Sweet Potato Brownies

Adapted from Sweet Potato Brownies

These delicious brownies are a great way to satisfy that sweet tooth! I've never been able to stop myself from having a little something sweet everyday. The best thing about these brownies is that you get all sorts of added nutrients while you are eating your daily chocolate fix.

The peanut butter provides protien, the avocados in the icing provide healthy fats, and the sweet potatoes provide lots of minerals like iron and magnesium, a full range of important vitamins like B6, C, and D, and lots of antioxidants that help boost the Vitamin A in our bodies!

Ingredients:

For the Brownies!

• 3/4 cup roast sweet potato purée
• 1 cup peanut butter (can be substituted for an allergy-free alternative)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1/2 cup flour (plain, spelt, buckwheat, almond, and quinoa flour all work well with slightly varying tastes)
• 2/3 cup coconut sugar (or other granulated sugar)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

For the Chocolate Icing!

• 1/2 cup mashed avocado
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

For the Brownies!

1. Make the sweet potato puree:
   • Cut 2 small or 1 large sweet potatoes down the center (hot dog style) and place them on a baking tray, orange side up.
   • Bake in the oven at 400°F/200°C for 40 minutes.
   • Let cool five minutes and then scrape the orange parts out of the skins.
   • Mash with a fork or puree in a food processor.
2. Heat the peanut butter slowly in a bowl (I like to place the bowl overtop a small saucepan of boiling ewater, that way I know the peanut butter won't burn).
3. Once the peanut butter is easier to stir, remove the bowl from heat and stir in the sweet potato purée and vanilla extract until well combined.
4. In another bowl add the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda) and stir. It is important that you stir the dry ingredients well so that the baking soda is evenly distributed.
5. Pour the wet ingredients (the mixture will be pretty thick) into the dry ingredients a little bit at a time, stirring as you go.
6. Line a pan (8" x 8" or 7" by 9") with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C.
7. Pour the brownie batter into the pan and smooth it down evenly. Make sure that it is level so all of the batter cooks evenly.
8. Bake for 20 minutes in the center of the oven. Take it out after twenty minutes even if it looks under cooked because it will set as it cools.
• TIP: To help the brownies cool and set faster you can cover them loosely and place them in the fridge.

For the Chocolate Icing!

1. Mash the avocado with a fork (about 2 small avocados or 1 large avocado will make 1/2 a cup mashed)
2. You can then add the avocado to a food processor if you like or you can just keep mixng the icing with a fork and spatula (I prefer the manual way because it requires much less washing afterwards!)
3. Add the maple syrup and the vanilla to the avocado and mix until well combined and smooth (I don't mind a few lumps, but if you are making this for kids you may want to ensure all the avocado lumps are smoothed out)
4. If you want to add an extra flavour (eg. orange or mint) to the icing to compliment the chocolate, you can add 1/2 a tsp of extract to the icing at this point and combine well.
5. Slowly add in the melted coconut oil, mixing as you go.
6. Add the cocoa powder and mix until well combined.
• TIP: This icing is relatively thin (I like it because it contrasts the brownie texture nicely), but if you want to thicken it up just add extra cocoa powder a little bit at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Makes 16 tasty brownies!

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