to my last three, I found that if I wet my fingertips a bit, I could press down on the cookies without them sticking to me.

    • You already made them?! You win Wednesday!

      And I totally dig your hack. I should’ve mentioned that I make little balls and them smash them down with my fingers (if I’m feeling brave) or a spatula right after they come out of the oven.

      I hope you love the cookies.

  7. There has to be a way of making these (or similar avocado baked goods) totally gluten free and vegan too right? I haven’t baked much since I found out that I can’t have the two most common ingredients to all baked goods but this makes me want to experiment.

Comments are closed.