Thursday, September 22, 2022

Sweet Potato Brownies

I tried two “healthy” brownie recipes recently. One was from Catherine McCord’s Weelicious Lunches and was very similar to this one, using notably white whole wheat flour and applesauce. The other, though, felt slightly more nutrient-dense – it was Minimalist Baker’s fudgy sweet potato brownies, with oat flour and sweet potato purée. They both have whole grain flour and fruit/vegetable purée, but the second one was tastier and also had more protein, so that’s the one I’m sharing here. Everyone liked them! 

To make the sweet potato purée, I like poking holes in the sweet potato with a fork, wrapping it in aluminum foil, and roasting it at 425°F for an hour. Then, once it’s cool enough to handle, I peel it and purée the flesh in the food processor. That being said, I think that canned purée would work here as well (but *not* jarred, as that would be too liquid). 

1 cup sweet potato purée 
2/3 cup maple syrup 
½ cup almond butter or peanut butter 
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 
1 ½ Tbsp. avocado oil (or melted vegan butter, melted coconut oil, or olive oil) 
½ cup cocoa powder or cacao powder, sifted 
¼ tsp. sea salt 
1 tsp. baking powder 
2/3 cup oat flour (gluten-free all-purpose should also work) 
¼ cup dairy-free chocolate chips (optional; I would use miniature chips next time) 

Adjust oven temperature to 350 °F and line an 8×8-inch baking pan (or similar-size pan) with parchment paper. Set aside. 

To a large mixing bowl, add sweet potato purée, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and avocado oil and stir to combine. 

Add cacao powder, sea salt, and baking powder and stir to combine. Then add oat flour and stir until a thick, scoopable batter is achieved. 

Transfer batter to your parchment-lined baking dish and spread into an even layer using a spoon or rubber spatula. Then top with chocolate chips, if using. 

Bake on the center rack for 28-32 minutes. The brownie edges should appear slightly dry, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean (a few crumbs are okay, but it shouldn’t be overly gooey). Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

Lift out of pan and slice. Enjoy warm or room temperature. Store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 3 days, in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month. These brownies are delicious on their own but elevated with a scoop of lactose-free ice cream.



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