Recipe: Sweet Potato Brownies

Sweet Potato Brownie
~ deshanta

Plant-Based BakingI love a tasty, healthy snack, especially if it involves dark chocolate.

Since going plant-based in January 2019, buying healthy snacks from organic food stores has been more difficult. Don’t get me wrong; I am in no way complaining because I love that there are so many options for plant-based eaters to choose from, and that warms my heart. But it gets complicated in that vegan food does not necessarily mean healthy or sugar-free, and this is where I am still left to fend for myself in the food aisles.

I have to keep a low sugar intake because plant-based eating is still quite high in simple and complex carbohydrates, which means a general spike in my Insulin :-/

I am practising Intermittent Fasting, which has done wonders for my Insulin in the past 4 months. Before leaving South Africa for Toronto, Canada, my last blood test showed that my Insulin was a single digit and below the 8-point threshold. Of course, one reading doesn’t mean that I have reversed my Insulin Resistance – I’ll have to stay on this train for at least six months and have consistent readings before this is considered a successful beating of pre-Diabetes. My endocrinologist was persistent in his scolding of getting my Insulin and Glucose to be at a 1:1 ratio in order for me to be considered, cured of Insulin Resistance.

So that leads me to share my recipe for a sweet potato brownie that is a firm favourite in the Naidoo-Thomson household. 😛 Not only is it a moreish dessert, but it can also be a light meal with a cup of peppermint cacao. You’ll be eating something yummy, and it’s nutritiously-dense, so you’re getting the health benefits from it too 😉

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Brownies (makes 16 squares)

  • 3/4 cup (143g) mashed sweet potato (1 large)
  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted hazelnut butter (any nut butter will do) stirred well
  • 1/4 cup dark maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup (32g) date syrup
  • 1/3 cup (35g) coconut flour
  • 4 tablespoons (31g) unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Sweet Potato Icing

  • 1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed
  • 10 ounces (283g) dairy-free dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Sweet Potato Brownies

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Line a 20cm x 20cm (8″x8″) baking pan with parchment paper or grease pan with coconut oil.

  2. Cook the sweet potato (microwave with some Avocado oil for 10-15 minutes on the appropriate setting or boil on the stove) until well cooked, and mash well with a fork. Place 3/4 cup of the mashed sweet potato in a large bowl, followed by the nut butter, date syrup and maple syrup. Whisk to combine.

  3. Add the almond flour, cacao/cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix until evenly combined and incorporated.

  4. Transfer batter (it will be thick) to the greased pan. Using a spatula or your hands, spread and pat the mixture into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick, comes out mostly clean.

  5. Allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack.

Sweet Potato Icing

  1. Once the brownies have cooled, prepare your icing. Cook the remaining sweet potato in the microwave at appropriate setting until it easily mashes with a fork.

  2. Add mashed sweet potato and chocolate chips to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. Stir often, just until chocolate chips have melted. Remove from heat and stir until mixture is smooth.

  3. Spread the icing on top of the cooled brownies. Allow glaze to cool and set before slicing brownies into squares.

  4. Store the batch in an airtight container in the fridge.